Jacket in Schachenmayr Tahiti - 2178

Jacket in Schachenmayr Tahiti – Knitting Pattern 2178 (Free Downloadable PDF)

This pattern presents a knitted jacket worked in the beautiful Schachenmayr Tahiti yarn, a lightweight lace-weight cotton blend that drapes elegantly and suits warm-weather or transitional dressing. The design is available as a free downloadable PDF and covers three size ranges: 34–38, 40–44, and 46–50, making it accessible to a wide range of knitters. The construction method is notably interesting, as the back pieces are knitted horizontally — from the centre back outward — rather than in the conventional bottom-up or top-down direction, giving experienced knitters a satisfying structural challenge.

Design Overview and Construction

The jacket is composed of several distinct sections worked separately and then assembled. The back is divided into a left back half with side panel and a right back half with side panel, each knitted from the centre back outward in a transverse (sideways) direction. The front pieces — a left front and a corresponding right front — are worked in a more conventional manner. The pattern also includes a lower front facing band integrated into the side panel construction, adding a neat, structured finish to the garment's lower edge.

A key instruction for knitters is to begin both front pieces at the same point in the yarn's colour gradient, ensuring the colour transitions align symmetrically across the finished jacket. This is particularly important when working with a yarn like Schachenmayr Tahiti, which features a gradual colour fade or variegated colourway.

Techniques Used

• Transverse (horizontal) knitting: The back sections are cast on and worked sideways, from the centre back outward. This is a more advanced construction technique that produces clean vertical lines and allows shaping to flow naturally along the rows rather than the columns.
• Shoulder shaping with decreases: On the left back half, decreases are worked at the right edge at regular intervals — once, then every 4th row multiple times, then every 6th row — to create a gradual shoulder slope. On the right back half, the shaping is mirrored using a slip-stitch decrease (Überzug): one stitch is slipped knitwise, the next is knitted, and the slipped stitch is passed over, worked three stitches before the end of the row.
• Provisional cast-on with a smooth waste yarn: The back is begun by casting on 189 stitches using a smooth contrast yarn, then the main yarn is joined and stockinette stitch begins. Later, the waste yarn is removed and the live stitches are picked up to work the right back half in the opposite direction — a classic provisional cast-on technique.
• Partial bind-offs and held stitches: Within the side panel section, groups of stitches are bound off or placed on hold at specific heights to shape the underarm and side seam areas, and then additional stitches are cast on again to form the sleeve or body continuation.
• Neckline shaping on the front: On the left front, decreases for the neckline are worked at the left edge — once, then every 6th row 17 times — creating a smooth, gradual V-neck or rounded neckline curve.
• Stockinette stitch (glatt rechts): The primary fabric throughout the jacket is smooth stockinette stitch, knitted on the right side and purled on the wrong side, producing a clean, flat fabric that showcases the yarn's colour transitions beautifully.
• Selvedge stitches (Randmaschen): Edge stitches are maintained consistently throughout all pieces to ensure neat seaming and a tidy finish.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette stitch – the main stitch pattern throughout all pieces
• Standard knit decrease (k2tog / 2 Maschen rechts zusammenstricken) – used for shoulder shaping on the left back
• Slip-stitch decrease (Überzug / skp) – used for mirrored shoulder shaping on the right back
• Selvedge/edge stitches (Randmaschen) – worked at all edges for clean finishing