Ghillie brogue laces help

[ohiopiper]

I'm sure someone with more of a history pedigree will come along to either refute or confirm what I've got, so I'm curious to read more.

I've understood that the laces went up the calf to keep earlier, less fitted, shoes from slipping off in mud and such.

[EagleJCS]

Like ohiopiper, I wear the long-laced ghillies when piping (part of the band uniform). I also tie mine in a similar manner. Here's how I do it:

Start out as if you were tying a regular shoe, including the initial half-hitch (wrap one lace over the other). (First snug the laces down to tighten the shoe).

Twist three times and snug the twists down. This should make a short 'line' in the middle front of your ankle, just above the top of the shoe where the top of the shoe's tongue would normally be.

Bring the laces around each side of your ankle at an angle just above the ankle bone (probably 5-10 degrees from horizontal).

Tie another half-hitch in the back, and three more twists, snugged down to make a short line up the back of the leg.

Bring the laces back around each side of your leg, this time parallel to the floor. Tie off as you would tie your regular shoe laces (a half-hitch and the bows). You can tie them off directly in front or just off to the side. I tend to tie mine around 10 o'clock (left leg) and 2 o'clock (right leg), with the knot ending up pretty much in line with the flashes. (The front edge of the flashes are just outside my shinbone. The back edge is then just forward of the midline of my calf.)

I double-knot the bows to make sure they don't come undone when I'm marching. I also try to get the bows and tassels hanging at about the same height. That way neither are dragging the ground. As I'm sure you've experienced, it's sometimes difficult to untie shoe laces once they've gotten wet and dried again - the knot tends to tighten up some.

[apipertoo]

Well I may be TOTALLY out of order here.. but I use a small safety pin hidden in the "knot" to attach them to my hose so they will not fall down

[ohiopiper]

I had a Senior Chief tell me once "If it's stupid but it works, it isn't stupid".

[mookien]

Well I may be TOTALLY out of order here.. but I use a small safety pin hidden in the "knot" to attach them to my hose so they will not fall down

A man with a plan ... and a solution. Good for you!

[ANP3]

I have the same problem with the laces, they are always falling down! I do the lower tie, and even when I tie them very tight they still fall down. Perhaps it's my ghillie brogue's, or, as I suspect it may be the laces, as they are quite skinny, and I have large, not fatty mind you, calves. So, could replacing the laces with thicker laces be helpful?

[The farqcom]

I use a larger soft lace which holds knots well and does seem to stay up better than some of the smaller dia. laces, esp. on cable knit hose.

[ANP3]

Perfect, I have hand knit hose my grandmother made for me, and she, being first generation Irish-American, made them in the same style as a cable knit sweater.

[Donnachaidh Drumair]

I tend to tie mine around 10 o'clock (left leg) and 2 o'clock (right leg), with the knot ending up pretty much in line with the flashes.

I tie my laces exactly like EagleJCS, down to that last part! So my tassels are roughly in line with my flashes at 10' and 2'.

I'm glad others got to this question before me, but this is one of those areas where I and other pipe band musicians might know more!

And I've marched in quite a few parades with these things. It hurts after a while, but despite my worst irrational fears, the laces have never fallen or come undone. Sometimes some loose second-hand bubble-top hose has ridden down the calf, but never laces. In fact where the flashes failed, the laces kept it up until I could pull them up again.

And yes, your laces should be pretty thick. I think that may be the problem here for you guys.

I'm not promoting these guys more than any other outfit, this is just to give you an idea of what to look for:

http://www.kilts-n-stuff.com/highlan...s-and-tassels/

[Calico]

Well I may be TOTALLY out of order here.. but I use a small safety pin hidden in the "knot" to attach them to my hose so they will not fall down

*** I have larger calves than ankles. And I like the ghillie laces tied high. I can tie them tight enough to be a tourniquet and they will fall after just a few steps. Now I too just put a safety pin inside while I'm putting them on and pin through the knot. Works fine for me.

Fie on you that don't like high laced ghillie brogues! (I like ghillie shirts, too. So there.)