Kiltless

[Morris at Heathfield]

Roughly two years ago I received my first adult kilt: a 16 oz. (I think) Lochcarron worsted wool ~8 yd. kilt, knife-pleated to the sett, in the Inverness tartan, modern colors, made by A.S. Campbell Ltd. It wasn't tailor-made for me, and I paid nothing for it except for the investment of my time and effort as a drummer in the Fort Worth Scottish Pipes & Drums. It didn't fit me all that well, but at least it was a kilt.

Well, tonight I gave it away. I will be going to Huzhou, China to teach English for a year, and I decided the quartermaster ought to have custody of the uniform in the meantime. Although I've become rather fond of the kilt, I never really felt like I owned it, and the band may need it for someone else while I am gone.

I don't intend to be kiltless forever, though. It may be a year or a little more until I am kilted again. And who knows? It may be less.

Oh, and by the way, if anyone in the D/FW area has the desire to join a bagpipe band, the Fort Worth Scottish Pipes & Drums meets almost every Thursday evening at 7:00 PM at the Fort Worth Masonic Temple. They could use a bass drummer, especially.

[mookien]

I hope you enjoy your time in China, have a great experience, drop in on the blog from time to time, and/or rejoin it upon your return.

While you're there you might want to look into those 3000 year old tartans they found in the western China desert on Caucasian mummies. Now that's exciting!

Slainte mhath and "sigh chen".

mookien (John)

[chrisupyonder]

I have heard that in Hong Kong you can have a tux made to measure in about an hour so maybe someone can make you a kilt

Chris.

[KiltedDixon]

Good luck!

[Mike_Oettle]

Well, Morris, enjoy your stay in Huzhou.
But it does seem rather far from Hong Kong. Hope you manage to pay a visit there (or perhaps to Japan, where there is a strong interest in tartan) and have a kilt made.
Regards,
Mike

[Morris at Heathfield]

I'd nearly forgotten about the Tarim Basin mummies, but they were found on the other side of China, so I'm not likely to get a chance to take a look at them. Maybe I could find a book on them, though.

I've heard you can get bespoke clothing fairly inexpensively in China, but I don't know how many Chinese tailors know how to make kilts, especially outside of Hong Kong.

I don't know how common tartan is in Huzhou, especially worsted wool tartan. Silk, on the other hand....

[Mike_Oettle]

What I find interesting about the mummies and their wrappings is that their culture was clearly not Chinese, regardless of the present-day borders.
Incidentally, there is a tartan called Shenzen, for the industrial zone in Guangdong, although I have no idea whether you will find as much as a yard of it on Chinese soil!
Regards,
Mike

[Silent Raven]

Roughly two years ago I received my first adult kilt: a 16 oz. (I think) Lochcarron worsted wool ~8 yd. kilt, knife-pleated to the sett, in the Inverness tartan, modern colors, made by A.S. Campbell Ltd. It wasn't tailor-made for me, and I paid nothing for it except for the investment of my time and effort as a drummer in the Fort Worth Scottish Pipes & Drums. It didn't fit me all that well, but at least it was a kilt.

Well, tonight I gave it away. I will be going to Huzhou, China to teach English for a year, and I decided the quartermaster ought to have custody of the uniform in the meantime. Although I've become rather fond of the kilt, I never really felt like I owned it, and the band may need it for someone else while I am gone.

I don't intend to be kiltless forever, though. It may be a year or a little more until I am kilted again. And who knows? It may be less.

Oh, and by the way, if anyone in the D/FW area has the desire to join a bagpipe band, the Fort Worth Scottish Pipes & Drums meets almost every Thursday evening at 7:00 PM at the Fort Worth Masonic Temple. They could use a bass drummer, especially.

I just placed an order with A.S. Campbell and am currently awaiting its arrival, it just shipped two days ago!

But heres hoping that another kilt finds its way to your closet yet again when the time is right!