Keeping Kilt Hose From Shrinking Too Much

**Riverkilt** · 31st January 06, 07:41 AM

Such a wide variety of opinions on washing kilt hose, from hand washing to toss them in the washer then dryer.

Being busy I've elected to toss them in the washer on gentle cycle. Have noticed that some brands (wish I'd kept the cardboard dealie they come in) are shrunk up when they come out of the wash.

The kilt hose will stretch back out to fit me, but its an ordeal to get my foot in them and stretch them up my leg.

So, last night tried taking the tight ones out of the washer and stretching them over 1.5 liter bottles of Aquafina water. The waterbottles are smaller than my calf, but not much.

This morning the hose were dry and they slip on my leg MUCH easier. They still have the elasticity to stay up.

So, hopefully, problem solved.

Ron

**auld argonian** · 31st January 06, 07:53 AM

I've been running on mostly those Bridgedale Blaxnit socks that I picked up. I will wash them in the machine with other things but I'll always hang them to dry...the dryer is right out. Wool dries faster than cotton by a factor of like four.

Best

AA

**Nick** · 31st January 06, 08:24 AM

I throw them in with the whites, then hang dry them. They stay up moderately well, but I made a pair of elastic garters to put under the turndowns to hold them up all day.

**mudd** · 31st January 06, 12:41 PM

Any one else get the feeling there are a bunch of Rube Goldberg type of contraptions all over Ron’s house? :-)

**auld argonian** · 31st January 06, 12:51 PM

I wonder if he has one of those breakfast machines like they had in the Pee Wee Herman movie?

Best

AA

**Iñaki** · 31st January 06, 04:43 PM

Does anybody here handwashes his kilt hose? I wahs them with a little woolite and cold water, let them soak, then rinse them and air dry them. This will keep them from shrinking as well.

**Pleater** · 31st January 06, 05:11 PM

I've been knitting my own long socks for about - Oh my - 40 years.

It's actually quite a pleasing thing to do - a small project - well OK most of us would need to make two small projects.

Woollen yarn can be got in a machine washable form which does not felt or shrink and it is usually well worth seeking out and paying extra for.

However, the untreated yarn feels nicer, and if washed by hand they can be kept in good condition. Mine usually meet their end through being included in a machine wash my accident, or the dreaded moth attack. With all the synthetic clothing around I must have moths stacked in aerial divisions just waiting to raise their young on unguarded bits of my woollen knitting.

Use the same temperature water for the washing and rinsing - it is the shock of sudden temperature change which helps the shrinking/felting process.

Ordinary hair conditioner is good for woolen garments.

To help with the drying I either put them in the spin dryer - I have a separate from the washer one from when I used to do a lot of yarn and cloth dyeing, or roll them in a towel and stamp on the roll. Don't even think about a tumble dryer within three feet of a woollen garment.

There are knitting machines which can make a good imitation of a hand made sock, but even simple ones can make a fairly good sock though it might have to have sewn seams. Then the quality of the sewing is important.

**Graham** · 31st January 06, 06:16 PM

I find the hose I buy that are all wool shrink much more, I'm now buying Gaelic Themes hose with a mixture and wool and synthetic, they last better.

**Rick** · 1st February 06, 08:50 PM

Originally Posted by Pleater

I've been knitting my own long socks for about - Oh my - 40 years.

Use the same temperature water for the washing and rinsing - it is the shock of sudden temperature change which helps the shrinking/felting process.

To help with the drying I either put them in the spin dryer - I have a separate from the washer one from when I used to do a lot of yarn and cloth dyeing, or roll them in a towel and stamp on the roll. Don't even think about a tumble dryer within three feet of a woollen garment.

The shrinking of wool, or "felting" is also known to be exacerbated by agitation. This is why directions for hand washing refer to handling the fabric gently and not wringing it out. The wet wool fibres have scales which interlock and prevent the individual fibres from moving relative to each other. Agitation helps the scales to interlock, resulting in the reduced size.

I wash my kilt hose in Woolite by hand. I dry them by wrapping them in a towel to remove the majority of the water and then I lay them out to dry more fully.

**Riverkilt** · 2nd February 06, 07:49 AM

Thanks Rick,

That scientific stuff makes sense.

My main question, not meant to insult anyone, is; does hand washing the kilt hose get the "stink" out?

I live in hot weather country. Like to change my kilt hose (or sox when panted before) at mid day. Everyone's feet sweat around here. Guess I could set a rock on the kilt hose and let them soak in the sink.

What I've noticed is that of the 20 some pairs of kilt hose I have, all ordered in the same size, they not only seem to arrive in different sizes, they wash out to different sizes. Some stay long and loose, others tighten up. Have been using the gentle cycle of the washer to wash them...maybe some have been washed on regular cycle...just know its an adventure to buy them and try to keep them serviceable.

So far, the best have been those Blaxnit from South Africa, even with their defects. Just can't find where to buy more, even at regular price.

That's one thing about "kilting" - its never dull with all the details to deal with.

Ron