When we talk about hose there are four different types:
diced, tartan, Argyle and
Plain. Normally - unless you're in a Scottish
regiment or a re-enactment group - you will only come across the
full length hose complete with feet. We're very grateful to Corgi
Hose, Kilkeel Knitwear and Henderson Highland Hose for allowing us
to use images and technical explanations.
tops. Hose has been worn down through the years and
indeed up to the present day by all the Regiments. Invariably
"Diced Hose" was worn in Red/Black or Red/White
dicing, usually as "hose tops" where the heel and foot were missing
and ordinary socks could be worn underneath with "gaiters" covering
the join. This provided a much needed economy measure. In Ministry
of Defence terminology these are called "Diced Hose, Footless".
Incidentally those knitted "mittens" without fingers worn by the
Band members and greatly important in cold weather are called
"mittens, musicians .......". Full length diced
hose (that is - complete with feet!) were worn
usually by officers and sergeants at Mess nights and for Regimental
tops as distinct from diced hose tops, in
designs matching their own tartan would often be worn by Regimental
hose are a simplified version of tartan hose in
cases where the pattern is too intricate to replicate exactly. It
became more usual (and sometimes more pleasing to the eye) if the
tartan design was imitated but not copied exactly.
Hose - full length stockings
Hose tops - footless, from turnover to ankle only
Diced Hose - normally two colours only but with
Argyle - pattern designed to imitate a tartan
Raker - technical term for criss-crossing line on tartan
Split diamonds - where the large diamond is split into
two colours to add more variety to the design
Diamond within a diamond - small diamond superimposed in
the centre on the large diamond.
Marl - two threads of the basic colours twisted together,
can be single marl or double.
Intarsia knitting:- a knitted fabric containing two
or more colors, each area of color knitted from a separate yarn
which is contained entirely within that area
Structure of Knitted Hose
The conventionally woven 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
Types of knitted 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.