Mayank Sharma
@geekybodhiMayank is a Padawan
maker with an
irrational fear of drills.
He likes to replicate
electronic builds,
and gets a kick out
of hacking everyday
objects creatively.
from Nottingham, invented
the knitting loom in 1589. He
was, however, denied a patent by
Queen Elizabeth I, who wasn’t impressed
with the quality of the knit. That’s when
France’s King Henry IV came to the
reverend’s rescue and decided to fund
his venture, only after Lee moved
the manufacturing unit to France.By the time the Industrial Revolution took over
the manufacturing process, socks became easier
and cheaper to manufacture, which made them
accessible all over Europe. Through the ages, the
sock took on many different lengths and patterns,
influenced primarily by the prevalent fabric of choice.
Cotton became the favourite in the 17th century, and
continued for several hundred years. The next major
milestone in the evolution of the sock came with
the advent of nylon in the 20th century. Nylon gave
them much needed elasticity, and quickly became
a hit with the masses. The palette of fabrics and
designs have increased manifold since.
Although they are designed to be worn on the
lower limbs, these ingenious makers can’t wait to
get their hands on them.hey might seem like a modern-day
invention, but socks are one of
the oldest types of clothing that
are still in vogue. In fact, you can
use them as a barometer to track
the changing fashion and taste
through history. Like many man-made marvels that
have survived through the ages, the secret behind
the timeless existence of one of the simplest pieces
of clothing lies in how it
serves our need for both
fashion and function. Many
historians believe that
even the early cavemen
covered their feet in
the same fashion as
we do today, albeit with
a rudimentary version of the modern-day pair of
socks. For a long time and across civilisations, the
socks were some sort of leather fashioned from an
animal’s skin, tied around the ankles to hold them
in place. The earliest instance of a knitted pair was
discovered in a tomb in Egypt dating back to 1000
CE. In a major fashion faux pas, historians say that
it was very likely these knits were paired with the
popular footwear of the era: sandals.
For a long time, stockings were a privilege
of the rich and the affluent. Knitted and
woven socks became a status symbol of
the nobility throughout much of Europe,
and their manufacturing process was
a closely guarded secret. That was
until William Lee, an English reverendT
Don’t work your socks off. Instead, take them off
and put them to creative uses
FEATURE
Improviser’s Toolbox: Socks
“ The earliest instance of a knitted
pair was discovered in a tomb in Egypt
dating back to 1000 CE“SOCKS