This is a traditional kilt stocking pattern from Gairloch, Wester Ross, Scotland. The ‘Gairloch pattern’ was used for stockings in the main but was also widely applied to waistcoats and other garments. Normally employing two shades of wool, the pattern could be more elaborately coloured but the design remained standard.

The pattern was developed by staff and volunteers at Gairloch Museum to raise funds for the museum. It is based on knitted objects in the museum’s collection, and notes on the old patterns held in the museum’s archive.

The stockings are knitted in the round using 5 needles. The calf is shaped and the pattern accommodates the decreases. Approximately equal quantities of two complementary shades of yarn are required.