Acrylic Kilt Hose

[billmcc]

Greetings,

All of the kilt hose I currently own are made of wool. I am thinking about getting a pair of (bottle green) acrylic hose, mainly because they are suppose to be cooler (for summer wear) than wool hose.

What do you guys and gals think of acrylic hose?
Where is a good place to buy them?

[Riverkilt]

Makes sense. Just read an article in the Phoenix, AZ paper about foot care in the desert heat and they recommended acrylic sox -when wearing sox - says they keep feet cooler and wick away moisture better than cotton or nylon or wool or whatever.

Ron

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I have no problem with Acrylic hose, but the quality and wear of them is going to depend upon what type of hose you get and where you buy them.

For instance, I have three pairs of the colored Acrylic hose sold by J. Higgins -- lovat green, lovat blue, and grey. They are nice --- definitely more informal looking than my other hose, as they don't have the same ribbing pattern than most kilt hose do. But they look nice for casual wear. I thought they would be cooler because they were Acrylic, but it turns out they are incredibly thick, so if anything they are warmer than my woolen hose.

Then I have a pair of Acrylic hose as sold by Lochcarron (retailed by us at the Scottish Tartans Museum gift shop, BTW). These only come in a cream color, but they are made in the style of their standard kilt hose (with the ribbing, etc), and don't really look any different. But they are thinner and definitely cooler than woolen hose for summer wear.

So all that is to say that there are acrylic hose and there are acrylic hose.....

Aye,
Matt

[David Thornton]

I just got 4 pair of very nice wool/acrylic from www.wbrewin.co.uk. Great fit, wonderful service. Wore them at an outdoor wedding, temps in the high 90's, and they were most comfortable.
Now if I could just find my next kilt...
David

[billmcc]

Then I have a pair of Acrylic hose as sold by Lochcarron (retailed by us at the Scottish Tartans Museum gift shop, BTW). These only come in a cream color, but they are made in the style of their standard kilt hose (with the ribbing, etc), and don't really look any different. But they are thinner and definitely cooler than woolen hose for summer wear.

Matt,

The acrylic kilt hose I ordered arrived today. They look very nice and fit well.

According to the info provided by the gift shop website, these hose have some wool in them. Can they be machine washed and dried? Or should I hang them up to dry to prevent shrinkage?

[macwilkin]

On the Acrylic hose debate, I recently bought a pair of diced (formal) socks from J. Higgins, and I have issues, they snag on my fingernails, and just about anything else they touch, they itch, they're hot (as in uncomfortably warm).
And for what they are (basically plastic) they are.... at US$60 PLUS P+P absurdly overpriced.
I don't buy the argument that a two tone synthetic machine milled sock costs all that much to make, even in America.

I had that same problem with a pair of tartan hose I ordered from J. Higgins, since they had made my Gunn (modern colours) kilt -- within two years they were snagged and frayed, and a small hole was developing in the toe -- and I paid what you did. I was not happy, & searched around for a while until I discovered the Tartan Thistle in Washington State. The TT is a Piper's supply house, and they offered tartan hose in 100%, hand knitted wool. Yes, they were not cheap -- but they are worth EVERY PENNY I paid for them, since I do attend several formal events during the year. You can tell the difference.

Bottom line: I don't mind paying for quality that will last a long time.

Cheers,

Todd

[M. A. C. Newsome]

According to the info provided by the gift shop website, these hose have some wool in them. Can they be machine washed and dried? Or should I hang them up to dry to prevent shrinkage?

I wash all my hose the same, acrylic and wool -- just makes it easier when it comes time to do laundry.

I was them in the washing machine in cool water on the gentle or delicate cycle. Then I hang them to air dry.

Only a few times have I had problems with hose shrinking. For whatever reason, Lochcarron's lovat green hose shrink horribly on the first washing. I have never had a problem with any other color of theirs. I even called them to ask about it, and they couldn't tell me why this one color shrank and the others did not. But I even bought a second pair just to see if the first one was a fluke, and it did the same. Also, a pair of woolen hose I bought at a Highland Games from a manufacturer I was not familiar with at the time (and whose name I cannot recall) did the same.

But other than these two incidents I have never had a problem washing my hose this way. I wear kilt hose so often, and have so many pairs, I'm not going to put up with a pair that I have to hand wash. I have too many other hose to worry about that!

Aye,
Matt

[lrpddrummie]

My pipe band wears the acrylic hose with our summer uniform and they are definitely much cooler and hold up to the wear and tear of marching so i say go for it.

[prattw]

If you can find them, solid colored acryllic soccer (UK-football) hose work well. These have to be ribbed, to hold the shin guards in place. Some of the colors are very nice (I've found colors very close to Lovat green and Lovat blue) and some are . . . But they are cool in hot weather and look very nice. And they're long enough to support a three-thickness turn down, a good three fingers wide. The only question I've ever been asked about them was "Where can I get some of those?"

Will Pratt

[Jimmy Carbomb]

If you're talking about the Gaelic Themes kilt hose, they're WONDERFUL!

In the summer, I scrunch them down (when appropriate) and in the winter I wear them in the "up" position. Either way, they're MUCH more comfortable than the wool ones... and easier to wash too.

I'll only wear wool to formal events anymore.