X Marks the Scot - An on-line community of kilt wearers.
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Knitting Argyle Kilt Hose
Hello, Socceroskcsdk,
I hand-knit all my own kilt-hose (over twenty pairs so far) but, apart from one pair, these have all been self-coloured. I did complete a pair of diced-hose in shades of green, and always intended to hand-knit Argyle-hose. However, although I have the skill, I had to give up the idea because it proved impossible to purchase yarn (100% wool) of appropriate texture in colours which exactly matched those of the tartans of any of the kilts I wear for formal occasions.
I assume that you must be an experienced knitter, since knitting the intarsia-method by hand in the round, as I did for the diced-hose, is not for the beginner. (I admit that I made it more difficult for myself by choosing to knit in the round, but I did not want a rear seam - all commercially-made diced- and Argyle- hose are knitted flat and then sewn into tubular shape.)
Unfortunately, there is no actual pattern I know of for knitting Argyle-hose. The most helpful publication is Veronica Gainford's book: Designs for Knitting Kilt Hose and Knickerbocker Stockings. This includes a generic pattern for hose and there is a guide to knitting Argyle and diced patterns, but Veronica Gainford admits that she did not ever manage to complete the pair of Argyle-hose she attempted! Alas, the Hainford book is no longer in print.
There is currently a book by Joanne Gibson Hinman entitled Knitting Scottish Kilt Hose, but this contains patterns for self-coloured hose only. I wasted money on buying the book without having seen it, and I definitely would not recommend it - in fact, it is totally useless and the illustrations of hose she has herself knitted clearly show some of the shoddiest knitting I have ever seen.
I would be happy to photocopy the relevant section from Veronica Gainford's book and send it to you, and I will gladly discuss details of the pattern for kilt-hose which I have developed for myself from a basic pattern that was my grandmother's.
But I would suggest that it would be far less trouble to purchase Argyle-hose rather than to attempt to knit them yourself.
David
P.S. I have not seen the pattern that folkwear.com provide, but I am a little sceptical about it . . .
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