Photo Contest/Harris Hose giveaway

[Minerva]

I can't oblige with a picture of any Highland games I'm afraid, but my husband has the best calves in the business IMO.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Great pictures so far!

AZWildcat, would the photographer in the first photo also be the one taking the picture of you in the Harris hose? They did a great job!

Minerva, do you know how big around your husband's calves are? His current hose certainly seem stretched.

Kennedy, the Harris hose are a 3ply knit. I don't know how that would compare to your current hose. They are not overly bulky but certainly substantial. And I'm thinking a darker color might help hide your gear a bit better. As I said, these hose are not made ONLY for men with large calves, but are made to accommodate large calves more easily. Men with average sized calves can certainly wear them. Might want to give them a try!

[OC Richard]

Well I have 18" calves but the most "active" thing I do with them, while wearing the kilt, is walk around playing the pipes!

Athletes will be your best bet, probably! Some of those guys are HUGE.

[azwildcat96]

AZWildcat, would the photographer in the first photo also be the one taking the picture of you in the Harris hose? They did a great job!

The photographers are friends of our throwing group (a husband and wife), who come out once or twice a year to take "team" photos for us. They are very good photographers! I'm not sure if they would participate in a commercial venture like this. No guarantee, but I could ask.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

What I am evaluating in the photos are two things:
1) the actual legs in question. :-)
2) the photography. I'm going to be using the photos for promotional purposes, so I want them to look nice.

That doesn't mean the photography necessarily has to be professional quality, but the better the photography, the better your chances of snagging some free hose!

[Kennedy]

Minerva's hubby's legs look like is going to be a bit on the large size, but then you see the other picture and you realize that it is all muscle! He must have mighty strong legs!

As for my current hose: I didn't have a kilt to wear with them when I bought them. I was trying different socks to wear between the AFOs and my skin to prevent irritation. I discovered that thick athletic socks worked better and were less expensive. In addition, I need one pair between my skin and my AFOs, and a second pair between my AFOs and my orthopedic shoes or else I go, "Squeek! Squeek!" with every step. Even with the lightest weight socks over my AFOs, my feet got incredibly hot when I wore the woolen kilt hose underneath. (Wearing the woolen hose over did not have the same effect.) I think that the extra heft of those hose, the longer turndown, and cables on the turndown would all help hide the gear. Since my kilt is Kennedy ancient (and the lighter shade at that since it is from Geoffrey [Tailor] Highland Crafts), I would likely go with ancient green. A even darker color would hide the gear better than the ancient green, but the ancient green would look better with my kilt than a black.

I am wondering, Just what is the suggested retail price of those hose? A local business, A Celtic Tradition, is listed on your site. If they didn't have them in stock, they could likely get them for me. I am wondering, are all of the ladies in the UK the size of preteenagers? The only women I know that can wear socks as small as your larger ladies' size have to purchase their shoes in the childern's department.

Great pictures so far!

AZWildcat, would the photographer in the first photo also be the one taking the picture of you in the Harris hose? They did a great job!

Minerva, do you know how big around your husband's calves are? His current hose certainly seem stretched.

Kennedy, the Harris hose are a 3ply knit. I don't know how that would compare to your current hose. They are not overly bulky but certainly substantial. And I'm thinking a darker color might help hide your gear a bit better. As I said, these hose are not made ONLY for men with large calves, but are made to accommodate large calves more easily. Men with average sized calves can certainly wear them. Might want to give them a try!

[M. A. C. Newsome]

They would retail between $55 and $60. The folks at A Celtic Tradition have ordered Harris hose from me before (in fact, the owner's husband has larger legs and I think he wears this style). They should indeed be able to help you. I hope it works out well for you!
Matt

[M. A. C. Newsome]

And the winner is.....

Well, I was having a hard time deciding between AZWildcat and Minerva's husband, to tell the truth. Then I decided that it might be nice to have photographs of both a piper and a Highland athlete to showcase. So, in the Christmas spirit, I decided to give away TWO pair, and name both the winner. Congrats!

I'll be contacting you each via PM with details.

I appreciate everyone who contributed.

[azwildcat96]

Awesome! And a congratulations to Minerva's husband too. Thank you Matt!

Looking forward to the hose, and to another photo session with the weights.

[Minerva]

Minerva, do you know how big around your husband's calves are? His current hose certainly seem stretched.

Around 18 1/2 inches of muscle!