Hunting for that earthy kilt look

[Shedlock2000]

Let me try again:

Ooooo, that is nice!

[OC Richard]

BTW, your signature... It is very emotive, and I really like it, but, would you elaborate on the context?

They are the words of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, mostly known for his Sherlock Holmes books. When asked which of his works were his personal favourites he would say his historical novels, The White Company and its prequel Sir Nigel.

Due to the very limited number of characters allowed I had to compress the quote and leave off attribution.

In The White Company the elderly, eccentric, but brilliant and brave English knight Sir Nigel Loring raises a mercenary band, The White Company, and leads them to Spain.

The scene takes place when a vast Spanish host approaches the small English contingent:

"Sir Nigel had scarcely spoken when the mist seemed to thin in the valley, and to shred away into long ragged clouds which trailed from the degs of the cliffs. As the mist pared and the sun broke through it gleamed and shimmered with dazzling brightness upon the armour and head-pieces of a vast body of horsemen... line after line, rank after rank they choked the neck of the valley with a long vista of tossing pennons, twinkling lances, waving plumes and streaming banderoles...

"By Saint Paul!" (said Sir Nigel) "it were pity if so many brave men were drawn together, and no little deed of arms come of it. Ha! William, they advance upon us, and, by my soul! it is a sight that is worth coming over the seas to see."

(Then two English knights, Sir Nigel and Sir William Felton, meet two Spanish knights in single combat between the two hosts.)

The one to whom Felton found himself opposed was a tall stripling with a stag's head upon his shield, while Sir Nigel's man was broad and squat, with plain steel harness, and a pink and white torse bound round his helmet. The first struck Felton on the shield with such force as to split it from side to side, but Sir William's lance crashed through the camail which shielded the Spaniard's throat, and he fell, screaming hoarsely, to the ground. Carried away by the heat and madness of fight, the English knight never drew rein, but charged straight on into the array of the Knights of Calatrava. Long time the silent ranks upon the hill could see a swirl and eddy deep down in the heart of the Spanish column, with a circle of rearing chargers and flashing blades. Here and there tossed the white plume of the English helmet, rising and falling like the foam upon a wave, with the fierce gleam and sparkle ever circling round it, until at last it had sunk from view, and another brave man had turned from war to peace."

[Shedlock2000]

The one to whom Felton found himself opposed was a tall stripling with a stag's head upon his shield, while Sir Nigel's man was broad and squat, with plain steel harness, and a pink and white torse bound round his helmet. The first struck Felton on the shield with such force as to split it from side to side, but Sir William's lance crashed through the camail which shielded the Spaniard's throat, and he fell, screaming hoarsely, to the ground. Carried away by the heat and madness of fight, the English knight never drew rein, but charged straight on into the array of the Knights of Calatrava. Long time the silent ranks upon the hill could see a swirl and eddy deep down in the heart of the Spanish column, with a circle of rearing chargers and flashing blades. Here and there tossed the white plume of the English helmet, rising and falling like the foam upon a wave, with the fierce gleam and sparkle ever circling round it, until at last it had sunk from view, and another brave man had turned from war to peace."

That is properly nice. I thought I liked the meter of it; and there's why: I read all of the Holmes novels as a child, and I can see the style that I so adored. It is a delightful passage, and a beautiful sentiment.....

Hmmmm, I must say, you have an excellent recollection - I'm hoping the book was to hand - else you put my memory to shame!

Thank you for replying with such fervour!

[Dale Seago]

It is beyond reason to think that Doyle's character was not the inspiration for Sir Nigel Loring in S.M. Stirling's "Emberverse" novels:

http://emberverse.wikia.com/wiki/Nigel_Loring

[llyd]

probably..incidentally, I met S.M. Stirling year before last...complimented my Navy Digi Kilt too..lol

[OC Richard]

Now back to the wonderful earthy Reproduction tartans devised by Dalgliesh, here they are

http://www.dcdalgliesh.co.uk/reproduction.rpy

You really can't go wrong with any of them! It's amazing how tartans which can look rather commonplace when done in "modern" colours come alive and look so distinctive when done in Dalgliesh's Reproduction colours. Lochcarron has followed suit with their "weathered" range of tartans.

Back to The White Company, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's writing is superb, and much more poetic than the workmanlike style he uses in the Holmes stories.

Oh if they could only make a film of The White Company! And there could only be one actor to play Sir Nigel Loring: Patrick Stewart. He's too tall, it's true (Sir Nigel is famously diminutive) but I think he can pull off the wonderful bipolar nature of Sir Nigel's personality, gravitas and whimsy. And Stewart has the right hair!

