Jazz up your your old white hose for pennies!

**OC Richard** · 16th December 13, 07:17 AM

That's amazing, Nathan! They look great. No one would suspect they were DIY.

Like you (and pretty much all pipers) I have a number of pairs of stark white hose left over from the 90s. Once in a blue moon I need a pair, when there's a pickup gig and a number of pipers from different bands have to match a bit. Nowadays most pipers have a pair of black hose so hopefully the white will be put to final rest.

**fluter** · 16th December 13, 08:37 AM

Elf, I'd love to see a photo of your indigo heather hose!

I had a similar result. A fiber-wise friend had made up some walnut dye, one of the most potent vegetable dyes. We submitted two pairs of Gaelic Themes cream hose---a blend of less than 50 percent wool with acrylic, polyester, and nylon. Had they been wool, a dark brown would be possible. The result with the wool/synthetic fibers is a pleasing tan heather:

WalnutDyed by arcturus1997, on Flickr

The walnut dyed pairs are in the center, an original cream on the right, and a GT oatmeal (mostly wool) on the left.

**creagdhubh** · 16th December 13, 09:53 AM

Well done, Nathan! What a brilliant idea!

Cheers,

**creagdhubh** · 16th December 13, 09:57 AM

Originally Posted by Tobus

Those turned out very nicely, Nathan. You did a great job.

At some point in the future (when I have free time and the wherewithal to do it), I might consider buying some white hose just for the purpose of dyeing them to a custom colour. There are shades of brown and green that I just can't find in commercially-made hose, and it would be fun to try to spin up a custom blend. Your method of using vinegar and salt to set the dye and then steam them with an iron is pretty cool.

Very intriguing idea indeed, Tobus. I had never really thought of doing this, but I am definitely keen now. Hmmm...I can imagine some rather subtle Earth tones in green, mustard, and brown hues that I haven't seen on the market either.