Herrenjacke in Schachenmayr Trachetenwolle - 5408

Herrenjacke in Schachenmayr Trachtenwolle – Free Knitting Pattern for a Men's Traditional Jacket

This free downloadable PDF pattern from Schachenmayr provides instructions for knitting a classic men's jacket worked in the brand's Trachtenwolle, a yarn deeply rooted in the tradition of Central European folk costume. The design is offered in three sizes, making it a versatile project for knitters who want to craft a well-fitted, structured outerwear garment for men. The finished jacket features a refined silhouette with shoulder shaping, armhole shaping, a neckline, and integrated side pockets — all hallmarks of a carefully engineered, traditional menswear knit.

What Is Being Made

The pattern instructs the knitter to construct a men's knitted jacket with a distinctly traditional, Trachten-inspired aesthetic. The garment is worked in separate pieces — including a back panel, a left front panel, and likely corresponding right front and sleeve pieces — which are then seamed together. The jacket includes:

• Ribbed or garter-stitch cuffs (Bündchen) worked over 7 rows to a depth of approximately 2.5 cm at the lower edges
• Integrated side pockets with a pocket flap (Taschenblende) and a separate pocket lining (Taschenrückseite) knitted independently and then inserted into the main fabric
• Armhole shaping with cast-offs worked at specific row intervals
• Shoulder shaping using stepped cast-offs on both sides to create a neat, angled shoulder line
• Neckline shaping with simultaneous decreases worked symmetrically on both sides

The finished garment reaches a total height of 68.5 / 70.5 / 74 cm depending on size, making it a full-length jacket suitable for layering over traditional or everyday clothing.

Construction Details and Techniques

The jacket is constructed using classic flat knitting techniques, with each panel worked back and forth in rows. The pattern makes use of several well-established knitting construction methods:

Shoulder Shaping (Schulterschrägungen)

Shoulder shaping begins at an armhole height of 23 / 25 / 27 cm (corresponding to 60 / 66 / 70 rows). On both sides, 4 stitches are cast off initially, followed by 3 repeats of casting off 4 / 5 / 6 stitches every second row. This stepped approach creates a smooth, diagonal shoulder line that is characteristic of well-tailored knitwear and allows for clean seaming when joining front and back panels.

Neckline Shaping (Halsausschnitt)

Simultaneously with the first shoulder decrease, the centre 23 stitches are cast off to begin the neckline opening. On both sides, decreases continue every second row: first 3 stitches are cast off once, then 2 stitches once, tapering the neck edge neatly into the shoulder.

Pocket Construction (Taschenblende und Taschenrückseite)

The pocket is one of the more technically interesting elements of this pattern. After 15 cm (40 rows) above the cuff, the pocket flap is introduced over a defined section of stitches — specifically stitches 10 through 36 after the selvedge stitch — worked in garter stitch (kraus stricken) while the remaining stitches continue in the main pattern. After a further 8 rows, the garter-stitch pocket flap stitches are cast off to create the pocket opening. The main work is then set aside.

A separate pocket lining of 29 stitches is cast on and worked for 17.5 cm in the main pattern stitch. These stitches are then inserted back into the main work in place of the cast-off stitches, with the selvedge stitches knitted together with their adjacent stitches to join the lining seamlessly. This technique produces a clean, functional side-entry pocket with