A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of or are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. Machine-knit socks were first produced in the late 16th century. Until the 1800s, both hand-made and machine-knit socks were manufactured, with the latter technique becoming more common in the 19th century, and continuing until the modern day.
One of the roles of socks is absorbing perspiration. The foot is among the heaviest producers of sweat in the body: it can produce over of perspiration per day. Socks help to absorb this sweat and draw it to areas where air can evaporate the perspiration. They also protect , a more expensive, durable, and frequently reworn foot covering, from perspiration, extending their life.
In cold environments, socks made from cotton or wool help warm up cold feet, which in turn helps decrease the risk of getting frostbite. Thin socks are most commonly worn in the summer months to keep feet cool.
In men's fashion, light-colored socks are typically worn with sports shoes and dark-colored socks with dress shoes (often black or navy blue dress socks). Fanciful sock designs are becoming more common.
According to the Greek poet Hesiod, in the 8th century BC, the Ancient Greece wore socks called " piloi", which were made from matted animal hair. Hesiod, Works and Days, 542 The Ancient Rome also wrapped their feet with leather or woven fabrics. Around the 2nd century AD, the Romans started sewing the fabrics together making fitted socks called " udones". By the 5th century AD, socks called " " were worn by holy people in Europe to symbolize purity.
During the Middle Ages, the length of trousers was extended and the sock became a tight, brightly colored cloth covering the lower part of the leg. Since socks did not have an elastic band, garters were placed over the top of the stockings to prevent them from falling down. When breeches became shorter, socks began to get longer (and more expensive). By 1000 AD, socks became a symbol of wealth among the nobility. From the 16th century onwards, an ornamental design on the ankle or side of a sock has been called a "clock".
The invention of a knitting machine in 1589 meant that socks could be knitted six times faster than by hand. Nonetheless, knitting machines and hand knitters worked side by side until 1800.
The next revolution in sock production was the introduction of nylon in 1938. Until then socks were commonly made from silk, cotton and wool. Nylon was the start of blending two or more yarns in the production of socks, a process that still continues today.
Recent scientific evidence has suggested that wearing socks to sleep can be beneficial in that it helps the individual to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. Struggling to Sleep? Try This Easy Trick and Unlock Better Rest Tonight
Fort Payne, Alabama, is regarded as the "sock capital of the world" as nearly half of socks manufactured in the early 21st century were made here. The Fort Payne sock industry employed about 7000 workers at its peak around the year 2000. Fort Payne remains among the leading hosiery centers, contributing roughly a quarter of the global output, while Datang, China now holds the top position.
The township-level district of Datang in the city of Zhuji in Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China, has become known as Sock City. The town currently produces 8 billion pairs of socks each year, a third of the world's sock production, effectively creating two pairs of socks for every person on the planet in 2011.
encases each toe individually the same way a finger is encased in a glove, while other socks have one compartment for the big toe and one for the rest, like a mitten; most notably what Japanese call tabi while other parts of the world simply call it split-toe socks. Both of these allow one to wear flip-flops with the socks.
, which are not typically socks, may be replaced with socks in cold climates and are similar to leggings due to the fact that they typically only keep legs warm in cold weather but not the entire foot.
A business sock or dress sock is a term for a dark-colored sock (typically black or navy blue) for formal or casual footwear. It is often loosely referred to as a work sock or a formal sock for formal occasions, for example, weddings, funerals, graduation ceremonies, prom, church, or work.
Crew socks are short and thick or thin everyday socks. Those socks are usually ribbed at the top of the . They can be used in a way to warm legs if pulled all the way up. The first familiar practice of crew socks was in 1948. Crew socks are usually unisex.
A low cut sock is a kind of sock that describe in a way to be cut below the ankle. Low cut socks are formed to cover the contours of a person's feet. Although low cut socks are unisex, women and girls commonly use them. Low cut socks are normally worn with shoes such as , Oxfords, and .
The Ancient Egyptian style of sock is a blend between modern Western socks and Japanese tabi, both of which it predates. Like tabi, Egyptian socks have one compartment for the big toe and another for the rest, permitting their use with sandals. Like Western socks, they fit snugly to the foot and do not use fasteners like tabi.
Diabetic socks are a kind of thermal sock made from an acrylic, cotton, nylon, and elastic. These are made to improve comfort while at the same time keeping feet cool and dry. However, there is no solid evidence that they are helpful.
Young people on social media commonly refer to hospital socks as "grippy socks". Slang terms for in-patient psychiatric hospitalization may include "grippy sock vacation", "grippy sock palace", "grippy sock jail", and "grippy sock hotel". Mental health professionals have expressed concern that such black humor may trivialize or romanticize the experience of psychiatric hospitalization. Some feel that tongue-in-cheek terms like "grippy sock vacation" can help destigmatize mental illness. Tags for "grippy socks" are a popular mental health-related tag on TikTok, where the tags have several hundred million views.
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