New two tone kilt hose!

**Patty Logan** · 21st September 23, 05:07 AM

Hello Kilted Rabble.

Has anybody bought the new two tone kilt hose from USA Kilts? I’m thinking of getting a pair myself and want to know your guys opinions.

Thanks.

**OC Richard** · 21st September 23, 07:48 AM

Who makes them?

If they're Cheviot they'll be good.

Several such pair show up in The Highlanders of Scotland (1860s).

Here's one of those pair

**kilted redleg** · 21st September 23, 08:37 AM

The hose does in fact come from Cheviot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n2XZF6LRjE this should be. USAK latest "loose threads" update and the two-tone hose are the first item.

**Patty Logan** · 21st September 23, 09:56 AM

I loved that video! https://youtu.be/7n2XZF6LRjE?si=71NVv8qzcWdCFynx When I saw that they came out with more limited hose colour combos(hopefully they will be stock), I was excited! I always loved the Domino’s Pizza Tartans: https://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/qR...tring=Domino’s
So when I saw the red and blue hose, (I know it was supposed to be for the American dream tartan) I knew it would be the perfect match!

**Jock Scot** · 22nd September 23, 03:22 AM

Having looked at the video piece about different coloured hose-tops with interest and after viewing them several times in the video, I have come to the conclusion that they are not for me -------too brash. As an observation, and I know it depends on how long one's legs are, on how much turnover the world sees, but........... I wonder if the turnover colour could be reduced in width by half, or, even three quarters, the hose tops might cause less affront to the eye?

**Tobus** · 22nd September 23, 04:37 AM

Originally Posted by Jock Scot

Having looked at the video piece about different coloured hose-tops with interest and after viewing them several times in the video, I have come to the conclusion that they are not for me -------too brash. As an observation, and I know it depends on how long one's legs are, on how much turnover the world sees, but........... I wonder if the turnover colour could be reduced in width by half, or, even three quarters, the hose tops might cause less affront to the eye?

These appear to be the same length turnover cuff as their regular Lewis line, but just with different colours. The different colour at the cuff does make it stand out more and accentuate the length. That said, I agree that I've always found their cuffs to be way too long for me, extending so far down the calf as to throw it out of proportion with the rest. As you said, it will depend on one's leg length - and calf girth, for that matter. They seem to make all their cuffs the same length whether one wears a size small or extra-large. So us shorter fellows have a lot of turnover on the cuff. I've worn mine with all the cuff showing, and I've tried folding it under to shorten it. But folding it under gives it a slightly odd look.

As I've started knitting my own kilt hose, I'm trending towards a shorter cuff. Where the HoC hose have a 4" or longer cuff, my hand-knits have gone to 3-1/2" and my current work-in-progress will have a 3" cuff. Still trying to find the length that works best for me.

**OC Richard** · 22nd September 23, 04:51 AM

Originally Posted by Tobus

I've always found their cuffs to be way too long for me, extending so far down the calf as to throw it out of proportion with the rest. As you said, it will depend on one's leg length - and calf girth, for that matter.

They seem to make all their cuffs the same length whether one wears a size small or extra-large. So us shorter fellows have a lot of turnover on the cuff.

Makes sense. Me being tall with long legs, the traditional kilt hose made by Lochcarron etc usually have skimpy cuffs.

Cheviot Lewis hose are just right for me. (I need the XL.)

There's a vendor who attends several of our local Games who sells Cheviot hose- seems like he always has piles of them in stock- and I've discovered that unbeknownst to him Cheviot has sent him a few Wellies-length pair mixed in with the kilt-length ones.

I bought a pair from that vendor that proved to have one of each!

BTW it looks to me like the hose and cuffs are knit separately then joined. If this is so it wouldn't require any special manufacturing method to make the cuffs in contrasting colours.

**Tobus** · 22nd September 23, 06:53 AM

Originally Posted by OC Richard

BTW it looks to me like the hose and cuffs are knit separately then joined. If this is so it wouldn't require any special manufacturing method to make the cuffs in contrasting colours.

Yes, they are indeed made separately and stitched together. I had considered ripping out the seam and putting the pieces back together to shorten both the leg length and the cuff width. But that's tricky on a knitted item; you still need it to stretch when it's reassembled. So regular stitching like one would do on fabric won't work. It would require a joining technique specific to knitting (which I can do now, but they use a much smaller yarn than hand-knitters typically use).

If one were to learn how to pull the cuffs off and reassemble, then one could theoretically make their own custom two-tone kilt hose from two pairs of single-coloured HoC kilt hose. It would just require swapping the cuffs.