We’ll get back to color work in a little bit, but today’s post is about knitting in film. Reel Knits is one of my favorite segments in the upcoming show I’m doing, even though most of what we watch on television and in the movies nowadays is actually shot digitally. In actuality, there would still be lots to write about even if it was limited to what was shot on actual film!
There’s lots to write about here and there will be lots covered in the show, but I’m going to start this off with a new show that I’ve just started watching, Outlander, based on the novels by Diana Gabaldon.
“Outlander follows the story of Claire Randall (Caitriona Balfe), a married combat nurse from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743, where she is immediately thrown into an unknown world where her life is threatened. When she is forced to marry Jamie (Sam Heughan), a chivalrous and romantic young Scottish warrior, a passionate affair is ignited that tears Claire’s heart between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.”
You might be thinking this sounds like an improbable premise, but the show is very watchable, and should you allow yourself that one moment, very believable. Part of the reason it is so good is because the novels on which it is based fits many genres. It could be considered Romance (though not the sappy Harlequin kind), Historical Fiction because of the painstaking research and subsequent descriptions done by Diana, or even Fantasy, because of the element of time travel. Whatever genre you place it in, it is refreshing to see novels like these being transformed into entirely interesting shows. I have to say that this show has captivated my attention and I will be following it intently. I’ll also be making a trip to the library to get the books and start reading them!
You might ask what’s a post about the show doing on this blog page about knitting though? Well, it appears that Claire sports all kinds of knitwear in the first 3 episodes (that’s all that’s been released so far). The first reaction to her wardrobe is that she is very stylish and well put together – luckily she is well provided for in both worlds.
Being the costume designer for this show definitely has it’s challenges. You need to make the characters look appealing, yet try to maintain some semblance of the integrity of the era – a tough task indeed. It’s obvious that the costume designer has taken liberties in this area, as was necessary. However, by using simple stitches and subtle coloring, he/she is able to transform what may have been a very boring period knit wise into some very interesting and creative pieces. There is a blend of modern style and techniques with past looks and function that combine to make a very unique look. Like Elementary, the show is great, but I find myself tuning in to check out what style the designer will come up with next!
Three of the main female characters sport long wrist warmers of varying styles. Mrs. Fitz’s has a thumb hole and she sometimes wears it rolled down, while Claire’s doesn’t and is more like a long tube that just goes to half way up her thumb. Geillis Duncan has ones that look felted, and matches a very interesting shawl that she sports in episode 3, that also appears felted.
Claire wears a very nice short sleeved shrug in episode 2 as well, made from a thick yarn in garter stitch. The great thing about the shrug though, is the coloring. It’s made from a very subtly variegated yarn which you are meant to believe is wool. The look and smoothness of it however leads me to believe that it is either a blend of wool and synthetic fibers, or a finer wool than would be readily available at the time.
The garter stitch theme continues as Claire is seen wearing a very thick cowl that’s wrapped to look like an infinity scarf (the Moebius strip wasn’t discovered until 1858). Putting the historical accuracy aside, it fits her outfit quite well, and she wears it as if it were meant to be there! Geillis also continues to wear garments that are felted or semi-felted, as in the capelette she wears below.
The designer doesn’t miss the opportunity to fit this slip stitch ribbed hat on this peasant child during a scene where the village shows up to see a young boy get punished for stealing 2 loaves of bread. Amazing work!
I am very glad that there is a show where we can find so much interesting knitted items, especially seeing as Elementary has decreased the amount of knits in it’s show. The show has been picked up for a second season, so I’m sure we’ll have much to look at and for in upcoming episodes, and hopefully there will be an opportunity to fit some of the men with some of these designs! Here’s a sneak peek into something from episode 4!
Hugzzz 😎
