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Claire’s Rent Shawl Knitting Pattern

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Claire’s Rent Shawl Knitting Pattern will allow you to create a large triangle shawl with two different colored stripes in the design.

This shawl is seen in Outlander season 1 episode 5, ‘Rent,’ worn over a tartan dress when Claire attends to the clan MacKenzie.

Knowledge of intarsia – working with more than one color is needed for this pattern.

Scroll down to view the free pattern, or grab your printer-friendly ad-free PDF here.

Claire wearing the rent shawl
Image Source – Starz

Claire’s Rent Shawl Knitting Pattern

Grab your ad-free, printable PDF pattern HERE.

Notes

Skill Level – Intermediate

The shawl knits up quickly, and the design makes for a relaxing and enjoyable knit.

Make it in the colors Claire wears in our favorite show, or choose new colors to suit you!

Copyright Info

  • Please do not copy, sell, redistribute, or republish this pattern. 
  • If you wish to share this pattern, link to the pattern page only.
  • You may sell items produced using this pattern.
  • Do NOT use copyrighted photos for your product listing.
  • For the copyright T&C, please read my Terms of Use.

Video Tutorial

There is a video tutorial to help you with changing the yarn colors and dividing the stitches.

You can view it on my YouTube channel here.

You can also view a video on how to wear the Rent shawl on my YouTube channel here.

Grab The Ad-Free Printable PDF Pattern Here

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claires-rent-shawl-from-Outlander

Size Information

Gauge – 10 x 10 cm/4 x 4 inches = 18 sts and 30 rows in garter stitch.

Measurements / Sizes

*Please note – these sizes are just a rough guide; you can knit this shawl until it is comfortable for you to wear – test it out against yourself to see if you want to make the length shorter or longer before dividing the sections.

The smallest sizes will result in the shawl meeting in the middle of your waist; the larger sizes will allow you to wrap the shawl around your body and tie it at the back of the waist.

  • M – Width tip to tip – 68 inches/172 cm
  • M – Length – top to bottom = 31 inches/79 cm
  • You can add fewer or more stitches to adjust the size to increase or decrease.
  • Add fewer by – 40 stitches and more by + 40 sts.
  • Where you can adjust the size is noted in the pattern.
Outlander shawl in the style of Claire's rent shawl

The Supplies You Need…

Yarns

Yarn notes

  • Please note that the skeins of yarn needed for Yarn A and Yarn B will need to be made into two balls for each color.
  • This is because of the intarsia technique used in the pattern, you will have to attach one ball at one end of the work and the other at the other end when you are knitting.

Yarn Substitutes

  • Knit Picks – Wool of The Andes Worsted
  • Cascade yarns – Cascade 220 Merino
  • Berroco – Lanas
  • Knit Picks – Simply Wool Worsted
  • Mirasol Yarn – Huni
  • Filcolana – Peruvian Highland Wool
  • Evoke Hand-Dyed Yarn – Woolganic Australian Organic Wool Hand-dyed

Needles

  • 5 mm (US 8) knitting needles – I used my interchangeable circular needles on a 40″/100cm cable (32″ is also ok) as there were many stitches – I did not join in the round to knit.
  • Spare cable 40″ with end caps.

Notions

  • Tape measure
  • Darning needle
  • Scissors
  • Stitch markers
  • Stitch holder or spare cable with end caps to hold stitches.
Outlander Claire Rent Shawl

Abbreviations

  • Beg – beginning
  • Cont – Continue
  • Foll – following
  • K – knit
  • K2tog – knit the next 2 stitches together
  • YO – yarn over needle
  • PM – place marker
  • SM – slip marker
  • Rem – remaining
  • Rep – repeat
  • RS – right side
  • WS – wrong side
Rent Shawl Tips yarn organised

Pattern Instructions

  • Yarn A – Shire 2445 (dark green)
  • Yarn B – Black 8555 (black)
  • Yarn C – Smoke Heather 9450 (light green)

With Yarn A – Cast on 3 sts.

  • Row 1: Knit.
  • Row 2: K1, YO, PM, K1, YO, K1. (5 sts)
  • Row 3: K to end slipping marker.
  • Row 4: K to marker, YO, SM, K1, YO, K to end.
  • Rep rows 3 and 4 until there are 15 sts, then rep row 3 again, ready to start the next section on a RS row.

In the next stage, you will join Yarn B.

  • Row 1 (RS): Cont to knit with Yarn A, K6, add in Yarn B from the backside and K1 stitch before the marker, YO, SM, K1, YO, K1, attach the second ball of Yarn A, K to end.
  • Row 2 (WS): Knit the row, slip the marker, and maintain the color pattern.
  • Row 3: With Yarn A, K6, with yarn B K to marker, YO, SM, K1, YO, K to color change, K to end in Yarn A.
  • Row 4: Rep row 2.
  • Rep rows 3 and 4 until there are 27 sts on the needle.
Rent Shawl Tips colour changes

In the next stage, you will join in Yarn C, the main color.

