Unless we talk about the knit wear. Oh, yes, the knit wear.
Yeah, that knitwear. It’s pretty on point. More impressively, it’s pretty easy to make. Case in point, I made Claire’s Cowl. Which one is Claire’s Cowl? The one in the last picture.
There it is, the Claire Cowl, as I call it, or the Return to Inverness Cowl as Lion Brand Yarns likes to call it. No matter the name, I love it. It’s super warm, super cozy, and super big! It also hides your face so if you’re like me and wear your emotions on your mug, this cowl will save you on many occasions.
Bonus points awarded for keeping my face warm on cold and windy days!
So, how does one have an Outlander Knitting Party?
First gather friends who love Outlander and don’t mind being tortured learning new things. Luckily, my friends all LOVE Outlander and have learned to put up with me. Mostly because I typically provide a lot of alcohol and snacks.
We went for traditional Scottish foods for this Gathering. Seven layer taco dip, queso and tortillas, veggies and dip, and of course some left over Christmas candy.
Then, bribe your crafty friends to come teach you and your non-crafty friends how to knit. Just kidding. But kind of not really. You see, my friend Susan teaches classes at a craft store, a big one. One that starts with a J and ends in Fabrics. She’s the kind of person who can look at a piece of paper and make a quilt. Between her and my friend Gigi who’s been knitting and crocheting for more years than I feel brave enough to ask about, we were set to knit ourselves a Jamie.
All Day, every day.
What am I going to need for my own Outlander Knitting Party?
My friend Kelly and I are totally novice knitters. I can knit a badass scarf. By badass I mean, garter stitch. Sam, is all about the crochet, I don’t get it. I need two needles thank you very much. However, using the Lion Brand patterns for the Outlander Series we all managed to start our projects and get a good feel for them. The best part about using the Lion Brand’s pattern’s is that they have the recommended yarn to use that will give you the look and feel of the knit wear from the show. For my cowl for instance, I used the Lion Brand Yarns Wool-Ease Thick and Quick yarn, in the Barley color.
The Homespun can be used for the shawl that Claire wears when she arrives a Lallybroch.
Like I said, Sam likes to crochet, if you choose to go with Lion Brands patterns, they have patterns for both knit and crochet. I went easy for my project, I got the biggest knitting needles I could find, and made essentially a short, fat scarf. My specialty.
Look at the size of those needles. Fifties baby! You could take a vampire out with those suckers!
Kelly went for gold and made the Transported to 1743 shawl. It looks like magic. Sam and Gigi finished their cowls. Susan made a blanket. She’s an over achiever. If you don’t have a Susan or a Gigi in your friend rolodex to call on for help, don’t sweat it! When you’re at the yarn store (whether it be big or small) ask those lovely salespeople for help! The knitting/crocheting community is super friendly and always willing to help you out when you drop a stitch or totally mess up your project while casting off (thank you again Susan!).
Better yet, see if you can book a party at your local yarn shop in your town! Like a paint night, but with knitting instead! By the end of the night you’ll have you’re very own piece of Outlander to take home with you. It may not be Jamie, but at least it’ll keep you warm at night.
