Nereo Jacket in Adriafil New Zealand Solids - Downloadable PDF

Nereo Jacket Knitting Pattern in Adriafil New Zealand Yarn — Free Downloadable PDF

The Nereo Jacket is a sophisticated, heavily textured raglan-style jacket designed for knitters who enjoy working with rich stitch combinations. Published by Adriafil Yarns and available as a free downloadable PDF, this pattern is worked in the brand's own New Zealand yarn — a premium aran-weight wool — held double throughout for a dense, warm, and structured fabric. The finished garment features a striking combination of cable panels, zigzag travelling-stitch motifs, and garter stitch borders, making it a rewarding project for intermediate to advanced knitters.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a single design: a classic raglan-sleeved jacket worked in pieces and seamed. It is sized for a 46 (48) bust measurement. The jacket features a structured front button band, a textured body worked in repeating cable and zigzag panels, and a crochet crab stitch edging finish. Five large matching buttons fasten the front.

Materials Required

• Yarn: Adriafil New Zealand yarn in anthracite mélange (shade no. 86) — 1,300 g total, used doubled throughout
• Knitting needles: size no. 7
• Crochet hook: size no. 6.50, used for the crab stitch edging
• Auxiliary needle: a two-tip cable needle for crossing stitches
• Notions: 5 large matching buttons and a tapestry needle for finishing

Adriafil New Zealand is an aran-weight yarn celebrated for its softness, stitch definition, and warmth — qualities that make it particularly well suited to cable and textured knitting where clarity of pattern is essential. Working the yarn double further enhances the fabric's body and insulating properties.

Gauge

The stated gauge is 16 stitches and 16 rows over 10 × 10 cm, achieved using knitting needles no. 7 with the yarn held double and worked in the pattern stitches. Achieving this gauge is important for correct sizing, as the fabric combines multiple stitch types with differing natural tensions.

Techniques Used

• Raglan shaping: Sleeve and body pieces are shaped using regular decrease rows to form the characteristic raglan armhole line, with stitches crossed off at set intervals every 2 or 4 rows depending on the piece.
• Cable crossing: The double cable panel (worked over 12 stitches) involves crossing 6 stitches rightwise and 6 stitches leftwise using an auxiliary needle, creating a bold rope-cable effect that repeats on a 7-row sequence.
• Travelling stitch / zigzag motifs: Two mirror-image zigzag patterns (A and B), each worked over 11 stitches, use 3-stitch rightwise and leftwise crosses to move knit stitches diagonally across a purl background, producing a dynamic, woven-looking texture.
• Crab stitch edging: Applied by crochet hook, crab stitch (also known as reverse single crochet) is worked from left to right — the opposite direction to standard crochet — creating a firm, decorative corded border around the finished edges of the jacket.
• Working with doubled yarn: Throughout the entire pattern, the yarn is wound double, which is a straightforward technique of holding two strands together as one. This increases the fabric weight and warmth while allowing a finer yarn to achieve an aran-weight gauge.

Stitches Used

• Garter stitch — used for the front button band border (4 stitches wide), providing a flat, non-curling edge
• Purl stitch / stocking stitch background — used as the ground fabric within zigzag panels and as the wrong-side rows of cable panels
• Knit stitch panels — used at side edges and as the base of cable rows
• Zigzag Pattern A and Zigzag Pattern B — mirror-image travelling-stitch motifs, each