Kilt Hose

[usonian]

Last October I started knitting a pair of kilt hose using Aislinn Charlton-Dennis' free "Toirneach Kilt Hose" pattern. After half a dozen false starts on the decorative cuff pattern, I gave up and went with a simple K2, P2 ribbing instead... then I got distracted by other things until a few weeks ago, when I picked them up and got going again. I'm pretty happy with them as a first effort:



My timing was just about perfect; I was finishing the socks just as the new USA Kilts casual I bought for hiking arrived, and I was able to inaugurate both today.



This was only the second pair of socks I've made (the first were a regular length) and once you see how the heel and gusset work, they're really not hard... in the case of kilt hose, they just take a lot of time because they're so long.

The yarn I used was Lion Brand Wool-Ease, in the "Chestnut Heather" colorway. It's a blend, 80% acrylic and 20% wool, machine washable. I'd say I used about 2 1/2 skeins of yarn.

[Grizzly]

For a first attempt I think you did a marvellous job . Well done you.

[sydnie7]

Very nicely done! That leg pattern adapts itself well to any number of cuff variations. I've made it with basketweave and one of the fancier patterns from Gainford's book (pine cone, IIRC). You're right, kilt hose are long. . . Did you make these separately or on a single circular aka magic loop? I started with top-down DPNs but have found I prefer toe-up magic loop. Whatever your choice, welcome to the fold!

[Paul Henry]

What is this "Magic Loop" you speak of? I'm assuming its not one of those plastic "knitting rings"(which I have a few of lying around ;)) I'm starting to learn some of the tricks to knitting and this one sounds to be a good one to pick up!

Th anks

Magic loop is a way of knitting tubes using a circular needle, the unique thing about the magic loop system is that because you can't normally get very short circular needles you use actually bend the long nylon cable in effect to create a shorter needle length, and as you knit you constantly move the extra stitches along when needed. I knit socks/hose as well and I have to say that I much prefer 4 needles, for me it is a lot faster than having to bend the cable each time, and redistribute the stitches, keeping track of the placementss. With 3 needles I don't need to use stitch markers as I can easily "read" the stitches. But it does seem to be a popular way of knitting sock in the States, less so in Europe.
The important thing is to use which ever way that works for you, it's worth trying different methods until you are comfortable.

Usonian, very good hose by the hose, sorry for the hijack!

[Pleater]

That style of increasing always puzzled me - the usual method back in the day was to alter the number of stitches in each column so as to keep the same number of columns, just alter the circumference.

These days I usually knit toe up, so I can tell if I need to add another yarn to eke out the main one. I used to have lots and lots of bits of yarn left over from hose which could have been done all one colour but I didn't dare risk it, when knitting top down.

I always use double pointed needles and lots of them so I can be sure that the knitting is on the square. Finding the heel and toe a couple of stitches offline would be a real disaster for me, I would just have to fix it or it would be too much to bear.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[rmccool]

Finding the heel and toe a couple of stitches offline would be a real disaster for me, I would just have to fix it or it would be too much to bear.

A bit of a perfectionist with the kilt socks, then?

[sydnie7]

I probably used the "magic loop" term incorrectly. What I meant was two-at-a-time on one long circular needle.

You can work either top-down or toe-up (I prefer the latter). There's no danger of losing track of heel/toe center as you don't ever "redistribute" that section. I don't mind DPNs, in fact I switch to them when I get to the cuff so that I CAN redistribute stitches as necessary to make the pattern easier to work.

[usonian]

Thanks everyone! This pattern is top-down. I haven't gotten around to trying toe-up yet, nor using circulars. For these I used two different sets of DPNs and worked the socks in parallel (one cuff then the other, one calf then the other, one heel then the other etc.) so that I didn't make one whole sock, get bored, and never get around to knitting the other.

[sydnie7]

Ah yes, the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome LOL That was how I worked on DPNs as well, not only does it help overcome SSS but once you figure out the pattern by working that area in one sock, you work it again immediately before forgetting "now how did that go????" Same way with two-at-once-circular, which I like in part because there is less worry of the needles slipping out while work is being pulled in and out of carry-bag. I do a lot of airport/plane knitting so it has to be portable.

The only struggle I've had with toe-up is that you're working increases rather than decreases to shape the calf. But I think I've finally found an increase stitch that I like (i.e. doesn't leave too big a hole). Fortunately the TSA doesn't consider knitting needles as potential weapons*, so I get a lot done on my monthly business trips.

* I did have my bag hand-inspected a few flights ago. I've moved down to size 2 needles and I don't think the Xray screener was used to seeing them that small. As soon as he opened the bag, he apologized for the delay and I was on my way.

[Pleater]

After decades of indecision I have now settled on making an increase by picking up the stitch of the previous row to knit into. I take either the one beneath the next stitch or the previous stitch as best fits with the knitting.

It is sometimes called knitting into the heel of the stitch.

I am currently knitting some hose in what I think is called shepherd's plaid, and I decided to do increases within the pattern. I have no idea if it is going to work out yet, but it was easy to make the increases by picking up a stitch of the same colour as I was going to knit the extra stitch each time.

Anne the Pleater :ootd: