Long hose: folding or shrinking?

[Màrtainn]

I recently bought a pair of House of Cheviot Eildon Day Wear Kilt Hose. I'm very happy with the way they look, and how they fit on my feet. The length is a bit of a problem though, a not uncommon problem, apparently. So I followed the advice in the (closed) thread Getting hose the right length, and folded them like an 'M' (the 'accordion fold'), to keep the nice pattern on the outside. To get the length right however, the middle fold doesn't extend all the way to the bottom. I didn't think it would be very visible, until I noticed this photo:

2013_09_Loch_Ness.jpg

So obviously the folds are quite visible indeed…

I noticed with some other hose I bought pre-kilt (they work very well with a traditional scout uniform) and ran through a couple of washer-dryer cycles, that they shrunk quite considerably lengthwise. So as proposed in A Hose too long, I'm considering just washing and drying my House of Cheviot hose (85% Merino Acrylic, 10% Nylon, 5% Lycra) just a bit hotter as well. But has anybody here pulled this off successfully?

I'd love to get some – quite expensive – Clansman Full Argyle hose from House of Cheviot at some point, but it would be a pity if I run into the same problem without a relatively easy solution…

[Chas]

Two thoughts.

First. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to selectively shrink a pair of hose. If the leg shrinks in length, it will also shrink in the width and also in the foot.

Secondly. Don't leave it to chance. Put on the hose with all the folds. Check in a mirror, again and again. Then get some one else to stitch them in place. Slip stitches in the first instance. Take them off and back on. If they are still OK, then a permanent stitching. Then they will always be right - every time.

[Spartan Tartan]

An 'aye' wasn't enough. That is some fantastic advice, Chas.