How Socks Are Made

There are a number of ways that socks can be made. They can be manufactured by machine either industrial or on home knitting machines. They can be made by sewing pieces of fabric together. All manufactured socks are created with the use of circular knitting machines. The needles are mounted on a cylinder or a double cylinder for creating ribbed socks. The cylinder turns and the needles interlock loops of yarn. They start at the top of the sock and work to the toe but the toe is not closed yet. The toe is sewn on a different machine and the socks are then checked for defects. The socks then go to the dye house if they are to be colored. The sock is shaped by boarding - the board is stiff cardboard in the shape of a foot. After they are boarded the socks are paired. They then move to packaging. At packaging they are checked again for defects. They are then boxed and made ready for shipping. The socks are then shipped to the warehouse and/or retailers. Socks can also be handmade by either knitting, crocheting, or fabric. When socks are knitted there is the option of using two needles or circular needles which are two needles attached to each other with a length of plastic tubing. There are many patterns for knitted socks and some people like to use specially created sock yarn. There are many different sizes of crochet hooks available. There is also a variety of types of hooks available. The size and type of hook you use will depend on the pattern you choose. There are also circular crochet hooks and double ended crochet hooks.