Being a semi-irregular series of reports on "where I'm at now" in terms of kilting.

I like kilts, and I like wearing them. Every so often I'll post about what I like, how it's changing, things like that, mostly as a mental exercise---it's fun to see how my tastes change and evolve over time.

As I've mentioned before, I started off with a Utilikilt and progressed from there, through Pittsburgh Kilts and SWKs and SportKilts and USAKs.

I've got two short yardage custom woolen kilts, and I'm liking them very much. One is a Matt Newsome, four yards, box pleated, charcoal grey tweed. My perverse side really digs on this kilt--it's definitely a kilt, but it's not worsted nor tartan nor knife pleated. Weight of the tweed is about thirteen ounces, and it's soft and "fluffy" (if you will). Good pleat movement, a very balanced feel to it (two yards in front and two yards in back!), and I really like Matt's left side buckle and strap setup. (Details here: http://kilts.albanach.org/details.html ) Handsewn, and scarily well.

The other short yardage custom is from Rocky Roeger at USA Kilts. It's thirteen ounce as well, but worsted wool in my gang colors, the USMC Leatherneck tartan. Knife pleated. The fabric is much tauter and tighter than the tweed above. This kilt also has good movement and a nicely balanced feel. Machine sewn---and a dang fine kilt.

When I'm going out, I find myself wearing those kilts quite frequently. Other kilts in heavy rotation are the USAK semi-trad Ramsay, the USAK casual Farquharson and the vintage poly-cotton PK in desert MARPAT. When I'm lounging around the house, it's generally the USAK casual, the PK or a Celtic Croft philabeg with cheater pleats and straps and buckles in poly-viscose ancient Campbell. (The CC philabeg uses a very similar left hip buckle and strap arrangement to Matt Newsome's.) I like the brute resilience of the poly-cotton and PV around the house. You can thrash these kilts and they don't really care!

I used to favor poly-cotton a great deal, but have shifted more to the poly-viscose (Marton Mills makes great PV) of late, and the two wool kilts just knock my socks off. At last I understand why everyone loves wool so much!

I live in Houston, Texas, and I'm currently entirely pleased with my thirteen ounce, 4-5 yard kilts. I've ordered another Newsome kilt, sixteen ounce this time, and am eager to compare the two weights of worsted.

Between reading Matt Newsome's articles on kilt history and living in a fever swamp, I'm pretty happy with the 4-5 yards, it fits my living conditions and the climate I live 'em in, and the "short yardage" kilts seem to hark back to the days when kilts were an everyday working garment.

I don't have a tank yet. I've got eight yard kilts in wool (SWK heavyweight bottle green), acrylic (another SWK) and PV (the Ramsay Semi-Trad and a USAK Army Semi-Trad) but the wool and the handmade don't match up with each other. I know one day I'm going to need to get me a tank (sixteen ounce eight yard handsewn), but, as a former Marine, I analogize the tank to the Dress Blue Alphas (tunic, blue trousers, blood stripe, cover and gloves) with the other options (i.e., a custom tailored PV, or a custom tailored short yardage kilt) being more like Dress Blue Charlies---short sleeve shirt, ribbons, blue trousers with blood stripe.

And I was always a Charlies type of guy!

I'm enjoying the journey. As I go along, I can feel myself getting more traditional---I've gone from an off the rack poly-cotton Utilikilt to, now, custom tailored tweed and tartan. I don't mind learning as I go, the journey is a lot of the fun.

I am pretty confident and comfortable in the kilt. Sometimes it'll take me a while to remember why I seem to catch everyone's eye. It's a great conversation starter. of the fifteen or twenty thousand times I've been asked if I'm Scottish I've generally responded "in part, and if you go back far enough."

Whether for physical activity (bocce ball or bowling or darts, ha ha, hiking, playing at the park with my daughters, whatever), trips to the store or having a pint whenever we can whistle up a babysitter, it's hard to beat being kilted.

Does any of the foregoing make a hill of beans worth of difference to anyone or anything? Probably not, but it's fun to think about, and if I bored you too much you stopped reading a few dozen paragraphs ago anyhow!