Mette-Marit Gilet in Adriafil Nature - Downloadable PDF

Mette-Marit Gilet Knitting Pattern in Adriafil Nature – Free Downloadable PDF

The Mette-Marit Gilet is a stylish, sleeveless knitted waistcoat (gilet) designed for women, available in three sizes: 36/38, 40/42, and 44/46. This free downloadable PDF pattern is published by Adriafil and is worked in their Nature yarn, a chunky-weight yarn that creates a beautifully textured fabric with relatively quick knitting progress. The gilet features a shaped lower hem, armhole shaping, and a neckline, making it a satisfying intermediate knitting project with real garment construction techniques throughout.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a women's sleeveless gilet — a vest-style layering piece with no sleeves. It is worked in separate panels: a back piece, a right front, and by implication a left front, which are then seamed together. The finished garment features carefully shaped edges including a curved lower hem, armhole shaping, and a V-neck or scooped neckline with detailed bind-off shaping. It is an ideal layering piece suitable for transitional seasons, worn over knitwear or shirts.

Construction and Shaping Techniques

• Lower edge shaping: The distinctive curved lower hem is achieved by casting on additional stitches progressively at the edges over multiple rows. On the right front, for example, stitches are cast on at the end of wrong-side rows in a stepped sequence — beginning with 5 stitches, then groups of 4, 3, 2, and finally single stitches — creating a smooth, graduated curve rather than a straight cast-on edge.
• Side seam increases: Once the lower edge is established, stitches are increased at both side edges to shape the body. Increases are worked every 10, 10, or 9 rows (depending on size), adding 5, 5, or 6 stitches per side to reach the full stitch count of 72, 80, or 86 stitches across the back.
• Armhole shaping: When the work reaches 20–19–18 cm in length, armhole shaping begins. Stitches are bound off at both edges over a series of right- and wrong-side rows: first 1 x 3 stitches, then 2 x 2 stitches, followed by 3, 4, or 5 x 1 stitch every 2 rows, and then a further 2–3 x 1 stitch every 4 rows. This stepped bind-off creates a smooth, tailored armhole curve typical of classic garment construction.
• Neckline shaping: At 29 cm of total length, the neckline is shaped on the back by binding off the centre 12, 14, or 16 stitches and then working each shoulder separately. At the neck edge, stitches are decreased every 2 rows: 1 x 3, 2 x 2, and 9 x 1 stitch, producing a gradual, elegant neckline curve. The remaining 2, 3, or 4 shoulder stitches are bound off when the work reaches 39 cm.
• Front panel construction: The right front begins with a cast-on of 14, 18, or 22 stitches and uses the same progressive cast-on method for the lower curved hem. The left side edge of the front is increased to match the back shaping, and armhole decreases mirror those of the back panel for a symmetrical fit.

Stitch Patterns and Techniques Used

• Pattern stitch: The gilet is worked throughout in a specific Pattern stitch (referred to in the PDF as "Pattern st"), which begins on the 2nd row of the pattern. The textured repeat gives the fabric visual interest and body, well suited to the chunky yarn weight.
• Shaping within pattern: All increases and decreases are worked while maintaining the pattern stitch, which requires attention to stitch continuity — a technique that builds confidence in reading and adapting a stitch pattern during shaping.
• Stepped bind-offs: Multiple rounds of progressively smaller bind-offs are used for both armholes