Arrival of the Birds is a top-down, yoked colourwork sweater. It is the third design in my Organics Collection, a series of knitwear designs inspired by the natural world and by other artists whose work is inspired by the natural world.
The inspiration for this design comes from a piece of music called Arrival of the Birds by The Cinematic Orchestra. When listening to this music and working on the patterns incorporated into the design, I had in mind the swooping and looping flight patterns of small birds such as starlings or swallows.

SAMPLE
The wearer is 5’10” with a 37” chest circumference. The sample has been worked in size L, giving the wearer 8.75” / 22cm of positive ease at the chest. To allow for the height of the wearer, the sample has been modified by separating the yoke into body and sleeves as for sizes XL-5XL, an extra 2” / 5cm has been worked into the body and an extra 1” / 2.5cm of length has been worked into the sleeves.

SIZING GUIDE
This garment is graded into sizes XS (S, M, L, XL) (2XL, 3XL, 4XL, 5XL). Recommended positive ease is 3-10” / 7.5-25cm at the chest circumference.
Chest Circumference: 34.25 (37.25, 42.75, 45.75, 51.5) (54.25, 57.25, 62.75, 65.75)“ / 85.5 (93, 107, 114.5, 128.5) (135.5, 143, 157, 164.5)cm.

GAUGE
Using 3.25mm / US size 3 needles, or needle size required to meet gauge, 28 stitches over 30 rounds in stockinette stitch, blocked, creates a 4x4”/10x10cm square.
Neckband, waistband and cuff circumferences assume you are working 8 sts per 1” / 2.5 cm.

YARN
Sportweight or heavy 4ply yarn is required for this design. The sample has been worked using John Arbon Textile’s Yarnadelic base (100% Falklands Corriedale; 333m / 364yds per 100g) in colourways Black Gold of the Sun as the main colour and Nobody Knows as the contrast colour.

YARDAGE (includes ~10% excess)
Main Colour: 770 (834, 959, 1006, 1102) (1196, 1270, 1359, 1396) metres / 842 (912, 1050, 1100, 1206) (1308, 1390, 1486, 1528) yards / 231 (250, 288, 302, 331) (359, 382, 408, 419) grams.
Contrast Colour: 270 (294, 338, 350, 386) (416, 439, 459, 473) metres / 295 (322, 370, 383, 422) (456, 480, 502, 517) yards / 81 (88, 102, 105, 116) (125, 132, 138, 142) grams.

TOOLS & NOTIONS
2.75mm / US size 2 circular needles (to work neckband, cuffs and waistband; varying cable lengths would be helpful)
3.25mm / US size 3 circular needles (to work yoke, body and sleeves; varying cable lengths would be helpful)
1 marker
scrap yarn
tapestry needle to weave in ends

SKILLS REQUIRED
-Long tail cast on
-Joining and working in the round
-Half-twisted ribbing
-German Short Row shaping
-Working left and right lifted increases
-Reading stranded colourwork charts
-Working stranded colourwork with two colours
-Separating yoke into body and sleeves
-Standard bind off
-Working a repeated pattern of decreases
-Working K2tog and SSK decreases