Iris Waistcoat in Adriafil regina - Downloadable PDF

Iris Waistcoat in Adriafil Regina – Free Knitting Pattern (Downloadable PDF)

The Iris Waistcoat is a beautifully detailed knitted waistcoat designed using Adriafil Regina yarn. This free downloadable PDF pattern produces a classic, elegant sleeveless garment featuring a sophisticated combination of textural and openwork stitches. The design is available in three sizes — 36/38, 40/42, and 44/46 — making it accessible to a wide range of knitters looking for a versatile layering piece.

What Is Being Made

This pattern creates a knitted waistcoat (also known as a vest), a sleeveless garment typically worn as a stylish layer over shirts, blouses, or lightweight tops. The Iris Waistcoat features a structured ribbed hem and an intricate central openwork panel that gives the finished piece a refined, decorative quality. It is constructed in separate back and front panels that are seamed together, making it suitable for knitters with some experience in garment construction.

Materials Required

• Yarn: Adriafil Regina in grey (shade 082) — 8 balls for size 36/38, and 9 balls for sizes 40/42 and 44/46
• Needle sizes: 4 mm and 4.5 mm knitting needles
• Cable needle required for the openwork cable crossings

Adriafil Regina is a worsted weight yarn, offering excellent stitch definition that is particularly well suited to the twisted stitch and cable elements featured in this pattern. The specified colourway, grey (082), gives the waistcoat a timeless, neutral aesthetic that pairs easily with a variety of outfits.

Tension

The pattern calls for a tension of 20 stitches and 29 rows to 10 × 10 cm worked in stocking stitch on 4.5 mm needles. Checking tension carefully before beginning is essential to achieving the correct fit across all three sizes. Adjusting needle size up or down as needed is recommended if your tension does not match.

Stitches and Techniques Used

The Iris Waistcoat draws on a combination of classic and more advanced knitting stitches and techniques, making it a rewarding project for intermediate to experienced knitters:

• Rib stitch: Worked as a 2 knit, 3 purl rib on the wrong side, with subsequent rows worked as the stitches appear. This forms the structured lower hem of the waistcoat and is knitted on the smaller 4 mm needles for approximately 10 cm.
• Stocking stitch: The main body fabric of the waistcoat, knitted on the right side and purled on the wrong side, worked on 4.5 mm needles. Stocking stitch creates a smooth, even fabric that forms the backdrop for the decorative openwork panel.
• Openwork pattern: An intricate 8-row repeating panel that forms the decorative centrepiece of the waistcoat. This stitch pattern incorporates several advanced techniques:

• Twisted stitches: Groups of 4 twisted knit stitches are worked throughout the openwork panel, creating a firm, rope-like texture with excellent visual definition.
• 2-stitch crosses to the left and right: Worked without a cable needle by knitting into the second stitch before the first, these small crosses create a subtle braided effect framing the central panel.
• 4-stitch cable crosses: Both left-leaning and right-leaning 4-stitch cable crossings are worked using a cable needle, with stitches held either in front or behind the work. Each group of 4 stitches is knitted twisted for additional texture and definition.
• Yarn-over increases (wrap wool around needle): Used in combination with decreases to create the characteristic openwork or lace-like holes within the central panel.
• K2tog (knit 2 together): A standard right-leaning decrease used alongside yarn-overs to shape the openwork eyel