Herrenjacke in Schachenmayr Trachetenwolle - 5409

Herrenjacke in Schachenmayr Trachtenwolle – Men's Cable Knit Jacket Pattern (Free Downloadable PDF)

This free downloadable PDF from Schachenmayr provides instructions for a classic men's jacket knitted in the brand's Trachtenwolle yarn. The design draws on traditional Alpine and Trachten aesthetics, combining bold cable patterns with clean structural details to create a substantial, textured outerwear piece. The pattern is written in German and is offered in multiple sizes, making it suitable for a range of adult male figures. With its worsted-weight construction and richly textured stitch work, this jacket is an intermediate-to-advanced knitting project ideal for those comfortable with shaping and cable techniques.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a structured men's knitted jacket worked in separate pieces and seamed together. The garment features a back panel, a left front panel, and corresponding right front panel, along with sleeves and finishing details. The silhouette is traditional and tailored, reflecting the Trachten style associated with Bavarian and Austrian folk costume traditions. The jacket is designed with a front button or closure band (Blende) and includes carefully shaped armholes, shoulder slopes, and a neckline opening, all of which contribute to a well-fitted, garment-quality result.

Construction and Shaping Techniques

The pattern uses a flat, piece-by-piece construction method, meaning each section — back, left front, right front, and sleeves — is knitted separately before being seamed. This is a traditional approach well suited to structured outerwear. Key shaping techniques include:

• Armhole shaping: Stitches are bound off at both sides after reaching the required body length, with decreases worked in every second row to create a smooth, curved armhole edge.
• Shoulder shaping (Schulterschrägungen): Angled shoulder bind-offs are worked in stages across multiple right-side rows, producing a sloped shoulder line that allows the garment to sit naturally on the body.
• Neckline shaping: A back neck opening is formed by binding off a central group of stitches and then working further decreases on each side in every second row, creating a rounded or slightly shaped back neckline.
• Stitch increases within the cable panel: One stitch is increased per cable repeat at the transition into the cable pattern section, accommodating the natural draw-in of cable stitches and maintaining the correct overall stitch count.
• Border/facing band (Blende): A short section of purl rows is worked at the cast-on edge to create a neat, rolled or folded hem band before transitioning into the main pattern.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns Used

The jacket combines several distinct stitch patterns, each serving a specific structural or decorative purpose:

• Zopfmuster (Cable Pattern): The central and most prominent stitch pattern, worked across the majority of the front and back panels. The pattern specifies a repeating cable Rapport (repeat unit), with 10, 11, or 12 repeats depending on the size being knitted. Cable knitting involves crossing groups of stitches over one another using a cable needle, producing the characteristic rope-like twisted columns that define the Trachten aesthetic.
• Glatt links (Reverse Stockinette Stitch): Worked over the outer edge stitches on each side of the cable panel — typically 5 or 6 stitches per side depending on size — this creates a smooth, receding background that frames the cables and contributes to the garment's structure at the side seams.
• Linke Maschen (Purl Stitches / Garter-effect rows): Used for the introductory border rows (Blende) at the cast-on edge, providing a tidy, non-curling hem. These are worked flat as purl rows on the right side, creating a garter-like band.
• Randmaschen (Selvedge Stitches): Edge stitches are maintained throughout all panels to facilitate clean seaming when the pieces are joined.

Sizing and Stitch Counts

The pattern is written for three sizes. For the back panel, cast-on counts are 102, 109, or 118