A very cool kilt hose idea from Big Mikey!

[Jack Daw]

It's in the same vein as the choice between a great kilt and a small kilt with a separate plaid. VERY clever!

[billmcc]

Good idea! A seperate cuff like that could be worn with kilt hose that have shrunk and are too short to be turned over at the top.

Hey Mikey,
Please show us how it is done.

[Alan H]

Hmmmmm..... and where might a lad acquire one of them "knitting cheaters'?

[Smayniac]

Young Scooby has taken up knitting, I may have to get him to make me some of those in trade for the kilts I'm making for him. Or not, getting him to wear and enjoy the kilt may be reward enough for now. I still may show him this and see what comes of it.

Bob

[sydnie7]

Hmmmmm..... and where might a lad acquire one of them "knitting cheaters'?

I saw a variety of them the other day at a [small] Joann's store. Nothing small enough to make the garters that Jay has been creating, but should be sized right for these beauties.

[Carolina Kiltman]

You have done it again, another project in the queue, what date does that take me to now? 2289?

[Big Mikey]

First, Jamie and honoured members, thank you for your kind words. I initially got this idea while considering ordering some custom knit hose. I thought that I may be able to make my own using one of the Knifty Knitter products. I did make a pair but that is for another day.

I then thought that it would be both fashionable and utilitarian to have different hose tops to switch out with my kilts and just use a single pair of quality hose. I first tried light weight yarns to get a feel for what I was doing. The end result was OK but not what I was after. I then found a nice, heavy yarn that was easy to work and gave the look I wanted.

It was a learning experience and I am still trying different ideas. As much as I hate to divulge a potential money-maker, the nature of our community demands that I share my good fortune. However, if after reading this, you would like a pair of Hose Toppers made, please PM me and I'll see what I can do for you.

First, the Knifty Knitter round looms. They come with the four looms, a knitting hook, a needle and some basic instructions. They are made by Provocraft abd should be available in any good hobby or fabric shop.



Next are some of the patterns I have made for myself. Top left- blue variegated, bottom left-night stalker, top right- MacGregor, bottom right- camo



It may be hard to see but I put in a "ghost dice" in the green portion.



Next, a couple of shots with me wearing two other patterns.

Navy, sky blue and white.



Green, red and gold to "sorta" match the Maple Leaf.



Even from quite a distance, the Hose Toppers are very noticeable.

The following link is to the website for the yarn I like to use. It will give you a fairly good look at the colours available if you would like to have a pair made.

http://cache.lionbrand.com/cgi-bin/y...rnPage=1419769

Now, some details as to how I make Hose Toppers.

I use the red loom. It seems to be the best size for this project. If you have smaller legs, try the blue one.

I knit ten rows to begin with. I then design my pattern to fit in ten rows. Then finish with ten rows. For exmple, the MacGregor tops are ten rows red, four rows green, two rows white, four rows green, ten rows red. When the two ends are joined and finished, this will give about four inches of cuff.

The green loom is a great size for making hats, toques up here.

I hope this has been helpful and I look forward to seeing YOUR attempts or hearing from you so I may be able to share the results of my new hobbie. As Jamie wrote, trades happily accepted.

[Highlander31]

Great idea, and simple to make. Bravo Big Mikey, Bravo.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

The second is that one must be fairly careful as if the bottom of the hose wear out then the hose are ruined and all the fancy knit work at the top is then wasted.

This is not really true. When you have fancy top hose, generally the top is made as a separate piece and then stitched to the sock base. (I know this is true of the Royal Cuff hose we now offer, and of the Balmoral hose we formerly carried). This means that when and if the sock gets worn out, you can easily remove the fancy top and attach it to a new pair.

I myself have done this. One of the first pair of Balmoral hose I owned got snagged on something that tore a hole in the back leg of one of the socks. My wife said the rip was too bad to repair, so she removed the hand knit top and attached it to a new pair of socks for me. Very easy to do.

I'm just pointing this out because I'm not sure if everyone realizes this or not. And most of the cost of items like this is in the fancy top, not the sock itself. So being able to replace the sock if it gets torn or simply worn with age really helps to extend the life of your investment.

[Panache]

This is not really true. When you have fancy top hose, generally the top is made as a separate piece and then stitched to the sock base. (I know this is true of the Royal Cuff hose we now offer, and of the Balmoral hose we formerly carried). This means that when and if the sock gets worn out, you can easily remove the fancy top and attach it to a new pair.

I myself have done this. One of the first pair of Balmoral hose I owned got snagged on something that tore a hole in the back leg of one of the socks. My wife said the rip was too bad to repair, so she removed the hand knit top and attached it to a new pair of socks for me. Very easy to do.

I'm just pointing this out because I'm not sure if everyone realizes this or not. And most of the cost of items like this is in the fancy top, not the sock itself. So being able to replace the sock if it gets torn or simply worn with age really helps to extend the life of your investment.

Matt,

Good point. It seems that Mikey's idea of adding a fancy hose top isn't so new after all, though it's still a good one.

Cheers

Jamie