Susa Jacket in Schachenmayr Cotton4future - S11017 - Downloadable PDF

Susa Jacket by Schachenmayr – Knitted Women's Jacket Pattern (S11017)

The Susa Jacket (S11017) is a women's knitted jacket designed by Käte Stödter for Schachenmayr, released in 2022 by MEZ GmbH. This free downloadable PDF pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty and is worked in a classic, structured style that suits a wide range of body types. The jacket is available in five sizes — XS, S, M, L, and XL — with finished bust widths ranging from approximately 48 cm to 64 cm at the lower back, making it a versatile wardrobe staple for everyday wear.

What Is Being Made

The Susa Jacket is a full women's jacket featuring a back panel, front panels, and set-in sleeves. The construction follows a traditional flat-knitting approach, with each piece worked separately and seamed together. Key structural measurements include:

• Total length: 80 cm across all sizes
• Length to armhole: 55–59 cm depending on size
• Armhole length: 19–23 cm
• Shoulder height: 2 cm across all sizes
• Neck width: 18 cm across all sizes
• Front neck height: 28 cm across all sizes
• Sleeve width at bottom: 24 cm across all sizes
• Sleeve width at top: 30–38 cm depending on size
• Sleeve length to armhole: 45 cm

The consistent total length and neck measurements across all sizes indicate a well-balanced, proportional design where shaping is primarily achieved through width adjustments rather than length changes.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs several classic knitting techniques that make it suitable for knitters with some prior experience. The intermediate difficulty rating reflects the combination of ribbing, increases, visible decreases, and garment shaping involved.

Increases

The pattern uses a lifted make-one increase, where the horizontal thread running between the left and right needles is picked up and knitted through the back loop. This technique creates a nearly invisible increase and is commonly used in garment shaping to add stitches cleanly without creating holes.

Visible Decreases

The Susa Jacket features directional, visible decreases that are worked symmetrically on both edges to create neat, decorative shaping lines:

• Right-hand edge: A selvage stitch is followed by k1, then a slip-one-knitwise decrease (sl1, k1 or k2tog, pass slipped stitch over), creating a left-leaning decrease that mirrors the edge.
• Left-hand edge: A k2tog or k3tog is worked before the final k1 and selvage stitch, creating a right-leaning decrease.

These visible decreases are a hallmark of European knitting tradition, where shaping lines are intentionally made part of the garment's aesthetic rather than hidden within the fabric.

Selvage Stitches

Throughout the pattern, selvage stitches are used consistently at the edges of each piece. These edge stitches create a clean, stable selvedge that makes seaming the finished pieces together much easier and neater — an important consideration in a structured jacket construction.

Stitches Used

Ribbing (2x2 Rib)

The pattern specifies a 2x2 rib stitch for the borders and cuffs. This is worked as follows:

• Right Side (RS): Selvage stitch, k2, *p2, k2, repeat from *, end with selvage stitch.
• Wrong Side (WS): Selvage stitch, p1, *k2, p2, repeat from *, end with k2, p1, selvage stitch.

The 2x2