Glossary

Needle Lines

Lines produced down a stocking giving a watered effect. These are caused by the needles on which the stocking has been knitted being out of alignment. No stocking showing this can be regarded as first quality.

Fashioning Marks

Marks at the side of the seam of the fully-fashioned stocking, caused by the knitting together of stitches to reduce the width of the fabric. A true fashioning mark, when closely examined, is in the form of an inverted “V”. Imitation fashioning marks made on seamless stockings are “V” shaped.

Fashioning marks in fully fashioned stockings

Left: Thigh narrowings or fashionings. Right: Fashioning marks. It can be seen that the wales of the fabric alter their direction on meeting the fashioning marks, this is only true of fully-fashioned stockings, and no such variation is visible on mock fashioning