Now we have a new baby boy coming into the family my love of knitting baby clothes has been re-ignited and oh my the JOY of 4 ply wool, 2.75mm needles and suddenly, sweet little garments.

I started knitting baby clothes when my friends started having babies, back in the late Eighties. Pretty soon I knitted so many baby clothes I had enough to take a craft stall at the Kirribilli Saturday Market in Sydney, Australia in 1993 or so when I was working as a Copywriter for Ogilvy & Mather Sydney. 

I called my brand "Wild Babe" because it was all either wildish-looking {think Medieval-style / Tudor / punk / gothic / fairy etc sweaters for babies and toddlers, see example below} or knitted using natural fibres; wool, silk, cotton. 

Fast-forward 20-odd years, I'm amazed to be in the same groove. I'd forgotten how sublimely sweet a pair of baby mittens could be what with their comforting cords n'all. {Handy tip for mitten knitters: cords should be as long as the height of the baby, child or adult.}

Being in possession of a few skeins of gorgeous Uist Wool Scottish Merino 4-ply wool "Canach" I casted on some stitches and not long after, a darling little set of baby boy 0-3 months Tank Top, Bonnet, Mittens and Bootees with chin strap, pictured above. Ah! I used mother of pearl buttons wrong side up for a more natural look that matched the yarn.

Uist Wool Canach is a stunning yarn; textural and kind of luxuriously rustic, heavenly to knit with. It feels like wool and silk and has very generous yardage. With its neps and soft-feel it reminds me of the beautiful Japanese yarn, Noro Silk Garden. I knitted all of these garments using, I think, less than 120g.

Pure wool, or wool with silk or cotton - all of these and other natural fibres allow our skin to breathe so are wonderful for babies and toddlers. Wool is cool to wear when it's hot and keeps us warm when it's cold because of its natural insulating properties.

Pattern details:
Mittens: Patons Handknits Australia 'Lots for Tots in 4 ply Feathersoft' Book 961 (1991), p25
Tank Top / Vest: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino 2 Book 'Argyll Slipover', 2006
Bootees: Patons Handknits Australia 'Lots for Tots in 4 ply Feathersoft' Book 961, p23
Bonnet with chin strap: Patons Handknits Australia 'Lots for Tots in 4 ply Feathersoft' Book 961, p10



My own actual *vintage* knitting! Knitted in black and cream chenille yarn, all the rage back then, well with me anyways, complete with velvet ribbons! The wrist bands are knitted not crocheted. Obviously my own pattern because who would publish such a baby pattern?

With baskets overflowing with all kinds of gorgeous Uist Wool skeins and fantastic company the workshop I led as part of Grimsay Week with Uist Wool was a very good time. One lady said it was the best Saturday morning she'd had for years. Sweet!

Skilled knitters {looking at you Matt} and eager newbies together made for a wonderful sharing and caring experience. And we made some snuggly woollens for our feet!

I'd put together a Woollen Slippers / Boot Socks / Adult Bootees knitting pattern so that everyone could quickly {thank you 5mm needles} make something practical and lovely no matter their skill level.

This pattern allows for great scope of stitches and techniques so you can individualise to your heart's content or just knit the basic pattern and end up with gorgeous slippers / boot socks. Using a pair of 5mm needles you just knit a rectangle, pick up 42 stitches and knit the top, these bootees are very satisfying and easy to make and are so comforting to slip on when its cold - I wear mine on top of cotton socks.

To get your free Inner Wild Winter Woollen Slippers pattern, just click here to print or download the PDF.

Working with knitted patches, making patchwork cowls with leather thonging and deer antler tips and big buttons.

I made the knitted patchwork throw shown top in neutral shades back in 2012 and have been using up scraps of wool and sewing them together ever since. Knitting little squares and rectangles and at some point in the future sewing them together is very relaxing, and very slow - knitted patchwork is a wonderful long-term project.

I'm heading into 'ornate patchwork' territory using bigger stitches, sashiko techniques and feeling more adventurous with texture and colour.

I was recently interviewed by What's On about reading from my novel, The Wild Folk at XpoNorth in Inverness. Naturally, being a Highland event, also talked about Outlander. Here's a screen grab of the online article:

You can see the full What's On interview here.

Check out InnerWild.com "featured in ..." to see a few of the Inner Wild garments featured in Outlander including The Sassenach Capelet and Sassenach Sleeves, The Caledonia Shrug, The Celtic Mitts and The Basketmaker Gauntlets.