Basics - Traditional or classic styles which vary seasonally only in color. Basics form the bulk of the sock and sheer hosiery business. For men, the basics are crew-length casual and both crew-length and over-the-calf dress styles. For women, the basics are knee-highs, anklets and pantyhose in neutral colors. Children's basics are flat knit anklets, crews, and bobbies.

Bed - Lightweight, loose fitting sock designed to be worn overnight in bed to keep the feet warm.

Blanks - Unfinished socks as they come off the knitting machine or individual legs of pantyhose before they are sewn together.

Bleaching - An oxidizing process that removes color from a fabric or sock, leaving it white.

Blended - Textile materials made of a combination of two or more fibers, yarns or filaments.

Blends - The combination of two or more types of fiber in one yarn to achieve improved performance or styling effects.

Boarding - Socks: In this operation the sock is stretched either dry or moist over flat metal or wooden forms conforming to the desired sock shape and size. It is then pressed between two heated surfaces. This gives the sock form a smooth appearance. It is a process similar to ironing.

Bobby Sox - A heavy cuffed anklet that was predominantly a girl's fashion of the '40's and which enjoys period revival.

Boot Liner - A thin gauge jersey or flat knit men's or women's sock designed to provide a comfort layer between the leg and the sock.

Boot Topper - Knee-length men's or women's socks designed to be worn folded over the boot top.

Booties - Soft, fluffy knitted foot coverings for infants. Designed for children of pre-walking age.

Brand - The name used to identify a product, such as hosiery or fiber, which comes from a particular manufacturer.

1. Branded hosiery is that which is marketed and usually advertised nationally, under one name which guarantees the same quality regardless of where it is purchased.
2. Name used to identify fiber from which stockings or pantyhose are knit. For example, Glospan/Cleerspan.

Bulk Yarn - Yarns which have been treated physically or chemically so as to have a notably greater "apparent volume". Bulk is usually obtained when using textured multifilament yarn.

Cashmere - Luxuriously soft, expensive yarn made from the undercoat of the Kashmir goat.

Casuals - A broad hosiery term used to describe all women's sock and any men's socks with the exception of dress, athletic, and work styles.

Circular Knit - The major knitting method in hosiery construction. Yarn is knitted into hose using a cylindrical tube. Toes are later sewn and a waistband added.

Colorfast - Fabric with dye retention such that no significant change in shade takes place during the normal life of the sock.

Combed Cotton - Cotton which has been processed through a "comber" which removes short fibers and trash components to achieve higher uniformity and tenacity.

Continuous Filament - A fiber produced in a single, uncut strand rather than cut into short fibers such as cotton or wool. Also used to describe yarns which are not spun.

Core-Spun Yarn - A yarn made by spinning fibers around a filament of a previously spun yarn, thus concealing the core. Core yarns are used in sewing thread, blankets, and socks and to obtain novelty effects in fabrics.

Cotton Fiber - A soft and heat-resistant vegetable fiber used in garments since 3,000 B.C. It absorbs and retains moisture, is readily washable, and is available in a wide variety of types and qualities. Long staple combed cotton is generally considered to provide the finest quality cotton yarn for socks.

Course - A series of adjacent loops forming a horizontal line across the knitted fabric. Small horizontal stitches mean more yarn has been used, resulting in finer fabric, greater elasticity, and longer wear.

Covered Yarn - A core usually composed of one spandex or rubber fiber, wrapped with a filament or spun yarn.

Creslan - An American Cyanamid registered trademark for an acrylic fiber. Used in manufacturing of sport and casual socks. Noted for fast dye absorption due to round cross section.

Crew Socks - A designator of length, synonymous with "mid-calf" in men's socks. One of the most popular men's styles, available in wide ranges of colors and patterns.

Cuffed - Socks folded over at the top, usually just above the ankle.

Cushioned - Any construction with a terry pile surface on one side and a ribbed or plain knit surface on the other. In most cushioned athletic socks, the terry forms the inside of the foot portion of the sock. Some of more complex constructions feature added layers of cushioning under certain areas of the foot, depending upon the sports activity for which the socks are intended. Cushion constructions are used in men's and women's athletic and casual socks of all types. While terry cushioning normally fulfills a functional purpose of reducing shock of running or jumping, the same terry-knitting procedure is followed in producing novelty socks with a terry or velour outer surface.

Cushioning - The padding ability of a terry-surfaced sock, paired against a ribbed or plain surface.

Cycling - Sport or athletic sock designed specifically for cycling enthusiasts. Generally has a heavy knitted pad in the arch of the foot where the pedal makes contact with the foot.

Deodorant - A chemical additive introduced to hosiery during the finishing process to control sock odor. Originally used in athletic hosiery. Deodorants control odor by inhibiting the growth of odor causing organisms.

Detailing - Any material applied to the sock body after manufacture, such as lace, stitched monograms or insignia, fringes, sewn-on cuffs, etc.

