Lana Grossa Men's Vest Waistcoat Knitting Pattern

Lana Grossa Men's Vest in Cool Wool Mélange

What is Being Made

This is a men's sleeveless vest (waistcoat) in Design 19 from the Merino Edition collection by Lana Grossa. The vest features a classic V-neck construction and is available in three size options: 48/50, 52/54, and 56/58. The finished garment showcases a sophisticated mélange colorway in Charcoal (color 444), creating a versatile piece suitable for layering over shirts or wearing as a standalone garment.

Construction Techniques

This vest is constructed using bottom-up seamed construction, meaning the back and front pieces are knitted separately from the cast-on edge upward, then seamed together. The garment is worked flat on straight needles for the main body pieces, with worked-in-the-round elements incorporated for finishing details such as neckbands and armhole edgings using a circular needle.

The construction process involves shaping armholes through bind-offs and full-fashion decreases, which create a refined, tailored appearance at the underarm. The V-neck is shaped using strategic decreases worked on right-side rows, allowing for a clean, symmetrical neckline. Shoulder shaping is accomplished through graduated bind-offs that create proper sleeve cap depth for a professional fit.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette Stitch (St st): The primary fabric stitch, created by knitting on right-side rows and purling on wrong-side rows, producing a smooth, classic knit fabric
• Rib Pattern (K2, P2): A 2x2 ribbed knit-purl combination used for edgings and cuffs, providing elasticity and structure
• Broken Rib: A textured stitch pattern worked over a multiple of 10 stitches according to a provided chart, adding visual interest to specific sections of the garment

The pattern utilizes chart-based instructions for the broken rib sections, with row numbers indicated at the edges to guide proper orientation. Full-fashion decreases are employed throughout for shaping, ensuring a polished, professional finish on all edges.

Materials and Tools

The vest is knitted with Lana Grossa Cool Wool Mélange, a yarn composed of 100% pure wool. Yardage requirements are 400 grams (approximately 640 meters) for size 48/50, 450 grams (approximately 720 meters) for size 52/54, and 500 grams (approximately 800 meters) for size 56/58. The yarn is supplied in 50-gram balls with 160 meters per ball.

Needles required include size 3.5 mm straight needles for working the flat pieces and a 3.5 mm circular needle measuring 40 cm in length for any in-the-round finishing work. The needle size ensures proper gauge and fabric density with this wool yarn weight.

Yarn Characteristics

Cool Wool Mélange is a pure wool yarn offering excellent warmth and durability. The mélange construction creates a subtle color variation throughout the yarn, adding depth and visual texture to the finished vest. This yarn is well-suited for structured garments like vests that require good stitch definition and hold their shape through wear and washing.