Hi guys,

I'm floundering a bit here.

I have a bad skin-reaction to wool, so I can't wear wool or wool-mix kilt hose. Not even 10% mix. Not even cashmere or angora - any wool in it at all and first it prickles (say, three seconds after I put it next to my skin), then itches and hurts, and I have to get it off PDQ.

Trouble is, I want some coloured kilt hose, and every online shop I've tried, all the coloured hose are wool or wool mix of some sort. The very occasional cotton or man-made fibre hose I've found are either white, cream, or some sort of green. None of these colours are on my list, as I have just bought a Heritage of Scotland kilt, all blue, black and purple.

I'll be throwing in Ladies' Heavy Events this summer and will probably be wearing black or purple leggings or lycra shorts under (hey, even the Scots have done nothing so terrible as to be faced with my nekkid thighs on a summer's afternoon!), with hose and boots or trainers (and probably knee supports of some sort just to finish the outfit off).

So, does anybody know of a place in the UK where I can get plain-coloured wool-free kilt hose? Royal purple or deep blue would be good. Currently, I'm contemplating a pair of black hockey socks with a blue maori/tribal 'tattoo ring' round the calf. This is about as subdued as hockey socks get, it seems!

Hope someone can help!

Sue