The scene is early in the book when Sir Nigel is interviewing a potential squire:

"Canst thou curl hair?"
"No, my lord, but I could learn."
"It is of import," said Sir Nigel, "for I love to keep my hair well ordered, seeing that the weight of my helmet for thirty years hath in some degree frayed it upon the top." He pulled off his velvet cap of maintenance as he spoke, and displayed a pate which was as bald as an egg and shone bravely in the firelight. "You see," said he, whisking round, and showing one little strip where a line of scattered hairs, like the last survivors in some fatal field, still barely held their own against the fate which had fallen upon their comrades; "these locks need some little oiling and curling, for I doubt not that if you look slantwise at my head, when the light is good, you will yourself perceive that there are places where the hair is sparse."

[Shedlock2000]

Now back to the wonderful earthy Reproduction tartans devised by Dalgliesh, here they are

http://www.dcdalgliesh.co.uk/reproduction.rpy

You really can't go wrong with any of them! It's amazing how tartans which can look rather commonplace when done in "modern" colours come alive and look so distinctive when done in Dalgliesh's Reproduction colours. Lochcarron has followed suit with their "weathered" range of tartans.

OOOOOO! I don't know Lochcarron did some weathered tartans! I'll look into that - its a shame I'm broke, or else I would be buying alllllll the things!

Back to The White Company, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's writing is superb, and much more poetic than the workmanlike style he uses in the Holmes stories.

Oh if they could only make a film of The White Company! And there could only be one actor to play Sir Nigel Loring: Patrick Stewart. He's too tall, it's true (Sir Nigel is famously diminutive) but I think he can pull off the wonderful bipolar nature of Sir Nigel's personality, gravitas and whimsy. And Stewart has the right hair!

The scene is early in the book when Sir Nigel is interviewing a potential squire:

"Canst thou curl hair?"
"No, my lord, but I could learn."
"It is of import," said Sir Nigel, "for I love to keep my hair well ordered, seeing that the weight of my helmet for thirty years hath in some degree frayed it upon the top." He pulled off his velvet cap of maintenance as he spoke, and displayed a pate which was as bald as an egg and shone bravely in the firelight. "You see," said he, whisking round, and showing one little strip where a line of scattered hairs, like the last survivors in some fatal field, still barely held their own against the fate which had fallen upon their comrades; "these locks need some little oiling and curling, for I doubt not that if you look slantwise at my head, when the light is good, you will yourself perceive that there are places where the hair is sparse."

What a wonderful passage!! Ha! I think that Sir Patrick would be just perfect for such a role - I can hear him speaking the lines now! It's almost as if it were made for him!

I had the fortune of bumping into Sir Patrick last year. I didn't get long to chat with him - maybe 5 or 10 minutes. He was born and grew up not far from where I went to high school! So we had much to talk about; he is rather passionate about his youth and origins. He grew up with Brian Blessed of all people, and they used to hang around as kids together! Life couldn't be dull with those two about, surely.

below is a an awkward photo of Sir Patrick and me to commemorate the interesting conversation I had with him.


http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/m...ef7a29de46.jpg

[mookien]

OOOOOO! I don't know Lochcarron did some weathered tartans! I'll look into that - its a shame I'm broke, or else I would be buying alllllll the things! ...

Almost all, if not all, of the mills do their own analogs to "reproduction" or "weathered". Dalgliesh started it all back in 1947 (I think) with their reproduction tartans. The others that I know about are ...

House of Edgar and Martin Mills - "muted", and Strathmore "old colours"

You have lots of research to do, if you are so inclined. Enjoy.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Lochcarron produces a huge amount of weathered tartans in their 16 oz Strome range. We have an entire bound swatch book set of just their weathered tartans at the Scottish Tartans Museum. Very lovely.

House of Edgar's muted range is not really the same as weathered/reproduction. It's somewhere in between ancient and modern in terms of the brightness of the colors. What Strathmore calls "old colours" are the equivalent to what all other mills call ancient.

By the way, how's this for an "earthy" kilt look.


And trying it with some decidedly non-Scottish head gear. What do you think?

[Shedlock2000]

Lochcarron produces a huge amount of weathered tartans in their 16 oz Strome range. We have an entire bound swatch book set of just their weathered tartans at the Scottish Tartans Museum. Very lovely.

House of Edgar's muted range is not really the same as weathered/reproduction. It's somewhere in between ancient and modern in terms of the brightness of the colors. What Strathmore calls "old colours" are the equivalent to what all other mills call ancient.

By the way, how's this for an "earthy" kilt look.


And trying it with some decidedly non-Scottish head gear. What do you think?

I love it! The purple is made subtle by the greens and isn't overwhelming at all. I particularly love the jumper! I can't find a short jumper anywhere! They all seem to be made for some guy whose torso is 3 feet long!

I rather like that hat too! It perfectly suits the look; I think I prefer it to the top one, TBH. I must work on Tit'fer's..... I haven't thought much about it yet. The wind here is phenomenal - so I'd need something which stays on! Plus, I know don't joke, but, despite what you might think, I have a tiny head!! Hats often look very queer on me, indeed!!

s