Handknit Kilt Hose - tutorial

[sockknitter]

I have read more than half the threads related to kilt hose, and believe me when I say I understand the interest in and the need for cheap alternatives to the pricier handknit kilt hose. It's all about the $$. I get it. And there are some great alternatives out there. But...there is more to consider. Such as:

First - knitting as art

Handknit kilt hose can be unique to the wearer. If your knitter steps outside a written pattern, the hose can end up being a unique statement by you, the wearer. Veronica Gainford's book is great to this end. She provides guidelines, anecdotes, and examples, and pushes the knitter out of the nest to make their own interpretation.

Second - Repairability

Kilt hose that are handknit from cuff down to the toe (top down) are 100% repairable. You can find the end of the yarn at the tip of the toe, pull and unravel the foot's yarn...keep unraveling to where you find healthy yarn, pick up the stitches and reknit the foot w/ new yarn. All w/o touching the leg of the hose. You essentially have a brand new sock for the price of a repair.

There may be a problem matching the new yarn to the old - in both color and weight - but you should be able to get close to the original....or embrace the contrast!!! We Scots are nothing if not frugal!

Kilt hose knit from the toe up can also be repaired, but taking out the stitches of the toe/foot out isn't as easy. Essentially, you have to pick and pull the stitches out, one stitch at a time. But once those stitches are out, the foot can be reknit down to the toe, just as easily.

If you don't have your own personal knitter, try calling your local yarn shop/knitting boutique. They may have a customer/teacher who is capable of doing this. Any knitter worth their chops should be able to handle these repairs.

Not so machine made socks. The yarns are usually a wool blend, and finer, so the yarn wears thin, as opposed to actually blowing out. You can either ditch the socks, or find someone who will darn them. Darn socks!

Third - yarn quality

Yarns that are mill spun specifically for socks are generally using a wool/nylon blend of either 75/25 or 80/20. This is a general statement & there are exceptions. But for the most part, they are designed to be durable. I have socks in my daily rotation, knit 10 years ago, that have yet to have a blowout.

But if your knitter is using 100% wool, he/she should be using a reinforcing yarn, available in the 80/20 blend, while knitting both the heel and toe. This helps keep the blowouts at bay - longer, but not indefinitely.

Fourth - price

If you are able to get solid hose for $100, you are getting a bargain, considering how much yarns cost today. Someone paid me $150 for a pair of tartan kilt hose two years ago. The yarn was $40 of that. There was time to figure out the knitting guage of the yarn and needle, there was time to figure out the tartan on graph paper. There was knitting time. There was time to duplicate stitch the diagonals into the diamonds. Believe me when I say no one is getting rich making these socks. It's a labor of love. If you are paying $250 and $300, that's probably more in the ballpark of paying your knitter what her time is worth...and your'e still under a living wage.

Fifth - toenails.

Yes - trim them. But not right before you put your kilt hose on. Freshly trimmed nails are rough, sharp, and can cut the yarn's fibers. Unless you file the nails? which is not likely. Maybe trim them the day before? Give those edges the opportunity to soften or smooth out.

Regardless - you may be the proud owner of some gnarly nails, like my father. In his case, I used not only the reinforcing yarn while knitting the toe, but dental floss, as well. He appreciated the extra effort. I appreciated the piece of mind.

I hope you find this informative and helpful...