Lana Grossa Jacket Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Lana Grossa Jacket in Silkhair

What is Being Made

This is a seamless, top-down knitted cardigan jacket featuring a classic silhouette with button-front closure. The design includes a fitted body with set-in sleeves, ribbed cuffs and hem, and coordinating button bands along both front edges. The jacket is available in three sizes (36/38, 40/42, and 44) and is constructed to create a polished, wearable layering piece.

Techniques Used

The Lana Grossa Jacket employs several advanced knitting techniques to achieve its seamless construction:

• Top-down construction: The jacket is worked from the neckline downward, allowing for easy fitting adjustments and eliminating the need for seaming the body.
• Worked in the round: The body and sleeves are primarily worked in circular rows using circular needles, creating seamless fabric and reducing finishing work.
• Worked flat: Button bands and certain finishing sections are worked flat on circular needles to create clean, finished edges.
• Seamless integration: Sleeves are picked up from the body and worked downward in the round, eliminating traditional sleeve seams and creating a smooth, continuous fabric.

Stitches Used

The pattern employs fundamental knitting stitches executed with precision:

• Stockinette stitch (St st): The primary fabric stitch, created by knitting on right-side rows and purling on wrong-side rows (or knitting every round when working in the round). This creates the smooth, classic texture of the jacket body and sleeves.
• Ribbed pattern (K1, P1): Used for cuffs, hem, and button bands. This alternating knit-purl pattern creates elasticity and a finished appearance, helping edges maintain their shape and provide a comfortable fit at wrists and waist.
• Selvage stitches: Knit stitches worked on every row at the first and last stitch of flat sections, creating neat, finished edges ideal for picking up stitches and attaching button bands.

Shaping and Construction Details

The jacket incorporates strategic decreasing to create a fitted silhouette. Sleeve cap shaping is achieved through paired decreases (k2tog and skp) worked at regular intervals, with the frequency of decreases varying by size to accommodate different proportions. The underarm features cast-on stitches that are later picked up to seamlessly integrate the sleeves into the body, eliminating bulky seams.

Materials

The Lana Grossa Jacket in Silkhair is worked with premium yarn and quality notions:

• Yarn: Lana Grossa Silkhair, a luxurious blend of 70% superkid mohair and 30% silk, providing softness, drape, and subtle sheen. The yarn is worked with 2 strands held together throughout, creating a cohesive fabric with excellent stitch definition. Yardage required is 225 grams (approximately 1,181 meters) for size 36/38, 275 grams (approximately 1,448 meters) for size 40/42, and 325 grams (approximately 1,715 meters) for size 44. The sample is shown in Light Grey (color 189).
• Needles: Size 3.5 mm and 4 mm circular needles in both 40 cm and 80 cm lengths, allowing flexibility for working different sections and accommodating the increasing stitch counts as the jacket expands from neckline to body.
• Notions: Seven 20 mm buttons by Union Knopf (item 37604, color 12) for the front closure.

Gauge and Finishing

The pattern specifies a gauge of 19 stitches and 26 rows over 10 cm in stockinette stitch using size 4 mm needles with 2 strands held together. Achieving proper gauge is essential for correct sizing and drape. The finished jacket is pinned to measurements and blocked to set the stitches and ensure even fabric texture before buttons are attached.