Lana Grossa Tunic Jumper Knitting Pattern

Lana Grossa Tunic in Linea Pura Solo Lino Mélange

What Is Being Made

This is a knitted tunic designed as Design 14 from Filati Handstrick 71. The tunic is a pullover-style garment worked in a lightweight linen blend, featuring an openwork lace pattern throughout. The design includes set-in sleeves and is available in three sizes: 36/38, 40/42, and 44.

Construction Method and Techniques

The tunic is worked flat on straight needles and circular needles, then seamed together to create the finished garment. The construction follows a bottom-up approach, meaning the piece is knitted starting from the lower edge and progressing upward. The sleeves are worked separately and then attached to the body using a specific joining technique that creates a professional seam finish.

A notable construction feature involves the sleeve seam: the work is divided at the center of a right-side row, and the right-side row is joined to a wrong-side row to create the sleeve seam above a slit opening. This technique adds visual interest and structural integrity to the garment.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The tunic incorporates two primary stitch techniques:

• Garter Stitch: Used for the initial foundation rows at the beginning of the sleeves. Garter stitch is created by knitting every row, producing a textured, reversible fabric with horizontal ridges.
• Openwork Pattern: The main decorative element of the tunic. This lace pattern is created using yarn overs (yo) combined with elongated stitches. The pattern works as follows: On right-side rows, alternating yarn overs and knit stitches create the openwork structure. On wrong-side rows, stitches are slipped to a right needle while dropping the yarn overs, then the stitches are pulled upward to elongate them before being returned to the left needle. A cable-cross technique is then worked by inserting the right needle from right to left into the first stitch, knitting the second stitch, and then knitting the first stitch. This creates an intricate, airy fabric with visual texture.

Materials and Tools

The tunic is knitted using Lana Grossa Solo Lino Mélange yarn, which is composed of 80% recycled linen (viscose) and 20% linen. This fiber blend creates a breathable, lightweight fabric ideal for a summer tunic. The yarn is available in the colorway Natural Mélange (col 101). Yardage requirements are 450 grams (approximately 1,050 meters) for size 36/38, 500 grams (approximately 1,167 meters) for size 40/42, and 550 grams (approximately 1,283 meters) for size 44.

The needles required include size 6 mm straight needles for the main fabric and size 5.5 mm and 6 mm circular needles, each 60 cm long. The circular needles are used for working the body and sleeves in the flat construction method, allowing for easier handling of the increasing stitch counts.

Design Details

The tunic features full-fashion decreases at the sleeve cap, a professional finishing technique that creates a neat, tailored appearance. The sleeve shaping is gradual and symmetrical, with decreases worked at regular intervals to create a properly fitted armhole. The neckline shaping involves binding off stitches at each neck edge in a graduated sequence, ensuring a smooth, comfortable neckline finish.

The openwork lace pattern creates an elegant, summery aesthetic that is enhanced by the natural linen fiber content. The combination of garter stitch edging with the delicate openwork creates visual contrast and helps stabilize the edges of the garment.