Kilt hose sizing

[frank_a]

My feet are just simply the wrong size. I either wear a 10-1/2 or 11 shoe. So get medium or large hose? Large hose bunch up in my shoes, while medium hose better not ever see a clothes dryer. Such that I had either sizes 9.5 or 12 for feet...

My first quality hose were some light cream ones my wife got me in large. I love the hose (tops particularly), but not how they bunch up in my feet. I had asked for some good claret hose for Christmas, and not getting any, bought some winter weight House of Cheviot in medium (8.5-10.5). They fit just right, but I worry over time if they will shrink no matter what I do. Darn things are pricey too!

I'll suffer through it.

Frank

[brewerpaul]

To address the shrinking issue Im sure others have experiences to add. My issuse is finding XL (sz14) and then not having them end up being shrunk. If they are good quality wool I just hand wash and lay out to dry. As you lay them out you can stretch them out a bit, especially the foot portion, and then just let them air dry. So far so good in my kilt hose drawer.....

[frank_a]

Good advice, thanks Paul! These new ones are wool, and I'll proceed as you suggest.

Cheers!

Frank

[mookien]

Frank: Like Paul, I hand wash (and rinse) my HoC hose. I use a small amount of Woolite Delicate Care (pink bottle), and then lay them on towels to dry (turning them once). I have never had any problems with shrinkage.

Another possible issue with HoC hose (and others, I suppose) is the height of the hose. I wear the same shoe size as you (10 1/2 or 11) and the large, while nicely fitting my feet, come up almost to the bottom of my knee. A lot of folks don't like their hose that high. I do because they help keep my legs warm, especially with snow on the ground.

Good luck.

John

[frank_a]

Snow on the ground?!? In NM?

Good advice John, thanks. I have yet to wear the new medium hose, but the large seem fine for height. I.e., they don't bother me in that way. I did try the new medium hose on, but was of course just concerned about foot size. They fit my foot perfectly, which is what led to this thread! I'll have a chance to wear them to the St. Andrews Society meeting next Thursday night.

Frank

[mookien]

Frank: Sounds like medium will work fine for you, but you might want to check the height and make sure your happy with it. I wouldn't worry too much about shrinkage, but don't machine wash or machine dry them, unless you have an old pair you might want to use as a guinea pig.

Yes, there is snow in NM. The southern part of the state is "enjoying" a snow storm as I write. We live in the northern part of the state in a mountain town at 7500 ft. with a great ski area about 15 minutes from town that starts at 9000 ft. and peaks at 10500 ft.

John

[frank_a]

Gee, here I am at work worrying about kilt hose height now.

I haven't been into this highland dress stuff long enough to have guinea pig anything! I feel fortunate I can do what I do on my measly salary.

One of these days (years into the future), I'll be down your way. I have at least 3 more years to work before retirement. I just hope I can make it!

Sounds like you sure live in a beautiful place John. Enjoy!

Frank

[The Wizard of BC]

This is why I advise anyone thinking about getting into kilts to visit a kilt shop. Take a look at the different hose, jackets, etc. Compare and put them side by side.

It really is an eye opener how much difference there is in sizing of hose. I carry four different brands of kilt hose in my shop and each one of them is a different size in the foot and in the leg length for the same given size.

Buying exclusively over the internet will not give you this sense of the differences. Everything looks much the same and you would expect sizing to be standardized.

I can pull four different brands of hose off my rack and for a given size, of say 8-10 or Medium, I can measure a difference in foot length of over 1.5" and leg length of up to 4" difference.

And don't even get me started with jacket sizing or shoe sizing.

[Tobus]

Frank: Like Paul, I hand wash (and rinse) my HoC hose. I use a small amount of Woolite Delicate Care (pink bottle), and then lay them on towels to dry (turning them once). I have never had any problems with shrinkage.

Another possible issue with HoC hose (and others, I suppose) is the height of the hose. I wear the same shoe size as you (10 1/2 or 11) and the large, while nicely fitting my feet, come up almost to the bottom of my knee. A lot of folks don't like their hose that high. I do because they help keep my legs warm, especially with snow on the ground.

I hand-wash my HoC hose pretty much the same way. Woolite, cold water, minimal agitation, and laying them on towels to dry. I will press them between two towels first, to get out the majority of the water. But even though they are supposedly machine-washable and dryable, I stick to hand-washing and air-drying. Never had any problem with shrinking, fading, or anything else.

And yeah, they're too dang tall.

[kiltedtom]

Frank,

I made the mistake in throwing away of all printed material with my first pair of hose. So I ended hand washing them in the sink with baby shampoo. Laid them out to dry, and everything seems to be ok. Though my water went from clear to blue. But it was ok. Then I bought two more pairs and made sure to look at everything before I threw out the information. Turned out that there were no instructions on washing them. So I guess I will keep on washing by hand.

Good luck in finding the right sizes for you.

Tom