White Hose

[robbiethepiper]

I note with interest and a smile the venom which some forum members hurl at defenceless white hose. Now, I have fairly conservative tastes, so am not enamoured of white hose; they just seem to shout a little too loudly for me. However some whites are whiter than other whites (?!?). "Off-white" or cream is another matter. This colour, called "ecru" in french or "ban" in irish gaelige, is the natural colour of undyed/unbleached wool. Before the days of mass production, this would have meant a significant cost saving, important and therefore popular for the poorer class, who are rarely seen in paintings of the time. So not only is the visual attack muted, the colour is more traditional.

The above is the result of my mind going on a ramble Not one word is written from knowledge. I would be very interested to hear from those who HAVE real knowledge...

[gary meakin]

robbie,
Don't ever let knowledge or the lack of get in the way of a perfectly good theory

[sydnie7]

There's also been plenty of acknowledgment that the bias against white hose refers to "Clorox bleach white," not cream/ecru/natural off-whites.

[Downunder Kilt]

I'll sum up my thoughts on the subject with this:

I have not read on this forum that off white( bone, natural, ecru ) are not traditional wear.

I have read that a lot of people don't like white hose and don't wear them.

I do not like white hose and I do not wear them

A lot of pipe bands wear white hose and a lot of kilt rental shops push the sale of white hose.

I have had ecru hose in the past and have dyed them with tea and coffee and much prefer the resultant colours.

You are not going to the strung up if you wear white hose.

There are a myriad of hose colours out there that I think are better than white hose

And that's all I have have to say on this subject

[Nighthawk]

Well, in the civilian historical reenactment community I travel in, what you've said is also what we think. Our knitters have made hose for us in natural undyed wool, and they look a lot like the ecru hose that are offered. So the way I see it, ecru/off white is just fine. The gods awful bleached color is what I don't like. Let's see if I find some pictures...

[davidlpope]

Well, in the civilian historical reenactment community I travel in, what you've said is also what we think.

But neither of the gents pictured above is wearing anything close to historical highland attire...

[Nighthawk]

But neither of the gents pictured above is wearing anything close to historical highland attire...

Red wool garters, great kilt, hand knitted socks... Other than Kurt's modern kilt, I don't see the problems (and in Kurt's defense, it was hot the weekend this picture was taken, and only Doc was still in his great kilt!) I know Doc's boots aren't strictly Highland, but they are accurate to the period, and were readily available on the British isles, so there's no reason a Highlander couldn't have owned a pair. One thing that people, especially reenactors and living historians, get caught up in is strict cultural segregation. That didn't happen! Cultures then, like today, mingled with each other. There would be a distinct cultural identity, but except in extreme cases, not an exclusive cultural identity, if you get my meaning. There are, for example, a lot of Nordic influences in Scotland. And that is really the philosophy we go by- distinctly Scottish, but obviously a part of the period overall... if that makes any sense at all!!

And an interesting thing I've noticed- some people take issue with the doublets. They're just sleeveless versions of this:

http://jas-townsend.com/product_info...roducts_id=417

They were pretty common throughout Europe. Yes, they're a little later than our actual period of 1690-1745, but they're really practical, so we have to factor that in.

[piperdown]

I'll sum up my thoughts on the subject with this:

I have not read on this forum that off white( bone, natural, ecru ) are not traditional wear.

I have read that a lot of people don't like white hose and don't wear them.

I do not like white hose and I do not wear them

A lot of pipe bands wear white hose and a lot of kilt rental shops push the sale of white hose.

I have had ecru hose in the past and have dyed them with tea and coffee and much prefer the resultant colours.

You are not going to the strung up if you wear white hose.

There are a myriad of hose colours out there that I think are better than white hose

And that's all I have have to say on this subject

I have a pair of cream wool that I just never seem to wear. May I ask how you dyed them with coffee?? DO you have a finished photo you could share??

Thanks.

[Downunder Kilt]

I have a pair of cream wool that I just never seem to wear. May I ask how you dyed them with coffee?? DO you have a finished photo you could share??

Thanks.

These are pure wool hose and I believe that all synthetic ones cannot be dyed successfully.

On the left is the natural ecru ones, the middle are those dyed with standard coffee grounds and the ones on the right are dyed with a dark roast blend

I filled a bucket with warm water, not hot enough to shrink wool, mixed in the coffee grounds, wet the socks in warm water, placed them in the bucket and gently stirred until hose were saturated with the colour. For the first hour I gently stirred the hose every 5 - 10 minutes then put the bucket aside for a couple of hours and stirred again. Left the hose in the bucket overnight, got the hose out the next morning, let them drip dry. Then hand washed them in cold water. This seemed to colourfast them and that was over a year ago.

The photo

[piperdown]

These are pure wool hose and I believe that all synthetic ones cannot be dyed successfully.

On the left is the natural ecru ones, the middle are those dyed with standard coffee grounds and the ones on the right are dyed with a dark roast blend

I filled a bucket with warm water, not hot enough to shrink wool, mixed in the coffee grounds, wet the socks in warm water, placed them in the bucket and gently stirred until hose were saturated with the colour. For the first hour I gently stirred the hose every 5 - 10 minutes then put the bucket aside for a couple of hours and stirred again. Left the hose in the bucket overnight, got the hose out the next morning, let them drip dry. Then hand washed them in cold water. This seemed to colourfast them and that was over a year ago.

The photo

Fantastic idea...thanks!!!