Diced hose....

[Zardoz]

I think about getting some diced hose every once and a while, but one thing kind of puts me off. Whenever I see diced hose in ads or in photos on the forum, they seem to always have what to my eye is a really narrow turnover;

Personally, I just dont care for the look of it. I like to have a big turnover on my hose, generally at least 3 inches or so, it's one of the reasons I like piper hose so much.

So a question for folks that own commecial versions this type of hose;
Are they made in such a way that this is the only way to wear them, like are they sewn down, or does the dicing pattern stop in there? could you have a bigger turnover if you wanted?

[creagdhubh]

That is the style for these type of hose - look at any Regimental piper, dancer, or bandsman wearing diced hose, today. Highland Clans could make a bespoke pair for you with a larger turnover. I have a few pairs of bespoke tartan (Argyll) style hose from them, and they are made very well. Also, Sandy's (JSFMACLJR) MacLean tartan ('Appin') doublet is made by them as well.

http://www.highlandclans.co.uk/Kilt_Hose.html

Cheers,

[Phil]

I don't have any diced hose but these full tartan hose show the probable reason. Unless the whole pattern is made larger the turnover would not continue the overall look if a deeper turnover was made -

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Yes, it is customary for the diced hose to have a narrow turn over. See my own examples below.






They are made to wear this way. If you try to turn them down farther, it will break the pattern, and you will see a solid knit section above the cuff. (In other words, it won't look good).

Any place that sells custom knit diced hose should be able to accommodate a request for a cuff that is twice as large. The STM gift shop sells custom knit diced hose, so we can do this for you -- I'd have to ask our knitters about any possible up charge for the service, but it should be negligible I would think.

However, my personal recommendation would be to leave them as they are, as this is the traditional style. You may grow to like them.

Of course the other option would be castellated tops, which do not turn over at all.

[creagdhubh]

Lovely hose, Phil (yours are great too, Matt, need I ask who knitted yours?! HA!)! May I ask who made yours?

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Another option... these are a bit different in style from the normal diced hose, but when my wife knits this "large shepherd's check" pattern (from the Lady Gainford book), she knits them with a wide cuff, even going so far as to include a decorative pattern in the ribbing.


And there is a "small shepherd's check" version, as well.

[Tobus]

As Matt said, the cuff is usually designed to match the patter of the rest of the hose. So the turnover portion will be pretty specific, and needs to be turned down (and adjusted to) the right amount so the pattern blends.

Since diced hose have a pretty small pattern, this kinda limits the size the cuff can be, unless as Matt said you want to double it.

This is why I prefer Argyll or "tartan" patterned hose. The pattern is larger, allowing for a wider cuff. The cuff on my Argyll hose are normal size, not narrow like seen on diced hose.

[McMurdo]

Here are the diced hose we ordered from the Scottish Tartan Museum






As you say the turn over is smaller than a normal pair of hose. I do have to say however that these hose are so comfortable that the turnover size does not bother me at all. I`ll also say it was great dealing with Matt for these, and I prefer the colour over the Cheviot hose. I`d heartily recommend ordering from the STM you can of course ask for a larger turnover as they are made for you.

[Spartan Tartan]

for diced hose, I still can not wrap my mind around colours that have nothing to do with my kilts. I am not talking about matchy-matchy, but I would like to have colours that are in my kilt or very complimentary to them. Either way, the smaller turnover would be neother her nor there for me. Of course if you are thinking of custom hose then you should get EXACTLY what makes you happy (traditional or otherwise). Admittedly, I never gave much thought to the difference in the size of the turnover before reading this thread.

[BoldHighlander]

I like to have a big turnover on my hose, generally at least 3 inches or so, it's one of the reasons I like piper hose so much.

***!

Ooooo!!!! I'm so envious of you Matt! I've lusted after those hose from the moment I've seen them!