I was knitting this shawl on a recent trip to Scotland, and couldn’t help noticing how well the colors worked with the landscape and the traditional colors of the clan tartans. After coming back home I kept associating the shawl with Scotland, so I wanted the name to reflect that connection. As clan names are often associated with their land, the shawl is named after clan Mackenzie, on whose lands we mostly traveled, and whose tartan colors match this design. The connotation with the Outlander series is just additional bonus.

The Mackenzie shawl began as an introduction to the basic brioche stitches, and as such it is a suitable project for knitters only learning to knit brioche. However, for a project this size, it is surprisingly engaging and addictive to knit. I recommend choosing two colors with high contrast (ie. one dark and one light). Lower contrast might make the details less visible.

Size:
one size
Length: 235 cm / 92.5 inches
Width: 35 cm / 14 inches
The size of the shawl can be changed by casting on more or less stitches, but remember that it will also affect the yardage needed to finish this project.

Gauge:
24 sts and 24 rows = 10 cm, over brioche rib, knitted flat, after blocking
Note: If you are using merino singles, remember to take the measurements after blocking as the yarn has tendency to stretch when wet.

The gauge isn’t important for this design, however, please note that it might affect the yardage needed to finish this project.

Yarn:

• 2 skeins of Hedgehog Fibres Skinny Singles (100% merino, 366m / 400 yards per 100g), shown in colorway Cereal (LC) and
• 2 skeins of madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light (100g merino, 384m / 420 yards per 100g), shown in colorway Bittersweet (DC) or 730 m / 800 yards of fingering weight yarn in LC and 730 m / 800 yards of fingering weight yarn in DC.

Needles:
3.5 mm (US 4) circular needles with a cable of at least 40 cm (16”)
Note: Always use the needle size that gets you the right gauge.

Notions:
2 stitch markers
sewing needle