Advice on kilt hose

[johngoff]

I'm interested in buying pure wool kilt hose that are well made. I've been looking at the House of Cheviot brand, that I know isn't pure wool, but could be a good substitute. I would rather have the hose darned than throw away and purchase a new set. I wanted to see what your opinions were for that.

Also as far as height, I've seen that most kill hose fit to just below the knee, I wear my hose maybe 1-2 inches below that. I was thinking of going for a medium size as opposed to a large though my foot is a US 11.5 in order to get a kilt hose that isn't super long. I wanted to see what your opinions were on that as well.

Thank you, John.

[ShaunMaxwell]

You can't go far wrong with the House of Cheviot Lewis or Rannoch hose. I have several pair of each and have never had any issues with them.

Given your foot size, I'm not convinced a medium would work for you. I tend to wear a medium and my feet are size 8 US.

I'm a bit on the short side (5'7"), and have been able to figure out creative ways to make the turned down portion of the hose fall in the appropriate place, so I'd go with hose that will actually fit your foot. I tend to wear the tops of my hose two to three finger widths below my kneecaps.

Interested to see what others have to say... Good luck to you!

SM

[Nomad]

I have 5 pairs of Glenbeg socks, which are 50% merino wool, and 50% man made fibres. I really like them they are soft, warm and hopefully long lasting with the man made fibres.

They look good without being overly posh and can be purchased for around £15 of eBay, half the price of similar socks, which means you can buy twice as many colours.

It is possible to shrink the socks by hot washing and they seem to retain much of the elasticity after shrinking, personally I think you need to buy the correct foot size or your toes will be really cramped.

[Jock Scot]

I have worn kilt hose with my shooting plus 4's and I have worn shooting hose with the kilt and hand knit ones too. The house of Cheviot hose would be my go to choice these days-----I should add that I have no connection to the company------mainly for ease of procurement and the fact that they do the job consistently well. But, with all the hose that I have worn, the wear once and wash policy, really does get the hose to last considerably longer and by some margin, than they do with any other wearing policy.

[gealach]

plus 1 on house of cheviot

Wear the hose 3-4 fingers below the knee.

[SunriseEarth]

I’d say go with size Large and look at their Lewis line

[Steve Ashton]

From someone who knits may I comment. Yarn designed specifically for socks will not usually be 100% wool. It will usually have some other fiber spun into the wool to increase durability. This is usually nylon. The average percentage is 80% wool & 20% nylon.

Wool is subject to packing and to abrasion. This happens most at the bottom of the heel and at the back of the heel.

Merino wool is soft and luxurious but is actually one of the less durable wools.



If you are concerned about the height of the hose may I suggest you look for hose that can be tuned over multiple times. When I put on most of my kilt hose I pull them up all the way - Put the garter where I want the top of the hose - Turn down to top to the garter and then back up again.
This all depends of course on the pattern of the cuff portion of the sock. Some are designed so that the pattern faces inward and some so the pattern faces outward.

For example the "Piper's Hose" offered by Gaelic Themes have the pattern facing inward. This is to allow the cuff to be folded twice (down & back up) and the basket weave pattern will be on the outside.
On some hose the pattern does not matter.
The Lewis hose by HOS are turned over only once.

As far as sizing - A US size 11.5 is considered a Large by most hose makers. You pick the size of the hose by your shoe size. It is far better to get a pair large enough for your foot than to have a sock that is too small. A small sock will be required to stretch over your foot. This stretching causes premature failure. A sock that is too small will often wear through the heel and at the toenail quicker.

If you have wide feet (EEE or EEEE) you may even need to go up in size due to the foot of the sock getting shorter as it is stretched wider.

[Alisdair]

I've had hose custom made by Baymar knitwear (https://www.etsy.com/shop/BaymarKnitwear). They made me a lovely lovat colored set, which I wear regularly. I'm satisfied with the quality and the price is not bad, either! You will have to wear garters with them, as they are pure wool.

[kingandrew]

I've bought all-wool shooting socks from http://www.shootingsocks.co.uk and they are comfortable, look great with my kilt, and have proven to be durable over several years of occasional wear. Prices are comparable to House of Cheviot kilt hose.

Shooting socks tend to have colorful designs on the fold-over part. However, they are designed to be worn right under the knee, so you may want to fold them down more than intended or do the "double-fold" that Steve Ashton recommends above.

Andrew

[Wareyin]

House of Cheviot's kilt hose are the same length as their shooting socks. The kilt hose are long enough that I have to do creative folding to keep them a couple to three inches below my knee, and I'm 5'10.