  • Row 1 (RS): With Yarn A, K6, With Yarn B, K6, add in Yarn C by knitting the first stitch before the marker, YO, SM, K1, YO, K1, and attach the second ball of Yarn B and K6, then K6 in Yarn A.
  • Row 2 (WS): K across all stitches, maintaining the color pattern and slipping the marker.
  • Row 3: With Yarn A, K6, With Yarn B, K6, with Yarn C K to marker, YO, SM, K1, YO, K to color change, K6 in Yarn B, K6 in Yarn A.
  • Row 4: Rep row 2.
  • Rep rows 3 and 4 until you have 145 sts (S) 185 sts (M – as seen in the photos) 225 (L) 265 (XL).

*This is where you can adjust the size.

  • If you stop at 145 or 155 sts this will be an S – small size.
  • If you stop at 175 or 185 sts this will be the M – medium size.
  • If you want to make the L size you will need approx – 225 sts.
  • For the XL/XXL size, you will need approx – 265+ sts.
  • You can add fewer or more stitches to adjust the size.
  • Add fewer by – 40 stitches and more by + 40 sts.
Outlander Claire Rent shawl

Finish The Right Section

  • Row 1: K to 5 sts before the center spine marker (maintaining the color pattern), K2tog, PM, K1, K2tog (remove center marker).
  • Place the rem sts (the left side) on a stitch holder or spare cable with caps.
  • Turn the shawl to continue working on the right section.
  • Row 2: K to the end of the row, maintaining the color pattern.
  • Row 3: K to 2 sts before the marker, K2tog, SM, K2, turn.
  • Row 4: Rep row 2.
  • Rep rows 3 and 4 until you have 14 (16, 18, 20) sts left.
rent shawl on the needles 4

Now, you will cont to decrease the right section, maintaining the color pattern as you knit until you have 3 sts left on the needle:

  • Row 1: K to last 4 sts, K2tog, remove marker, K2.
  • Row 2: K to end, maintaining the color pattern.
  • Row 3: K to last 3 sts, K2tog, k1.
  • Row 4: Rep row 2.
  • Row 5: K to last 2 sts, K2tog.
  • Row 6: Rep row 2.
  • Row 7: K to last 2 sts, K2tog.
  • Row 8: Rep row 2.
  • Row 9: K to last 4 sts, K2tog, K2.
  • Row 10: Rep row 2.
  • Row 11: K to last 4 sts, K2tog, K2.
  • Row 12: Rep row 2.
  • Row 13: K to last 4 sts, K2tog, K2.
  • Row 14: Rep row 2.
  • Row 15: K to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1.
  • Row 16: Rep row 2.
    Row 17: K to last 2 sts, K2tog.
  • Row 18: Rep row 2.
  • Row 19: K to last 2 sts, K2tog.
  • Row 20: Rep row 2.
  • Row 21: K2, K2tog, K2.
  • Row 22: Rep row 2.
  • Row 23: K2, K2tog, K1.
  • Row 24: Rep row 2.
  • Row 25: K1, K2tog, K1.
  • Row 26: Rep row 2.
  • Row 27: Cast off 3 sts.
Claire's Rent Shawl

Finish The Left Section

Place sts from the spare cable or stitch holder onto the working needles/cable.

Start at the center spine and join Yarn C to the first st.

  • Row 1: With Yarn, K2, PM, K to the end of the row, maintaining the color pattern.
  • Row 2: K until 2 sts before the marker (maintaining color pattern), K2tog, SM, K2.
  • Row 3: K to the end of the row, maintaining the color pattern.
  • Rep rows 2 and 3 until you have 14 (16, 18, 20) sts left.

Now decrease as follows until you have 3 sts left on the needle:

  • Row 1: K to 2 sts before marker – K2tog, SM, K2.
  • Row 2: K to end, slipping the marker and maintaining the color pattern.
  • Row 3: K to last st before marker – remove the marker, K2tog, K1.
  • Row 4: K to end, maintaining the color pattern.
  • Row 5: K to last 2 sts, K2tog.
  • Row 6: Rep row 4.
  • Row 7: K to last 2 sts, k2tog.
  • Row 8: Rep row 4.
  • Row 9: K to last 4 sts, K2tog, K2.
  • Row 10: Rep row 4.
  • Row 11: K to last 4 sts, K2tog, K2.
  • Row 12: Rep row 4.
  • Row 13: K to the last 4 sts, K2tog, K2.
  • Row 14: Rep row 4.
  • Row 15: K to the last 3 sts, K2tog, K1.
  • Row 16: Rep row 4.
  • Row 17: K to last 2 sts, K2tog.
  • Row 18: Rep row 4.
  • Row 19: K to last 2 sts, K2tog.
  • Row 20: Rep row 4.
  • Row 21: K to the last 4 sts, K2tog, K2.
  • Row 22: Rep row 4.
  • Row 23: K1, K2tog, K2.
  • Row 24: Rep row 4.
  • Row 25: K1, K2tog, K1.
  • Row 26: Rep row 4.
  • Row 27: Cast off 3 sts.

To Finish:

Weave in all of the loose ends and try it on!

You can view more Outlander Knitting Patterns here.

