From now on-> 13 oz of higher wool-> WILL be box pleats
-except for ONE kinfe pleat made with the rest of the American Bicentennial material (unless I forgo that and make two 4 yard box pleats instead).

Cotton and other non-permenant pleat material will be 6 yard knife/side pleats.

Why?

I like the weight and feel (mostly the front to rear balance of a 4 yard box pleat. A four yard knife pleat just looks odd to me-> WAY to big pleat facings or WAY to small pleats. A five to six yard knife (and especially an 8 yard tank) looks MUCH better, but lacks the wearing balance of a box pleat. Additionally, a 4 yarder required ONLY 2 double width yards, which is cheaper than 3 (for a 6 yarder) or 4 (for an 8 yard tank), especially in $65-100/yard worsted wool!

So, why the cotton 6 yarders (in Wallace and Carolina)?

The Knife is MUCH easlier to re-iron the pleats, if they become "unpleated." The Box pleat is a BEAR to reiron! You need to repin or rebast the WHOLE BACK (or at least a significant portion) to keep from "Ironing pleats out" on accident. For a knife, just the associated ones and the ones that are under them.

Maybe it is because I'm lazy and HATE ironing.

BUT-> 4 yards of a 13 oz worsted wool (two yards in double width) is IDEAL for a box (and half the price of an 8 yarder, if making it yourself (and also for many kiltmakers for the extra labor of an 8 yarder).