Diabetic/Arthritic Sock - Heavy elastic used to help make a support sock.

Dress Socks - Light to medium weight men's and boy's styles. Lengths may vary from mid- to over-the-calf.

Elasticity - The ability of a strained material to recover its original size and shape immediately after removal of the stress that caused deformation.

Elasticized - Fabrics which have elastic threads running through them, or which have been treated to give them elastic qualities.

Electronic Patterning - Use of an electronic device to control certain needles in knitting to create a pattern.

Executive Length - Men's over-the-calf dress styles.

Fiber - Natural or man-made units of matter which can be spun into a yarn or made into a fabric by various methods including weaving, knitting, braiding, felting and twisting. The essential properties for fibers to be spun into yarn include a length of at least 5 millimeters, flexibility, cohesiveness, and sufficient strength. Other important properties include elasticity, fineness, uniformity, durability, and luster.

Filament - The finished fiber used in sheer hosiery is called filament yarn. It is characterized by continuous length and is extruded either as monofilament yarns, which is composed of one single strand, or multifilament yarn which is made up of several filaments bundled together.

Filament Count - The number of individual filaments that make up a thread or yarn.

Filament Socks - Sheer, dark-toned men's dress or formal hosiery made usually of filament yarns.

Filament Yarn - A yarn composed of long strands of synthetic fibers which continue the entire length of the yarn. The basic yarns used in ladies hosiery are all filament yarns. To describe the size of filament yarns, the term denier (weight-per-unit-length) is used.

Finishing - Includes all sock and sheer hosiery manufacturing steps excluding knitting and sewing. For socks, it includes bleaching, scouring and dyeing, boarding, pairing, ornamentation, folding and packaging. For sheers, it includes dyeing, boarding, pairing, and packaging.

Fishmouth Toe - A method for closing a non-reciprocated toe in which the seam runs parallel to the bottom of the foot rather than across the top of the toe.

Fit - It is the combination of yarn and construction that determines the adaptability of hosiery and bodywear to the human form. Stretch and recovery of yarns and knit construction contribute to a garment's fit.

Flammability - The test to determine if fabric will ignite under controlled conditions.

Flat Knit - The second most widely used construction. Sock fabric knitted on a single cylinder machine and producing a fine, smooth surface with a jersey-like appearance. Used for casual socks of all types, some varieties of work socks, for children's hosiery, and in socks where the distinction is achieved by the yarn or by treatments such as embroidery, appliqués, or small neat patterns.

Flat Yarn - This term is often used by knitters and coverers to indicate raw yarn they use. Flat yarns have no stretch unless they are textured. They are also used as the alternate course in many sheer spandex styles.

Footsocks - Hosiery with a top which does not extend above the ankle bone. Also known as "footies".

Footed Sock - A sock knitted to conform to foot shape - as contrasted with a tube sock.

Footies - Short, below the ankle bone hosiery of varying weight and fiber content. Often called slipper socks and have varying uses such as athletic wear, casual wear, and come in different sizes for all age groups.

General Athletic - Many sport athletic socks today are designed for specific uses. A general or basic athletic sock is multi-purposed without a specific athletic sport in mind.

Golf - A sock designed specifically for use by golfers, particularly during hot weather. Generally has cushioning and is generally short and below the ankle bone.

Graduated Support - This type of support hosiery is more comfortable because there are no sudden changes in the tightness of the spandex going up and down the leg.

Graduation - The tapering of the leg from the top to the bottom by tightening the stitches to give a proper fit at the ankle, knee, thigh, and the top of the panty.

Greige - (pronounced "gray") Greige goods are any fabric as it comes off the knitting machine before bleaching, scouring, or dyeing.

High Twist - A yarn spinning process in which more twist is used than is needed for normal processing to provide desired aesthetic properties such as harshness, brightness, or to reduce hairiness on the yarn surface.

Hiking - Sock designed specifically for hiking enthusiasts. Generally heavy weight, with cushion or padding in the foot or heel. Designed with wicking action to carry moisture away from the foot to allow perspiration to evaporate. Usually of longer length to be used with hiking boots.

Hunting - Sock designed specifically for hunting. Designed to provide both warmth to the foot during the cold weather, and wicking action to carry perspiration or water away from the foot. Generally heavier weight and longer length to wear with boots.

Knee Warmers - Thigh high knitted garment generally of heavier fabric that usually has no knitted foot and extends from above the ankle or calf over the knee to approximately mid thigh.

Knit Loop - This is the normal basic loop in knitting.

Knitting - The art of constructing fabric on needles, by the interlooping of one or more yarns in several series of connected loops hanging on and supporting one another.

Lambs wool - The first clip taken from a sheep up to seven months old, which explains its soft hand.

Latch Needles - One type of needle used in hosiery machines. The needle performs the basic act of knitting, pulling one loop of yarn through another.

