Significance
We are forever linked by ‘blood’ or DNA, which can be a dangerous thing.
This square is about the relationship between Jamie, his uncle Dougal to whom he is connected by blood and his godfather Murtaugh, who keeps an eye out for Jamie out of love and duty.
It should be expected that Jamie can rely on his family, his ‘next of kin’. But can he?
Background
1743 – Jamie is back in Scotland, living rough with and hunting with some other lads.
One day he wakes up to find himself in the Abbey of St. Anne de Beaupre in France. He can hardly remember what happened, but it turns out he is recovering from being hit over the head and knocked unconscious. Jamie has no idea, although a small suspicion, who the surprise attacker, who had come sneakily from behind, might have been.
When he has recovered, he meets his godfather Murtaugh back home.
Jamie finds his father Brian’s dirk in Murtagh’s saddlebag. After his adventure with Rebekah he had vowed not to kill anymore, but he is not keen on being killed himself and wants to be prepared in case he is attacked again.
Rumour (as told to Jamie) has it that Jenny has borne Jack Randall’s child and is living with another English soldier at Lallybroch. To Jamie this feels like such a terrible and unforgivable betrayal that Jamie decides he cannot (yet) return home and face his sister.
Shortly after his arrival, Jamie and Murtagh are met by Dougal MacKenzie who informs them that Jamie is still hunted by Jack Randall. Dougal and his men offer to help protect Jamie. Both Jamie and Murtagh are suspicious of Dougal and fear he might try to hurt Jamie, so they make plans to run from Dougal once they reach open ground.
What happens next will change Jamie’s life forever.

Photo credits to Holger Link on Unsplash
Designer's Thoughts
As we learn later in the story, pledging his allegiance to Connor MacDougal is almost as dangerous as not doing so. We will also learn about the special bond between Jamie and his godfather Murtaugh, which is much stronger than Jamie’s connection to his uncles (Dougal and Column, the latter being chief of clan MacKenzie, the former his brother’s executer).
The challenge for this square was to symbolise ‘relationship’ and I thought that this could be expressed on an atomic level through the dna sequence, molecules, mitochondria or cells and on an energetic level through energetic vibrations in form of wave lengths.
By simplifying mainly the dna double helix, a straightforward, uncomplicated, simple pattern emerged.
For the Storyteller colourway I have chosen blue as the ‘typical’ male colour and for Jamie’s blue eyes, which he has inherited from his mother and passed on to his daughter.
The link to the free pattern page can be found below:
As the CAL progressed and I noticed how most WIJ Clan members enjoyed a challenge,
Square 11 started to feel too trivial, too easy. but many of you preferred this version and thought it fits well into the CAL.
In order to offer a more challenging (but still very doable) alternative version for the intermediate and advanced crochettes and crocheters, I set out to re-design the square. It will be available as ‘One of a Kin(d) – light” in the Heirloom collection, because it is not part of the original CAL.
Its big brother, “One of a Kin(d)”, will have its own background story.
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You can read more background stories here:
The Background of Square 1 – Year Of The Ox
The Background of Square 2 – Sawny
The Background of Square 3 – Goodbye Mama
The Background of Square 4 – Guarding His Right
The Background of Square 5 – Manners and Chess
The Background of Square 6 – L’Université
The Background of Square 7 – The Duel
The Background of Square 8 – Scars
The Background of Square 9 – Rebekah
The Background of Square 10 – Hunting
The Background of Square 11 – Next of Kin – this post
The Background of Square 12 – Sassenachs