Lana Grossa 18 Top Knitting Pattern

Lana Grossa 18 Top in Ecopuno Dégradé

What Is Being Made

The Lana Grossa 18 Top is a knitted pullover garment available in three sizes: 36/38, 40/42, and 44. This intermediate-level knitting project features a sophisticated color gradient design that flows throughout the finished piece, creating a visually striking dégradé effect from pale green through vanilla to light grey.

Yarn and Materials

This top is crafted using Lana Grossa Ecopuno Dégradé, a premium blend yarn composed of 72% cotton, 17% Merino wool, and 11% baby alpaca. The yarn provides a balanced combination of breathability and warmth, making it suitable for a versatile garment. Yardage requirements are 300 grams (approximately 1,290 meters) for size 36/38, and 400 grams (approximately 1,720 meters) for sizes 40/42 and 44. The colorway used is Pale Green/Vanilla/Light Grey (color 405), which creates the distinctive gradient effect throughout the design.

Needles and Tools

Construction requires size 2.5 mm and 3.5 mm straight needles, along with a 3.5 mm circular needle measuring 40 cm in length. The circular needle is used for specific sections of the pattern, while the straight needles accommodate the main body pieces.

Knitting Techniques and Stitches

This intermediate project incorporates several essential knitting techniques:

• Stockinette Stitch (St st): The primary stitch used for the main body of the top, created by knitting on right-side rows and purling on wrong-side rows to produce a smooth, flat fabric.
• Ribbed Knit-Purl Pattern (K1, P1 Rib): Used at the cuff edges and lower sections to create elasticity and a finished appearance. This pattern alternates single knit and purl stitches to form vertical columns.
• Diagonal Lace Pattern: A decorative stitch pattern worked over a multiple of 2 stitches plus selvage stitches. The pattern uses a specialized technique where stitches are knitted together but left on the left needle, then a new stitch is knitted into the first stitch before both are slipped to the right needle. This creates a subtle diagonal texture and visual interest.
• Selvage Stitches: Edge stitches maintained throughout to create neat, finished edges that facilitate seaming.
• Yarn Over and Decrease Techniques: The lace pattern employs decreases (k2tog) combined with knit stitches to create the characteristic openwork effect.
• Shaping Techniques: Bind-off decreases are used strategically at the neckline and shoulders to create proper garment shaping and fit.

Construction Details

The top is constructed in separate pieces: a back panel, front panel, and two sleeves. The back and front are worked in stockinette stitch from the cast-on edge upward. The sleeves begin with a ribbed cuff for elasticity, then transition to stockinette stitch with incorporated diagonal lace patterning. Neck shaping occurs on the front piece through strategic bind-offs at the center and edges, creating a proper neckline opening. Shoulder shaping is achieved through bind-off decreases that match between back and front pieces.

A critical aspect of this design is the gradient yarn sequencing. The pattern includes specific notes to unwind yarn as necessary to match the color gradient sequence on both the back and front pieces, as well as between the two sleeves. This ensures the dégradé effect flows consistently across the finished garment for a professional, cohesive appearance.

Finishing

After all pieces are knitted, the top is finished through blocking—pinning pieces to their intended measurements and allowing them to set—followed by seaming the shoulder, side, and sleeve seams together to complete the garment.