double wide?

[Paul Henry]

So if I were looking to get symetric tartan for an 8 yd, knife pleated kilt, whether I get 8 yds single-width or 4 yds double-width is not something to worry about. I know that one tartan I hope to have a kilt from is readily available.

However, the other (Michigan Up North) is not readily available from anything I am able to find--but I believe it to be symmetric.

Thanks again!

Exactly so.

There are relatively few assymetric tartans, and many thousands of symetrical ones, so the "problem" doesn't happen all that often!

If ever you want to check a symetry of a tartan that you are not sure about , post something here and I'm sure we would all be happy to help.

[Spartan Tartan]

Father Bill,

Asymetric:

http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/tar...s.aspx?ref=355

You can see how the pattern is not "reflected" about any given line. Instead, reading the colors through the sett you can see that the order is different from left to right as compared to right to left.

Symetric:

http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/tar....aspx?ref=2476

Here you can see that the pattern is the same from R to L as would be from L to R throughout the sett.

....uhhh I think??

[Paul Henry]

Okay . . . I came here to learn and I'm doing so, but that usually means that we find new questions to ask.

Can somebody please show me a "symmetrical" and an "asymmetrical" tartan? To me they all look symmetrical, and in that I guess I'm showing honest ignorance.

Assymetric: MacAlpine

you can tell that the design repeats exactly in the same form A-N
If the white line and the yellow were both the same colour , this tartan would then become symetrical of if the second white and yellow lines ( the ones not lettered) were reversed it would also be symetrical

symetric : Mighty Men


The design is mirrored in the middle of the green

[Singlemalt]

Thanks for asking that Father Bill. I too was wondering the same thing but was too shy to display my lack of knowledge. Which, thanks to your inspiration I have just done.

I thought they were all symmetrical?

[Paul Henry]

Thanks for asking that Father Bill. I too was wondering the same thing but was too shy to display my lack of knowledge. Which, thanks to your inspiration I have just done.

I thought they were all symmetrical?

Most tartans are , but there is a select number that are not, sometimes that has been a confident design statement but some because of a incorrect thread count reading, and as a result of the being woven that way for many years, they have retained that uniqueness, and have entered the record books that way.

[Brian K]

One of the easiest ways to understand the difference between symmetric and asymmetric tartans is to try your hand at designing. You'll not only learn about how the design process works but you'll also have a lot of fun. I use the designer at Scotweb - who no longer retain rights to the setts designed using their software - and find it the easiest to use. We have a bit of a community there and sometimes we even collaborate on designs and help each other perfect our ideas. I have yet to register a tartan or to have anything woven - right now I design for the sheer joy of it - but many there (several X Marks member among them) have registered tartans and have had cloth woven from their designs.

There are other places to design online and everyone has their favorites. If you Google "online tartan designer" you should come up with the most popular sites. In my experience the Scotweb designer is the most user friendly, and those who use it a friendly bunch, but you may find that another fits your needs better.

Give it a try - it's fun and easier than you might think!

Regards,

Brian

[Father Bill]

Excellent! Where else can one get such clear information so quickly and with such friendship. You guys are the very, very best! Thank you!