siery Manufacture.= According to the particular method by which
socks and stockings are made, of whatever kind, quality, or material,
they are classed as cut goods, seamless, or full fashioned. Of the
three methods of manufacturing the first named is the least expensive.
Cut goods are made of round webbing knitted on what is called a
circular knitting machine. The web has the appearance of a long roll
of cloth about the width of a sock or stocking when pressed flat. The
first operation consists in cutting off pieces the length of the
stocking desired, these lengths, of course, being the same (unshaped)
from end to end. The shaping of the leg is effected either by cutting
out enough of the stocking from the calf to the heel to allow part to
be sewn up and shaped to fit the ankle, or by shrinking. In the
heeling room where the pieces next go, the cutters are furnished with
gauges or patterns that indicate just where to make a slit for the
insertion of the heel, generally of a different color. When the heel
is sewn in, the stocking begins to assume its rightful shape. The toe
is now put on and the stocking is practically finished. In the case of
socks the final operation consists in attaching the ribbed top, which
tends to draw the upper part of the leg together, thus causing it to
assume a better shape. The final work includes scouring, dyeing, and
shaping. The cost of making cut goods is less by a few cents per dozen
than when knit seamless. While some very creditable hose are produced
in this way, yet the existence of the heavy seam is an objection which
confines them to the poorest class of trade. Cut goods are made in
all sizes and kinds for men, women, and children.

Seamless hose are made on a specially constructed machine which
produces the entire stocking, but leaves the toe piece to be joined
together by a looping attachment. On half-hose the leg is made the
same size down to the ankle, but on ladies' hose the stocking is
shaped somewhat in the machine. Seamless hose are not, strictly
speaking, entirely seamless, inasmuch as all stockings made on a
circular knitting machine must have a seam somewhere. There must be a
beginning and an ending. In the case of the stocking the ending is at
the toe, and the opening left can only be closed with a seam. In some
mills this opening is automatically stitched together on special
machines; in others, girls do it by hand with needle and thread.
Neither by machine nor handwork