Vanessa Gilet in Adriafil Knitcol and Regina - Downloadable PDF

Vanessa Gilet in Adriafil Knitcol and Regina – Free Knitting Pattern Summary

The Vanessa Gilet is a stylish, sleeveless waistcoat knitted using two yarns from the Adriafil range: the self-striping Knitcol and the solid Regina, both in the DK weight category. This downloadable PDF pattern is available completely free of charge and is suitable for knitters who are comfortable working with shaping techniques and reading multi-size instructions. The finished garment is a classic fitted gilet with ribbed edgings, waist shaping, armhole shaping, and a neat neckline finish — making it a versatile layering piece suitable for a variety of occasions.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a sleeveless gilet (waistcoat) worked in separate pieces — a back and two fronts — that are seamed together. The design features a fitted silhouette achieved through careful waist decreases and increases, shaped armholes, and a shaped neckline. Ribbed trims are added around the neckline and armholes after the main pieces are complete, giving the garment a polished, professional finish. The pattern is written across three sizes, with stitch counts given in sequence throughout the instructions.

Yarns and Materials

• Adriafil Knitcol – a DK weight self-striping yarn used for the front sections, providing automatic colour variation without the need to change yarn manually.
• Adriafil Regina – a DK weight solid yarn used for the back, the ribbed neckband, and the ribbed armhole bands, providing a clean contrast to the variegated Knitcol.
• Knitting needles appropriate for DK weight yarn are required, as specified within the full PDF pattern.

Techniques Used

• Working in pieces and seaming – the back and right front are constructed separately and joined, a traditional construction method well suited to shaped garments.
• Waist shaping – the back features four single decreases at both edges every six rows to create a waist, followed by four single increases at both edges every ten rows to restore the hip width, producing a gently fitted silhouette.
• Armhole shaping – worked by binding off stitches in a stepped sequence (1×3, then 3×2, then multiple single stitches at both edges every two rows), creating a smooth, rounded armhole curve.
• Neckline shaping – the back neckline is shaped by binding off a central group of stitches and then working each shoulder separately, with further stepped bind-offs at the neck edge to create a neat curve.
• Picking up stitches – after the main pieces are complete, stitches are picked up along the neckline and armhole edges using Adriafil Regina to work the ribbed trims directly onto the garment.
• Binding off in pattern – the ribbed edgings are finished by binding off in 2×2 Ribbing to maintain elasticity and a tidy edge.

Stitches Used

• 2×2 Ribbing (knit 2, purl 2) – used for the cast-on hem at the lower edge of the back (worked over 5 cm), as well as for the neckband and armhole bands (each worked over 3 cm). Ribbing provides stretch and helps the edges lie flat without curling.
• Stockinette Stitch (Stocking Stitch) – the main body fabric of the back, worked by alternating knit rows on the right side and purl rows on the wrong side. This smooth fabric allows the self-striping colours of Knitcol and the solid tones of Regina to show clearly.
• A textured or lace stitch pattern – referenced in the PDF instructions for the front sections, worked from a row repeat that includes specific knit and purl arrangements beginning with a right-side setup row and repeating from rows 2 through 5. This adds visual interest to the Knitcol fronts and contrasts with the plain Stockinette back.

Back Construction Detail

The back of the Vanessa Gilet