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Introduction

There are many excellent sites on the internet that give the history, description and details of tartans. It is not our intention to explore this further other than in relation to the production of true tartan hose.

Strictly speaking no highland outfit is complete if matching hose are not included, but due to the cost and difficulty of getting these made, it has now become normal practice to wear plain white hose with kilts in evening wear and for some bands. Only in Highland Dancing Competitions is the strict code still applied and points are lost if  “not properly dressed”.

The purpose of this section is to give you some idea of the work involved in producing a pair of  “highland dancing hose”

 

Structure of Tartans Cloth

1. The first requirement of a tartan cloth is that it should be a twill woven fabric.

2. The second requirement is that the warp (the lengthwise threads) have a strictly defined number and sequence of colored threads, known as the “Sett”. In most tartans (about 98% of them) there is a centerline to this sett and the number and sequence of each color is symmetrical about this centerline

3. The third requirement is that the weft (the crosswise threads) of the weave  follow the exact same “sett” sequence as the warp.

The main wide blocks of color are known as the “undercheck”, and each block normally has a thin line of lighter colored thread known as the “overcheck”. The three requirements above give the cloth its characteristic checked appearance, with solid colored squares of the undercheck and overcheck repeated along a diagonal, and in between there is a mixture (or marl) of the colors.

 

Structure of Knitted Hose

The tartan check is the result of the interaction of the multiple warp and weft threads in the weaving process. In knitting however only one thread is used in a plain fabric, or one thread in each colored area in an intarsia (see terminology) fabric. It is therefore impossible to copy the checked structure of the cloth in a knitted fabric. The nearest approximation is to replace the undercheck with diamonds of solid colour and marls.

In knitted hose the main colors of the undercheck are represented by solid diamonds along the front and back of the leg, and the marls are the diamonds on the sides of the leg. The diamonds also have overchecks to match the tartan.

If the tartan has more than two colors in the undercheck, it may be necessary to have   “split diamonds” in order to incorporate all the solid colors. Similarly if there are multiple colors in the overcheck, it may be necessary to make a two color check. Both these operations involve significant extra work and therefore cost more.

 

Matching Colors

With thousands of tartans already registered (for official registry refer to http://www.tartans.scotland.net), and new ones being registered every day, it is impossible to exactly match the colors in all the tartans produced in different mills and slightly different color specifications. The Company tackles this problem by having its own yarn spun to 1/40nm. It is then dyed to the most commonly used tartan shades, but even this means that we hold about 30 shades of “green” and similar number shades of “blue”. The photograph shows a small selection of our dyed colors.

 

 

  

 

 

For each pair of hose ordered, solid and marl yarns are selected and twisted on our 115 year old spinning machine to give the best match for the tartan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Single yarns on winder

 

 

 

 

 

 

Folded to 4ply solid and marl

 

 

These facilities mean that we can quickly respond to customers demands and produce matches for old and new tartans, and output from different mills. With the introduction of so many new tartans, we have to make marls for many of the new "main undercheck" colors to achieve "best match", and we will in future make a surcharge from this additional work. 

 

 

Types of Hose

There are two types of hose, seamfree and fully fashioned.

Seamfree hose are produced on a cylinder machine with a fixed number of needles, this type of fixed needle machine is normally used for sock production. It produces a tubular hose and the calf muscle being accommodated by loosening the stitch size. It is suitable for juveniles and young ladies where the difference between ankle and calf circumference is not too great.

 

 

 

 

 

Mabel on seamfree machine

 

 

 

Fully fashioned are made on flatbed machines so that the number of stitches can be varied to allow for the shape of the leg. These are then sewn together and have a seam along the back of the leg. These are more suitable for men’s hose since there is normally a large difference between the ankle and calf circumference requiring extra stitches to accommodate this difference. If a seamfree hose were to be stretched over this difference it would distort the diamonds and detract from the appearance. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May and Carol knitting fully fashioned hose

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally two very different examples of our tartan hose
A pair of children’s seamfree Dress Red Erskine hose
A pair of adult fully fashioned with split diamonds to accommodate all the colours in an Ancient Hunting McPherson tartan.

Hope you have found this short description on how tartan dance (or dress) hose are made, interesting. If you have any other questions please Contact Us

Ordering your hose

To make a pair of hose for your requirements we would need the following information:-

1. Size specification
a. the foot size measured in inches ( heel to toe)
b. the leg length measured from the floor to just below the knee
c. the circumference of the calf

2. Tartan specification
We know most of the traditional tartans and can proceed without a sample or swatch. Please make sure you have the correct description of your tartan and if in doubt send a swatch.

There are however many new tartans coming out, variants of old ones, and non-shades in traditional tartans. If yours falls into this category or you think the colors are non-standard then please let us have a swatch. We will have to make an extra charge if it is necessary to make an exclusive marl to match a non-standard solid color.

3. Decision on split or whole diamonds
This is a decision that we normally make and is based on the number of main (undercheck) colors in the tartan. Some tartans can however be made in either whole or split diamonds and in these cases you may specify which we should make.

4. Decision on seamfree or fully fashioned hose
If the calf circumference is over 15" we would recommend using fully fashioned hose. Below this the choice is yours and you would need to specify which you want. Capacity on the seamfree is less than on fully fashioned hose and so delivery times are longer.

5. Shipping address

6. Payment
We prefer payment by credit card, details of which should be sent with the order, or (for security reasons) over several emails over the internet. You could phone them to us on 0044 (0)28 4176 5717 or send a fax to 0044 (0)28 4176 3241. You may also pay by cheque but these must be made out in pounds sterling.


 

 

 

Cost of Hose

As from 1st April 2008, all orders received will be charged on the following basis.

Tartan Hose

       Seamfree hose with whole diamonds are £75 (75 pounds sterling)
       Seamfree hose with split diamonds are £85 (85 pounds sterling)
       Fully fashioned hose with whole diamonds are £95 (95 pounds sterling)
       Fully fashioned hose with split diamonds are £105 (105 pounds sterling)

Diced Hose and Tops

       Diced and tartan hose tops £65 (65 pounds sterling))
       Tartan hose tops with split diamonds £70 (70 pounds sterling)
       Diced fully fashioned hose £95 (95 pounds sterling)

Surcharges

A handling charge of £5 for deliveries in the UK and £8 rest of the world is made to cover:-
          a. Postage
          b. Administration costs
          c. Bank charges
          d. Incidental costs

NOTE

With new tartans being registered all the time and manufactured by different mills all over the world, it is impossible for us to stock all the new colours or variations of shades. We will do our best to provide "best match" to your swatch, and if in doubt will send you samples of threads for approval. If it is necessary to make a special marl to provide "best match" for an undercheck, we will make a charge of £8 for each "special marl".

Split diamonds are recommended for tartans with more than 4 colors

Fully fashioned hose are recommended for calf measurements of 15" and over.

When sending Visa/Mastercard details, please send the number, expiry date, and CVV2 number from the back of the card (the three digit number).

All orders must be paid in pounds Sterling. Cheques made out to Kilkeel Dancing Hose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You may use the Contact Us page to send us your requirements or contact Kilkeel Tartan Hose directly on tartanhose@btconnect.com