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Review: Highland Outlander Knits

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Highland Knits book reviewI’ve never read any of the Outlander books or watched the television series based on them, but I know the time-traveling romance set in the Scottish highlands is appealing to a lot of people for a lot of reasons. Knitters swoon at the storyline as well as the knits worn by the characters, which inspired designers to take on some of the garments shown in the series or projects inspired by the show and books in the book Highland Knits: Knitwear Inspired by the outlander Series.

Even if you’re not a fan of the series, there are lots of lovely patterns here, starting with the super-bulky, long, reversible, shape-shifting Time Traveler Reversible Vest by Karen Clements. Jennifer Jackson’s triangular Rent Collection Shawl is inspired by Clare’s shawl and uses intarsia to make the striped edging.

Clements’ Lallybrough Shrug is another easy, super bulky project that can be customized to fit, while the Sassenach Cowl by Kristin Brooks is another classic from the show that couldn’t be easier — it’s a Garter Stitch cowl worked with super bulky yarn held double (get the pattern free from Amazon through the end of April 2016).  And Kalurah Hudson’s cabled, knee-high Standing Stones Socks are perfect for keeping toes warm on the moor or anywhere else. Check out all the patterns on Ravelry.

Classic Scottish style combines with easy modern elements like large scale and simple stitch patterns to make an evocative collection that’s also easy to fit into everyday life, which is great regardless of whether you’re a fan of the series.

About the book: 112 pages, paperback, 16 patterns (skill level is not given, but most are good for beginner to advanced beginner knitters comfortable with cables and a bit of shaping). Published by Interweave/F+W, April 2016. Suggested retail $22.99. Use code OUTLANDER20 at Interweave to get 20 percent off if ordered before the end of April 2016.

So if you are looking for knitting patterns from the Outlander series then this is a great start to finding the Highland patterns.

Looking to buy your Yarn online? Check out these online yarn specials.

Specific to knitters, you can join our Knitting Patterns Only group to get, well, knitting patterns, ask questions and gain inspiration for what to knit next.

Check out these books dedicated to Knitted Cowl Patterns still looking for more cowl patterns? Check these out on Etsy.

Comments

  1. I purchased the book a few weeks ago. I just finished the sassanach cowl, and I came very close to running out of yarn on my 50th row. It said to knit 78 rows! And had I knitted all of those without running out of yarn, it would have been way to long and not fit right. So I stopped at 50. And I have a question for you or anyone else that has made the time travelers vest, how many stands of yarn do you use, all 3? Just wondering because it didn’t say.

Have you read?

Knit a Mosaic Shawl Inspired by Mythology

Sometimes when I’m scrolling through Ravelry a pattern will catch my eye as much because of the name as the look of the design (which is a little hard to see in those little thumbnails sometimes, anyway). 

So it was with the Stellify shawl by Paola Albergamo. Stellify means to turn into a star, and the name and the story behind the shawl come from the story of Ariadne. The better known part of her story is that she helped Theseus escape from the Minotaur, but he then abandoned her. What comes after in many stories is that Dionysus found her, fell in love with her and later married her. 

When he threw her jeweled crown into the sky, the Corona Borealis constellation was formed. 

What does all this have to do with shawl knitting? 

The shawl itself looks like it has a scattering of stars on it, as if it, too, has been stellified. The shawl begins with an I-cord tap and is shaped into a triangular shawl with both lateral and central increases. I-cord edging is incorporated into the sides, and the colorwork is done with mosaic knitting, which means this shawl is easier than it looks. 

Mosaic knitting has you working with just one color per row, slipping stitches that appear in the other color to make the colorwork visible. Even better for people new to this kind of colorwork, the pattern includes written and charted instructions throughout so it should be easy to follow along. 

The pattern comes in two sizes (the larger one is shown here) and calls for two colors of fingering weight yarn. It looks great in black and yellow, but don’t miss the other projects on Ravelry to see other fun and beautiful color options. 

You can find the pattern in English and Italian on Ravelry. 

[Photo: Paola Albergamo]