Kilt hose sizing

[frank_a]

My problem is that there is not a kilt accessories shop locally where one might go try stuff on without having to purchase that same stuff. Of course, that means the shop owner would have to allow it. Otherwise all I can do is buy stuff online that is affordable. I would love to be able to afford custom knit hose, but at 150 USD/pair (or so) that is not going to happen unless I win a lottery. Even that will be difficult as I don't buy lottery tickets!

Frank

[Pleater]

Of course I have the luxury of knitting my own, and have been doing so for a very long time - over 40 years now.

I make myself a left and right foot sock, and when doing hand knitting I can even try them on as I go to ensure perfect sizing. That is a labour intensive occupation, though.

I would wrap the forms - a crepe bandage or bit of old towel cut to shape and sewn onto the form so that there is no chance of damaging the hose on an edge of the board.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[frank_a]

Oh come on Ann, 40 years?!? You can't be that old!

I bought some black Gorilla tape to edge the hose blocker I made. Seeing that it is clear Lucite, I'm having trouble taking a picture of it.

I made the blocker an inch longer at the toe to match my foot, but I'm thinking of cutting it back to 1/2" or just a bit longer, thinking if the hose fits now, why stretch it if It fits well as is? Also, should I cut ovals in the blocker or drill a bunch of holes so air passes through it, or is that really necessary?

Frank

Of course I have the luxury of knitting my own, and have been doing so for a very long time - over 40 years now.

I make myself a left and right foot sock, and when doing hand knitting I can even try them on as I go to ensure perfect sizing. That is a labour intensive occupation, though.

I would wrap the forms - a crepe bandage or bit of old towel cut to shape and sewn onto the form so that there is no chance of damaging the hose on an edge of the board.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Stitchwiz]

The holes aren't necessary and certainly can't hurt. The air flow around them will dry the hose just fine.
If you decide to add holes, just make sure that there are no rough edges that will snag your hose. You can use a very fine grit sandpaper from the hardware store. One of my personal favourite sanding tools are the disposable fingernail files which come in super fine grits and also have a polishing surface. You can get them at the drug store or big box dept store. You can put the file into the hole and bend it to make a solid connection with the Lucite to get the finish you want and they don't tear the way sandpaper from the sheets does.

Make sure that you smooth down the creases and edges of the tape so that they don't catch the yarn of your hose. Burnishing with a spoon or a curved metal object is very easy to do.

You could take a picture with hose on one blocker, and lay the other beside it. Hopefully that would help the shaping be visible. Of course the tape will outline them beautifully.

[frank_a]

Here's where I am. I want to find a more flexible tape. This black Gorilla tape does not lend itself to smoothness!



Here you can see how I sized the blocker to just a tad larger than the hose...



And finally, the hose on the blocker...

[t_challa]

I have found the same when trying to find the right size of hose (my shoe size is 10 3/4). I always had the same issue with the larger hose bunching up and my feet were very slidey when wearing my boots. I got round the problem by wearing a pair of thin ankle sports socks underneath the hose. I now have the same grip as when I wear regular socks, the ankle sports socks are so thin that my boots still fit comfortably and there is no issue with slidey feet or bunching.

I picked up a pack here:
http://www.sportsdirect.com/puma-tra...lcode=41101202

[Stitchwiz]

Frank, if you sand the edges very smooth and then polish them with the polishing part of the nail buffer, you shouldn't need the tape on the blockers. Your hose will just slide right on the smooth surfaces. If you are not sure if they are smooth enough, you could use a good quality car polish to help seal the sanded surfaces.

When you take off the tape, there may be some adhesive residue. There are two things that will remove adhesive. Try rubbing alcohol first - least offensive odour. If that doesn't work, try nail polish remover.

Your blocker likes great! You can pass them on to your grandkids because they will last forever.

[frank_a]

I think that is what I will do. I really only had three or four small areas on this first attempt that need more work to smooth over, I was just lazy. After applying the tape, I think I would be better off spending the time to smooth those few potential problem points and forgo the tape. I was thinking that when I was putting the tape on. It took a while to do.

I checked out sock blockers over on ravelry.com. For the most part, they contend blockers are not needed, that even if the sock looks unpressed after washing and drying, once on, it regains its shape. They use blockers mostly to take photographs of their custom work.

Thanks!

Frank

[Randy McIntosh]

My mother used to use racks like this for my father's hose back in the 60's

[frank_a]

Here's how they came out. Sanded the edges with sanding attachment for a dremel tool for problem spots, then block sanded the edges with a 3M sanding block and 80 grit paper till it was nice and smooth. Again, they are a tad oversize in general, and about 1/2" at the toe. Thanks all!