Kinderweste in Schachenmayr Trachetenwolle - 5422

Kinderweste in Schachenmayr Trachtenwolle – Children's Knitted Waistcoat Pattern (Free Downloadable PDF)

This free downloadable PDF pattern from Schachenmayr provides instructions for knitting a charming children's waistcoat (Kinderweste) in the classic Trachten style — a traditional Alpine folk costume aesthetic that is both timeless and practical. The pattern is worked in Schachenmayr original Trachtenwolle, a worsted-weight yarn perfectly suited to structured knitwear for children. The waistcoat features a neat button band with buttonholes, a shaped revere collar, armhole shaping, and shoulder shaping, making it a well-rounded intermediate knitting project.

Sizes and Construction Overview

The pattern covers three sizes: 104/110, 116/122, and 128/134 (European children's sizing). Instructions are presented with figures separated by slashes, where the first value applies to size 104/110, the second to 116/122, and the third to 128/134. The waistcoat is constructed in separate pieces — a back panel and a left front panel are explicitly described, with corresponding right front worked to mirror the left.

Back Panel (Rückenteil)

The back is cast on with 82 / 88 / 100 stitches in the main colour Kiesel meliert (colourway 00097) and worked throughout in the main pattern stitch (Grundmuster). Armhole shaping begins at a height of 25 / 28 / 28 cm (62 / 70 / 70 rows), where stitches are bound off on both sides in a stepped decrease sequence: first 3 stitches, then 2 stitches once, then 1 stitch once in every right-side row, reducing to 70 / 76 / 88 stitches. The neckline shaping begins at 39.5 / 44.5 / 46.5 cm height, where the central 26 / 30 / 32 stitches are bound off and further decreases of 2 stitches are worked on each side in the following right-side row. The remaining 20 / 21 / 26 shoulder stitches on each side are bound off at a total height of 41 / 46 / 48 cm (102 / 116 / 120 rows).

Left Front Panel (Linkes Vorderteil)

The left front is cast on with 44 / 50 / 54 stitches in Kiesel meliert. The panel is divided into two zones: the main body of 39 / 45 / 49 stitches is worked in the main pattern stitch with an edge stitch (Randmasche), while the remaining 5 stitches along the left edge form the button band (Knopflochblende), worked in reverse stocking stitch (glatt links). The main pattern stitch begins with 2 purl stitches after the edge stitch, then alternates 4 knit stitches and 2 purl stitches across the row, ending with 2 purl stitches in sizes 116/122 and 128/134.

Buttonhole Band and Buttons

The button band incorporates 5 buttonholes worked into the 5-stitch reverse stocking stitch border. The first buttonhole is placed in the 4th row (return row), with subsequent buttonholes repeated every 10 / 12 / 14 rows four more times. Each buttonhole is formed by binding off the 3rd and 4th stitches and casting them back on in the following row. The finished waistcoat is fastened with 8 Trachten buttons of 20 mm diameter, giving the garment its distinctive traditional Alpine character.

Revere Collar (Reverskragen)

A shaped revere collar is worked as an integral part of the left front. Beginning at a height of 19 / 22 / 24 cm (48 / 56 / 60 rows), the last 7 stitches along the left edge are continued in reverse stocking stitch to form the collar. The collar is gradually widened by increasing 1 stitch into the