Finished Kilt Hose

[djmacnyc]

Those are really nice hose. I'd like to know where you got the yarn. It looks really smooth.

This might get me kicked out of the club, but I prefer the hose undyed. I think the natural color shows off the cabling better. However, the color looks good, too.

Is this a self-contrived pattern, or did you use bits and pieces of other patterns?
I'm assuming you used size 1 or 2 (US) needles. Have you tried the square needles from Kollage? I prefer them to the round ones; somehow they just feel better in my hands.

I hope you get lost of compliments on those hose. They're beyond any that I've made.

Thank you all!

This is a pattern I made up,... I've been playing w/ cables, aran patterns and such for the last 15 years, or so. And, knitting socks for the last 10 of that.

So, basically I took a plain sock pattern template (96 sts) on size 2 needles, add the cuff pattern (Twisted Cable Rib; pg12, Designs for Knitting Kilt Hose & Knickerbocker Stockings-Gainford) with a picot hem and cuff turn, inserted the side cables (3x3x3), then the front diamond argyll lattice pattern using traveling stitches and blocks of stockinette, rev. stockinette and seed st. down the center. I came up with a simplified version of the diamond lattice for the back with the decreases set at each extreme edge for shaping and filled the rest in with seed sts. I won't bore you all with the numbers, but if you're really interested, email me separately and I'll explain/chart it out better.

The yarn was white, because I was spinning the yarn as I went. I had the Shetland top already for spinning and prefer to spin first, then dye. Out of fear of felting the un-spun wool, I guess. And, I'm too impatient and want to get knitting, before I really know how much I'll need in the end. So, I knit till I run out of yarn, then sit down and spin another hank, switching off between two socks. That way I can remember what I did on the first one for the second. Then if I'm happy with everything, I'll dye them, or not.

I do think the stitches show up better on the plain off-white wool, but I don't always like that look, put together with a darker outfit/tartan. I wanted this pair to be as versatile as they could be for my first pair (for me!). I may do another pair, plainer and maybe a heather'd yarn,.. get some use out of that drum carder.

No. I've never used the square needles. Never seen them,... My faves, are a set of 6 slick, enameled, size 2 (US) that were part of a lot I bought on ebay so not sure who made them - Bates maybe? The bamboo I like, too, but they're too brittle when you're using 1's, or 0's - I've snapped a few.

Thanks again for all the compliments!

Best,
Doug