Thanks for your help, yes it seems like a dark art! Thanks Matt, I will have a lookout for your posts. I buy kilt hose from a guy who gets them exhire for my second hand kids kilt business. But the sizes tend to be large, hence my reason to look for a pattern. I have a couple of eager friends and sister in laws happy to knit to a pattern for me. I will give it a go too. Do you know JoanMac's full name and what part of Harris she comes from? My sister communtes to Lewis for the holidays from Glasgow and maybe knows someone that knows her as we have relatives in Harris.