This looks like it was made on a knitting machine. The looser stitch is a tuck stitch. This sets the machine to slip the stitch but with the yarn going over the top of the needle rather than underneath, for one or more passes. Then you work a complete row which catches the stitch and all of the floats of the stitches that were slipped. The stitch is looser as it’s been slipped - you’ll also see the slipped strands being pulled up when the slipped stitch is finally worked.
My eyes find it hard to count but it looks like they tucked every other stitch for 2-3 rows then worked a straight row of working all stitches.
I think you can replicate this in hand knitting by knitting into stitches in previous rows but I’m not sure that you get quite the same appearance and density.
May be worth trying a swatch to see if you like the look?