Outlander shawl

Design Inspired By The Outlander Costumes

If you have been watching the Outlander TV series, Claire wore a distinctive triangle shawl in season one.

Inspired by the Claire rent shawl she wears in the Rent episode, the triangle-shaped shawl is knit in garter stitch.

Featuring the intarsia technique, two colored stripes worked from the bottom up.

Visit the Outlander Pattern Collection Ebooks in my shop below:

Popular Patterns

Outlander knitting patterns
Image Source – Starz

Outlander Claire’s Knitwear

Inspired by Claire Fraser wearing beautiful knitted pieces, the shawl is knit by working from the bottom up.

The shawl will grow in size through a series of increases that occur through yarnovers.

This also gives a nice open stitch design down the spine of the shawl and along the edges.

To make the shawl shorter like Claire’s, you can make it in a smaller size and fasten it with a pin or by attaching a button.

For a longer version of the shawl that can be worn tied at the back, as seen below, you must make a larger size.

Outlander Claire Carolina shawl

Resources and tutorials you may find helpful in following this pattern:

This Outlander Claire shawl pattern is great for any intermediate knitters.

Outlander Claire Rent Shawl

Share your work with us…

I love seeing your finished projects on social media.

If you enjoyed making the pattern, I’d love to see yours on Instagram, be sure to tag me @handylittleme or #handylittleme to be featured.

You can also join the Handy Little Me Outlander Facebook Group.

I’d love to see your work.

Happy knitting!

Outlander Shawl knitting pattern
Outlander Shawl Knitted

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12 Comments

  2. Hi there! I saved a pin from this link months ago, but my pin shows the shawl longer and a dark green. I’m looking at the Cascade yarns and trying to figure out which you might have used for the green shawl. Is it Hunter Green #8893?

    Reply

  3. I’ve been challenging myself by attempting this pattern, but I’ve stumbled upon a problem I can’t seem to work out! I’ve finished the right section, and of course then start on the left, however after a few rows it’s just not looking right. I’m hoping you can help me set some things straight:
    The very center stitch, the one in between the yarnover holes, did I make a mistake by not working that on the right section? Because I can’t seem to get the two sides to match at the center. Also, the joint of yarn at the beginning of that left section, how do you go about that without it looking weird?
    From what I can tell by a few rows now, it appears that my left section is working upwards instead “out” like the right side did – what am I doing wrong?:-/

    Reply

    1. Hello Mel,
      When you are at the bit in the pattern where you have to separate the two halves – to continue to work on the right section first, while the other half is waiting on a spare cable, you start to decrease that half close to the spine.
      You will be knitting 2 sts together near to the spine to make that decrease happen.
      On the left section, you will also decrease the sts close to the centre spine.
      Before you separated the two sections – you should have been increasing twice – once on the right side of the spine and again on the left side by making those yarn overs.
      When rejoining the yarn to the left section, I used a darning needle to thread the yarn through the first stitch at the back and then continued to knit.
      After that when I had finished the shawl I weaved the end in and made it secure.
      I hope that helps,
      Louise 🙂

      Reply

  4. When decreasing left and right sides, what’s the repeat when knitting a larger size? I’ll need to decrease 4 additional stitched from the pattern as it written, but it’s not clear what the decrease pattern should be.

    Thank you! Great pattern btw, easy and forgiving!

    Reply

    1. Hello Colie,
      When you start to decrease the shawl you will be decreasing the 2 sts closest to the marker every time – until you can cast off the last 3 stitches.
      You will cast off the first two colours so that they stop and do not continue with a long stripe down the edge.
      When you reach the point where the first edge colour needs to be decreased, you will remove the marker and keep decreasing that colour until it is gone, then you do the same with the next colour and finally, with the main colour, you decrease until you have 3 sts left.
      I hope that helps!
      Louise

      Reply

  5. Hello! I am currently making this shawl and I am really having a hard time comprehending the left and right sides being done separately. How will they be attached to each other if done separately? I’m sure it’s really simple but I just can’t imagine it coming together lol. Thank you!

    Reply

    1. Hello Christine,
      You knit a base point (the end point of the triangle) before you separate the left and right sides.
      This is then forming each side of the triangle and allows for the knitted rows to flow in another direction.
      It works out…you have to try it and see.
      There is a video tutorial to help you see that part also on my YouTube channel.
      The link is in the post above.
      I hope that helps,
      Louise

      Reply

  6. Hi! I’m relatively new to knitting and have begun this project- is it normal for the center of the shawl to curve quite a bit? It’s in the gray, at the increases. Will that work itself out?
    Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi Jessica G,

      Welcome to the wonderful world of knitting, and I’m so glad you’re trying out this project!

      Yes, it’s normal for the center of the shawl to curve a bit at the increases, especially while you’re still working on it.

      This happens because the fabric hasn’t been stretched or blocked yet.

      Once the shawl is complete, blocking will help even out the shape and smooth the curves, giving it that lovely, finished look.

      Keep going—you’re doing great!

      Let me know if you have any other questions as you work on the pattern.

      Happy knitting! 😊

      Louise

      Reply