Tying Traditional Garter Ties

[Friday]

With traditional garters you might not have to "tie" them. Wool on wool creates a lot friction and this friction may eliminate the need to tie the garter. With some of my garters I loop the garter from the outside, around the inside, and back to the outside. I then wrap the garter ends around them selves and pass the end under the first loop. This will hold these garter for the day.

Remember with traditional and even the elastic garters it is the "coke bottle" effect that holds hose up. Like the carnival game where you throw a ring over coke bottles the ring is just enough to go over the top of the bottle but does can not expand to go over the wider middle of the bottle.

The garter is looped/tied above the part of the leg where the calf narrows below the knee. If the garter can not expand then it and the hose will not slip down the leg. The wool of the hose against the garter creates a lot of friction, then the wool of the garter wrapped around and under the garter creates more friction. On top of this is the wool fold-over of hose adds even more friction.

As you walk throughout the day the area of the leg just below the knee does not expand and contract a lot. All together this means that you garters do not have to be tied tightly and can in some cases just looping the garter and passing the ends under the first loop creates all the friction needed to keep you garters ties and hose up through a full day and night of kilting.

[eclarkhb]

Thank for all of the replies!

My problem is that my traditional ties are either slightly too short, or my calves slightly too large for me to "wrap the ties from the outside of the calf to the inside, overlap and back out to the outside" as JohnTheBiker suggests. Currently I just start on the inside of my calf, wrap to the outside & square knot, then tuck the ends back under themselves a couple of times until I get the desired length. I suppose that's ok, I was just hoping there was a cleaner way to do it.

I only have 1 pair of traditional ties today, in the future I'll absolutely try to order them longer. Thanks for the tip!

[fluter]

The ones stocked by the STM gift shop are made about 36 inches. I did not realize that they special-ordered them that way, until it came up in conversation here.

[Friday]

eclarkhb could you 1) loop the garter around it self (make a circle in the garter and wrap the end around the circle a couple of times, or, 2) cut the garter and add a section of cotton strap or even ribbon in the middle of the hose.