The origin of socks is still a mystery for mankind. A Greek poet in the 8th century BCE did mention linings for shoes which according to him were made out of animal hair. The Romans wrapped their feet in long strips of woven fabric or leather to protect their feet from the cold. A very uncomfortable image! Around the 2nd century CE there are mentions of udones in history. These udones were foot shaped and cut out of woven fabric, or skins, and then sewn together. They lacked elasticity and were slightly tight. The first traces of knitted socks were found for the first time in Egypt. But it was during the time of Henry VIII of England that we hear of knitted silk stockings from Spain. Queen Elizabeth I is recorded is history as wearing silk socks. During the reign of Elizabeth, hand knitting became a home industry. Cloth stockings became unpopular with time as people started preferring knitted sock all across Europe. Till the end of the sixteenth century, all stockings were hand-knitted. Then came the first knitting machine – the stocking frame which could knit twenty stitches per inch and it was fine enough for silk even. Further evaluation came to the stocking frame when it started producing rib stitch knit. This gave the finished sock more elasticity and fitted better.
The word sock is apparently only a four letter word but it has thirteen entries for the word “sock”, eight as nouns and five as verbs. There are over 30 definitions available for this four letter word.
Considering the importance of warm feet, socks are of utmost importance in winters.