Birdie Sweater

The Birdie Sweater is worked from the top-down, fully in the round, with saddle shoulders blending into raglan shaping to create lovely structure around the shoulders. Rapid decreases on the arms and before the hem further the slight ballooning shape, and they are finished with several inches of a 1x1 rib. The high, wide-set neck is worked last, picking up stitches along the neckline. The pattern includes two options for sleeve length: slightly cropped, and a full sleeve. Wear on a hike, on a rooftop, while rolling down a hill, to a coffee shop, to a wedding, to prom, to sleep, to giggle, on a bike ride, etc. **Sizes**: 1 (2) 3 (4) 5 **Width under arms**: 21.75 (24.25) 26.75 (30) 32.5 inches = 55.3 (61.6) 68 (76.2) 82 cm **Choosing a size**: The shoulder and arm shaping lends itself to more positive ease than perhaps typical, even for an oversized sweater. I’d recommend selecting a size with about *13-18 in of positive ease*. The yoke is also relatively deep, so the widest point will fall slightly lower than a more typical construction. **Gauge**: 16 sts x 23 rows = 4x4 in = 10 x 10 cm in stockinette stitch on US 8 needles, blocked **Needles**: Most of the body is worked in US 8 = 5 mm needles. The US 6 = 4 mm needles are used for the sleeve cuffs and hem, while the US 5 = 3.75 mm needles are used for the neck. **Yarn**: Use an aran weight yarn you really love! I recommend Noro Haunui. A thicker, wooly, tweedy yarn is very well-suited to this design. Some other recommended yarns include Kelbourne Woolens’ Lucky Tweed or Briggs & Little Heritage 2-Ply. 400 (600) 600 (600) 800 g Noro Haunui *The dark brown Birdie Sweater is a size 3, knit with Noro Haunui in the colorway ‘Waitomo (25)’. The finished weight is ~ 550 g.* *The grey Birdie Sweater is a size 2, knit with Kelbourne Woolens' Lucky Tweed in the colorway Medium Gray. The finished weight is ~475 g.* *The light grey Birdie Sweater is a size 4, knit with Briggs & Little Heritage 2-Ply in the colorway Sheeps Grey.*