tartan

What is a tartan?

A woolen cloth woven in one of several patterns of colored checks and intersecting lines, particularly associated with a particular Scottish clan.

The Scottish Register of Tartans Act (2008) defines a tartan as follows: "A tartan is a pattern which can be woven and consists of two or more alternating coloured stripes joined vertically and horizontally to form a repeating checkerboard pattern. The tartan pattern is traditionally known as the tartan facing.

Tartan (the pattern) is a pattern consisting of two or more different solid-colored stripes. These may have similar, but usually different, proportions and are repeated in a specific order.

The order of warp colors (lengthwise threads/vertical threads) is repeated in the same order and size in the weft (crosswise threads/horizontal threads). When a warp stripe crosses a weft stripe of the same color, it creates a solid color block. When it crosses a stripe of a different color, it creates an even blend of the two colors, called a "halftone."

Traditionally, tartans are usually woven in a 2/2 staggered twill, which gives the material its familiar crosshatched appearance, particularly evident in the halftone areas. Most of these patterns (or setts) are symmetrical; however, asymmetrical patterns can also be used.