Plaiting

Describes the process by which two yarns of different characteristics or appearance are knitted together in a particular portion of a stocking in such a way that one yarn will be visible on the face of the fabric and the other yarn on the reverse. Silk stockings are usually plaited with cotton or lisle yarn, on the heel and toe.

Under Welt

The continuation of the true welt of the stocking still in a heavier yarn than that used for the leg but of single and not double fabric. It is often separated from the true welt by picot course and another picot course is occasionally knitted in between the underwelt and the leg. Occasionally fancy designs and patterns and even trademarks are knitted into the after welt. These are purely for decorative effect and make no difference to the quality of the stocking.

Crêpe

The term “crêpe” is, strictly speaking, one that should only be applied to yarn. A crêpe yarn is one that is highly twisted in a particular manner. Threads of this type produce a very dull fabric with great elasticity and because of the high twist given to the yarn, stockings made from it have considerable “anti-snag” qualities which tend to make them last longer. The very dull finish is usually very popular.

Bemberg

Is the name of a type of rayon, not of a style or make of stockings or other garments. It is a good material for the manufacture of stockings and is manufactured from cotton linters. The linters are thoroughly cleaned by boiling in caustic soda and then bleached with chlorine. Copper Sulphate, soda and ammonia are added to the pulpy mass and after stirring the liquid is squirted through minute nozzles into a liquid which sets it into a thread.

Rayon

This is a term used to describe a number of yarns that are produced from vegetable matter of some kind or another. The basis of all rayons is cellulose and this can be obtained most easily from the fibres next to the seed in cotton plants and from timber. The cellulose is converted into yarn by treatment with various caustics and acids and, according to the exact method used, it produces three types of rayon, viscose, acetate and cuprammonium.

Wales

A wale in knitted stocking fabric is the line of stitches running down the fabric at right angles to the way it is knitted and, incidentally, to the “courses”. The number of wales in a given width of fabric is the equivalent to the number of needles in the same width of needle bar.

Courses

A course is a row of stitches in the stocking running across the fabric. There may be as many as a thousand courses in the leg panel in a fully-fashioned stocking.