The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1941-09-11
Homemakers' Column
Edited by Miss Mildred Barton, Home
Demonstration Agent for Garrett
County, Oakland.
BUYING HOSIERY

IuilCo VI Sicd1Cl pIopol JloIlS, GHSI I
seems to be no telling when snags,
runs, and holes are coming on.
However, a woman can eliminate
a lot of stocking disasters by intelli-
gent hosiery shopping and care of
the stockings after they are bought.
She can expect longer wear, greater
she checks them on important points
of hosiery selection before she buys.
First-of what fiber are the stock
ings made? That's more of a consid-
Grafton these days than ever, al
though stockings counters have re-
covered from the general disorder
that followed the restrictions i'm
posed on the use of silk for civilian
purposes. Available on the market
now are attractive, well-fitting stock
ings in cotton, silk, wool, rayon and
other synthetics, and mixtures of
fibers.
Suitable stockings for general wear
are of cotton, of silk and synthetics
in heavy and medium weights. For
sports, there are cotton, wool, and
service-weight silk. For evening,
there are lightweight silk, rayon, and
other synthetics, and cotton in novel
ty knits.
What weight? One of the biggest
h4co O,,t +on f1,1jnly1xy &c
that their weight is not suited to
their use. Usually, it's because the
stockings are too sheer for the heavy
wear they get.
: Weight of a stocking depends on
the size of the yarn used and the
fineness of the knitting. In silk hose
the size of the yarn is often given in
the designations "two-thread" or
three-thread" and so on. Three
thread yarns are stronger than two
threads because one more fiber
strand has been twisted or laid in
with other fiber strands to make the
yarn. Fineness of knitting is indi-
Gated by the gauge number. This re-
fers to the number of needles used in
knitting. The higher the gauge num-
Der, the finer the knitting.
Easiest way to check the weight
of stocking is to put your hand in
side and judge by the looks and the
feel. Cotton stockings and wool
stockings ordinarily may be judged
that way without going into gauge
numbers. Many stores now have cot
ton hose in four weights-heavy,
medium, light and chiffon.
TeXture-look the stocking over to
see if it is we'll and closely knit. See
that the courses" or loops of thread
that show up best on the wrong side
are close together-so the stockings
will be strong and have plenty of up
midtown stretch. Special finishes
may improve the texture of the hose.
One such finish is the high twist
given to silk to make crepe hose with
permanent dull finish and better
IlIClng QuallIleS.
High-grade cotton stockings are
made from long-staple cotton yarns.
which have been combed, mercerized.
and gassed Mercerizing gives the
hose a permanent luster, and the
gassing process removes the fuzz
from the surface of the yarn. In hose
classed as "lisle," the yarn has been
highly twisted, to improve it still
more.
asticity-necessary to stocking
comfort is a certain amount of
stretch in a stocking. And necessary
to fit is the ability of the stocking to
snap back into shape after it has
been stretched. Otherwise, the stock
ing soon develops baggy knees and
bunchy ankles. A quick way to check
on this characteristic is to stretch the
stocking at the ankles and at the top
to see how quickly it'll snap back
into shape.
Reinforcements - look for sturdy
reinforcements where the hardest
wear comes-at the heel, the high
splice that comes up above the shoe
line, the sole of the stocking, and the
toe. All hose need some reinforce
ments and the harder the wear they
get-the sturdier these should be.
Size-stocking the right size wear
better, feel better. Usually stock
ing foot length should be Y inch
longer than the foot. Stocking size is
the length of the stocking foot in
inches. Size 9 would be inches long
Wool hose usually should be about a
half size larger to allow for shrink
age
Buying stockings the right length
saves many run. Medium length
hose are about 81 inches long; short
about % inches; and long 33 inches
from heel to top. Women with I'M
usual stocking problems may find
their answer in hose of special sizes
for women with larger or smaller
than average legs.
Appearance check the general
overall Clocks" of the stockings
Examine it for rings, yarn imperfec.
tions, and snags. Ask about color.
fastness. If possible, get hose that
are fast to washing, light, and perspi.
nation