That's a thought - you can do a hybrid of knitting and weaving on the knitting machine - might be worth looking at, though it is slower than knitting. It might mean making two pieces and joining them, but knit weaving does not stretch widthwise, so if you cast on a wide piece, did a few rows and then cast off, you'd have a rigid strip - and you can do patterns in it too.

Knitting machines are my long standing involvement - I used to do a fair bit of teaching, servicing - still do repairs and a few home visits.

Worsted yarn is a bit thick for the standard gauge machine and it might not tuck - the hooks are simply too small to hold both the stitch and the loops.

I am available for consultation on the whys and wonders of machine knitting. You might like to PM me if it is uber technical or not entirely kilt related.

Those hosen look good. They are usually a bit fiddly, but for kilt hose I think it is well worth it. You can even do the argyle pattern using the intarsia carriage, and a lot of patience, or I think there is a method using the holding feature, where you do one diamond at a time.

When I make them I put the seam down the back of the leg, but then remove the stitches and make a continuous strip down foot, round the toe, then the sole and the back of the heel, and have the seams along the side of the foot, as I find that more comfortable.