Layered - Wearing more than one pair of socks at a time for fashion effect or comfort.

Leg Warmer - Originally popular with dancers, leg warmers have become a fashion item. Knitted from wool or acrylics, leg warmers are long socks, often without feet, that can reach above the knee or higher up the thigh. Bold geometric patterns and colorful stripes are often used.

Lisle - Hosiery made of lisle yarn, which is a fine, hard-twisted, long-staple cotton yarn with two or more ply.

Loft - A bulky, fluffy quality in yarns usually produced by Turbo processing.

Longfold - Step in hosiery production where merchandise is stored and prepared for final packaging.

Lycra 3D - DuPont brand for hosiery garments that contain lycra in every course. This yields exceptional fit and a smooth appearance.

Lycra Spandex - A registered trademark of the DuPont Company for their spandex fiber, which is commonly used in sheer hosiery, socks and half-hose for its stretch and recovery properties, providing better fit and shape retention, comfort, and/or support.

Man-Made Fiber - A class name for various genera of fibers (including continuous filaments) produced from fiber-forming substances which may be: 1) polymers synthesized from chemical compounds, e.g. acrylics, nylon, polyester, polyethylene, polyurethane, and polyvinyl fibers; 2) modified or transformed natural polymers, e.g., alginic and cellulose-based fibers such as acetates and rayons; 3) mineral, e.g., glass.

Marls - Multicolored yarns in which each component strand is different color.

Mercerized - A cotton yarn which has been treated with a solution of caustic under conditions of caustic concentration and temperature which effect a permanent or irreversible swelling of the cellulose.

Merino - A fine grade of wool from sheep originating in Spain.

Metallic Yarn - A manufactured yarn usually made of metallic coated polyester plastic and used as an accent in novelty socks.

Microfiber - Microfiber is a generic term used to indicate yarns made of filament weighing less than one denier per filament (DPF), most commonly used in creation of nylon and polyester products.

Mid-Calf/Crew - Hosiery with a top extending beyond ankle length but not beyond the largest part of the calf.

Mock Rib - A surface texture variation used in flat knit socks to simulate the look of a rib.

Monofilament Yarn - Yarn made of one single filament of fiber.

Multifilament Yarn - Yarn made of several filaments twisted or bundled together.

Neats - Solid color socks with tiny evenly spaced patterns such as dots or fleur-de-lis.

Needle Count - The total number of needles used in knitting a sock or sheer hosiery product. The higher the needle count the closer the stitches and the finer the fabric.

Non-Reciprocated - Socks or sheer hosiery knitted with no heel or toe pocket, e.g. tube socks.

Nylon - Man-made fiber introduced in 1938. It is the first and the oldest of the true synthetics. Chemically, nylon is a man-made polyamide fiber derived from coal, air, and water. This fiber is famous for its strength, abrasion resistance, dimensional stability, soft hand, elasticity, and easy-washing and quick-drying characteristics. There are two basic types of nylon used in hosiery. They are Type 6 and Type 6,6. Type 6 nylon is softer and has less memory when textured than Type 6,6. Most of the yarns used in ladies hosiery are made of Type 6,6 nylon to impart the maximum memory to the fabric. In socks, it is used primarily in men's dress socks, novelties, and as a reinforcement with other fibers. Another use for nylon in socks is the stretch filament nylon plaited with other fibers to obtain multi-sizes.

Over-The-Calf - Men's and boy's socks that extend above the fattest part of the calf.

Patterned - Socks or sheers having a design knitted into the garment or impressed on the side, front or over-all surface.

Peds - A registered trademark of Americal Corporation for a broad range of hosiery products including socks, pantyhose, tights, knee-highs, slippers, foot covers and shoe liners of varying weight and with multiple uses.

Polyester - Polyester is a man-made fiber which has abrasion-resistance, excellent washability, and is fast drying. It is readily heat-settable and dyeable. Polyester is used in men's and boy's dress socks, in decorative applications such as cross-dyeing and jacquards, and as a reinforcement.

Polypropylene - A petrochemical-based man-made fiber usually used in socks in combination with other fibers.

Pom - A women's or girl's footsock, or footie, with a pom-pom sewn on at the back.

Pouch Heel - A simulated or "false heel" in what is fundamentally a shaped tube sock. The heel effect is created in boarding. Unlike the tube, a pouch heel sock usually has a fishmouth toe.

Pre-Boarding - After a stocking or pantyhose is knit, each stitch and loop is permanently set in place by an operation called "pre-boarding" or heat setting in a steam chamber. The stocking is placed on a metal leg form called a "board" and then given the steam treatment. Pre-boarding takes place prior to dyeing.

Private Label - Merchandising hosiery products under the name of a retail operation, as opposed to manufacturer's brand names. Private label programs, sometimes called private brands, can include all varieties of men's or women's pantyhose, stockings, or socks.