X Marks the Scot - An on-line community of kilt wearers. - The Tartan Place https://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/ Supported by The Scottish Tartans Authority. en Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:21:45 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/images/misc/rss.png X Marks the Scot - An on-line community of kilt wearers. - The Tartan Place https://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/ New STA Website Live https://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f254/new-sta-website-live-99365/ Mon, 06 Apr 2026 13:35:37 GMT I am pleased to be able to share the link to the new STA website... I am pleased to be able to share the link to the new STA website which is now live. It will continue to be developed over the coming months. ]]> The Tartan Place figheadair https://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f254/new-sta-website-live-99365/ All in the (Robertson) Family (the tartan, not the TV comedy) https://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f254/all-robertson-family-tartan-not-tv-comedy-99359/ Fri, 03 Apr 2026 19:14:13 GMT I own (and wear) 4 different Robertson tartan kilts. NONE of them are in the instantly-recognized Robertson Red (modern) tartan, because it's always just seemed to me to be just TOO MUCH RED:

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However, on the SRT website there's another red, this one containing a narrow white stripe placed between the pair of narrow green ones in the standard red. It looks more attractive to me, but I just realized that the online comparison may not be "fair" because the jpegs available there suggest the sett sizes may differ, and I have no way of knowing whether that's an artifact of electronic imaging or a real difference.

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I'm assuming that someone with an actual account on the SRT system would be able to look at thread counts and infer whether that difference is real in the fabric or not.

I've read (on its placeholder page) that the STA will have an active website welcoming traffic in just a few more days, and that might be a place I could get this question answered, but I'm guessing that some of the knowledgeable folk here would be able to answer this simple question.

And, of course, the reason it cannot be answered just by comparing swatches is because no one has woven the Robertson Red (white line) tartan for a LONG time.

And, while we're at it, I have one other related question. There are also two "fashion" Robertson tartans that look TOTALLY different, giving MUCH more prominence to white and green. They were designed by DC Dalgliesh, and I find them attractive, too, but I have no idea whether with the demise of DC Dalgliesh they're restricted.

One answer to my final questions might be "all you need to do is register an account at the SRT website, but as best I can tell doing so would cost me £ 85, and after I paid that I'd still have no idea what to do with the information, nor would I learn about restrictions on someone other than (perhaps) the purchaser of DC Dalgliesh's intellectual property (assuming someone has done so) being able to weave those Dalgliesh designs.

Thanks in advance for any answers!
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]]> The Tartan Place jsrnephdoc https://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f254/all-robertson-family-tartan-not-tv-comedy-99359/ Isotopic analysis and the Glen Affric tartan https://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f254/isotopic-analysis-glen-affric-tartan-99346/ Sun, 22 Mar 2026 15:37:36 GMT A few weeks ago I watched a YouTube video of Peter MacDonald being interviewed in the Dundee Design Museum, expanding on research into the temporal and regional origin of the wool used to make the... A few weeks ago I watched a YouTube video of Peter MacDonald being interviewed in the Dundee Design Museum, expanding on research into the temporal and regional origin of the wool used to make the cloth. Originally I misunderstood important statements, concluding that DNA analysis had been used to identify where the "donor" sheep lived, and Professor MacDonald kindly corrected me to note that it was comparative isotopic analysis of 13-C and 15-N that led to inference of the location within Scotland where the sheep had lived, with 14-C dating used to help estimate the age of the fabric.

I've just done a preliminary search of primary literature, attempting to determine what the geographic precision of such measurements might be, but didn't uncover information that would allow such inferences. Many of the references I found came from China, but my knowledge of Chinese geography is almost nil.

I'm hoping someone who knows might chime in with suggestions about where I might read more on this topic.

Thanks so much. ]]> The Tartan Place jsrnephdoc https://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f254/isotopic-analysis-glen-affric-tartan-99346/