Moslty black tartan: Nightstalker vs Glyndwr?

[Stitchwiz]

Here are the pics I promised.

The Ben Dubh Tartan when seen in normal light looks like a plain black fabric kilt.



But when it moves, is in direct sunlight or you catch the light just right you can see the Tartan pattern quite plainly.



This is achieved by using two different yarns. Both are the exact same color of black but one is spun and twisted to the left and one to the right.

This is beautiful, Steve. I love that it looks black when it is just hanging and yet changes with movement/lighting.

Is it difficult to work with this tartan?

[Grunthos]

Don't forget the photos.....

And here is the kilt with the straps moved. Not the best photos, but moving the straps worked just fine.

[Grunthos]

The best write-up I found was at

http://xmarksthescot.com/forum/f304/...-larger-78931/

This was the process I followed, and it worked great. And the essence was:

Just wrap the kilt around you without putting the strap through the hole, nice and tight, and see where the straps are with respect to the buckles. Measure how much you need to move them, write it down, take the kilt off, and move the buckles and straps that amount. Easy peasy.

That was pretty much it!

[Benning Boy]

And here is the kilt with the straps moved. Not the best photos, but moving the straps worked just fine.

Dude! It worked. It looks good on you. How dose your wife feel about in now?

[Grunthos]

Dude! It worked. It looks good on you. How dose your wife feel about in now?

She says it looks good!

[Hawk]

Well done Grunthos, looks good.......now that you've slapped it on and off a few times, how do you feel about the Nightstalker?

Hawk

[Grunthos]

now that you've slapped it on and off a few times, how do you feel about the Nightstalker?

I really like it!

I already wore it to work and around town, and had good comments. It is an interesting intersection between the very casual look of the utility kilt and the distinct bold statement of the full tartan kilt. A little more subdued, yet still recognizably tartan.

I'm not sure yet if I feel it needs black accessories or not. I have the one black belt pictured, but no black sporran. The brown sporran feels fine with it so far, but I may need a black sporran just to find out how I like the look....

Plenty of options in combinations to keep myself entertained for a good while!

(Oh, and, inspired by another post somewhere here on xmarks: my black belt in the photo is a utility tool belt from the local home improvement store, dyed black. Fits my quirky sense of humor, and at US$10, my cheap, I mean thrifty, budget also.)

[bwat]

It is an interesting intersection between the very casual look of the utility kilt and the distinct bold statement of the full tartan kilt.

Interesting statement you make there. Surely I'm not alone in thinking that the wearing of a utility kilt is a much bolder statement than the wearing a traditional tartan kilt.


Edit: Just want to add that the nightstalker looks alright on you.

[Grunthos]

Surely I'm not alone in thinking that the wearing of a utility kilt is a much bolder statement than the wearing a traditional tartan kilt.

Yes, I'm sure that many would agree with you.

I think that most people consider wearing either sort of kilt to be bold

Personally, I see them both as bold in perhaps different ways. To me, the utility kilt tends to more "rough and tumble" while having more reserved or subdued colors, and the tartan tends to more refined or finer dress while having more striking colors.

I wouldn't wear my utility kilt with a Prince Charlie jacket, and I wouldn't wear my wool Geoffrey Tailor for a run in the mud. In between those two ends of the spectrum, there is a lot of overlap.

So perhaps in a casual situation where all the "Saxons" are wearing blue jeans or casual plain-colored pants, the utility kilt may blend in a little more, while the tartan kilt standing out a little more prominently, thus being bold in that context.

And in another situation where the refined gentlemen are wearing tartan kilts and Argyll day jackets (or the Saxons are wearing suits and expecting the Scots to look THCD), the utility kilt with T-shirt and big boots is going to stand out, thus being bold in that context.

It's a lot about context in my opinion.

[bwat]

I think that most people consider wearing either sort of kilt to be bold

I was thinking more along the lines that if you walk down the main street in a random town in the developed world in a tartan kilt then you'll be classified as a kilt wearer. Do the same thing in a utility kilt and the reaction is probably going to be quite different.