All this sun and April’s showers have made our world bright and green (and brought some of those May flowers too!). Which makes May’s gemstone very appropriate. Emeralds are green beryl, ranging from yellow-green to blue-green, but always green! And though we use the word “emerald” on only a couple of green styles, we have quite a wide representation of greens!

Clockwise from top: Opaque Solid Nylon Trouser Socks, O Basics, Harajuku Scrunchy Socks, N40s, Socklings, Kimi Wool Blend OTKs.

May’s flower, the lily of the valley, is like the shy cousin of the flamboyant lilies that dominate bouquets and their little bell shapes could easily be confused for any other sleepy-looking wildflower. The fleur-de-lis, on the other hand, is very recognisable. So we’ll let this stylised lily take center stage.

• Paris Trouser Socks •
• Snappy Fleur-de-Lis Garters •
• Paris Fleur-de-Lis Pantyhose •

Like Aries last month, the May’s constellation of Taurus isn’t as dignified in sock form as it is in star form. But dang is it adorable! Both of these cow socks even have grippy bottoms to help keep you stable.

• Moo Toes •
• Tubular Cow Socks •

As May moves on, spring will soon be over and, on the flip side, winter is coming for folks in the Southern hemisphere. So embrace these transitional days of spring and autumn while you can!

On top: Ultra Sheer Retro Backseam Stockings. Beneath, from left to right: Lycra Cuban Heel Stockings, Cuban Heel Thigh Highs, Lycra Sheer Cubans with Lace Up Tops, Lycra Cuban Heeled Two Tone Stockings.

Flattering, fancy and just the thing to finish off a dressy outfit, nylons have a fascinating history.  Though our focus here at Sock Dreams is on socks, we do carry and love stockings.  And we’re also big nerds who love to share history and facts.  Today I’ll share a quick overview of the history of nylons, with some helpful facts for folks interested in rocking these classic and classy stockings. If you want more info, there are great, in-depth, histories of stockings all over the place. I’m super partial to the Smithsonian’s Stocking Series.

Nylon stockings were introduced at the 1939 world’s fair by Dupont, who have a great little timeline with some awesome pictures from 1939. They decided against registering “nylon” as a trademark, so that the word would become synonymous with stockings.  Early stockings had back seams and when folks had to give up their nylon stockings for the war effort, they reproduced that backseam with leg makeup (great article at GlamourDaze about it!), creating the illusion that nylons were still covering their legs.  I love this picture we have on our Pinterest from the Library of Congress image archives, showing a barrel of nylons on their way to becoming parachutes and cords.

Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA/OWI Collection. “Here’s where your parachute came from.“

It’s because of this temporary lack of nylon that we have the wide range of cotton stockings and tights we see today.  But that’s a story for another day!  We’re still talking about nylons.  Join us after the jump for comparisons of new nylon stockings to actual mid-century pairs and some helpful tips about these fantastic, feminine stockings.

The original backseamed stockings were fully fashioned, like the Ultra Sheer Retro Backseam Stockings.  A fully fashioned stocking is leg-shaped, allowing for a better fit across the curves of a leg when the fabric isn’t very stretchy. You can see the difference between the Ultra Sheer Retros and Lycra Cuban Heels, which augment their fiber blend with spandex. Neither of these stockings has been worn, but one is practically shaped like a leg already, going in a bit at the ankle to keep things sleek! And they’re much longer, since they don’t have it in them to stretch up.

But why? Well, the original nylon stockings didn’t have stretch. Like the Ultra Sheer Retro Backseam Stockings, they liked to wrinkle at the ankle and bag at the knees, relying on the springiness of knit and mesh to properly shape to your leg. Even the Two Tone Red Cuban Heel Stockings have a leg shape straight out of the package, and they are 15% spandex! Starting out shaped like a leg helps a stocking live a better-fitting life.

Our tip for keeping the bagginess away is to touch them up by dipping your hands in warm water and rubbing them up your legs, starting at the ankle, for a better fit. The water rejuvenates the fibers and helps sproing them back into shape. In the additional images for this style, you can see how the stockings look at the ankle and the knee when they get stretched out.

By the mid-sixties, more and more innovations to nylon were bringing stretchier, better fitting stockings that are the precursors to the nylon/spandex blends most stockings are today.  Just how do today’s nylon stockings match up to those of yesteryear? Here’s some pretty old package pictures and comparisons to feast your eyes on!

First, let’s look at some old styles. You can’t find these any more, but sharp eyes can often find old stockings in thrift shops. This pair is 100% nylon “run-resist” seamless. The cheap packaging and basic foot (the toe and heel are barely reinforced) means this pair was probably a cheaper, everyday style. How fun is that purple bag, though?

Now this pair is also 100% nylon, but they feel fabulous, like silky clouds. The hard box and excess of tissue paper lets you know these were nice stockings to save up for.

When looking at these fabulous old examples of nylon loveliness, I realised that the Ultra Sheer Retro Backseam Stockings were the perfect in-between for these mid-century stockings. Not as rough as one pair, not quite as fantastically fine as the other. And, like those old stockings, they rely on shape more than stretch, they’re as light as a feather and very delicate (I was super worried I’d snag any of these three styles while shooting them!).

Here’s a close up detail of the texture of these stockings. The cheap pair are on the left, the Ultra Sheer Retro Backseam Stockings in the middle, with the fancy-pants stockings on the right. Texture-wise, the Ultra Sheer Retro Backseam Stockings have a similar delicacy to the more expensive pair, with a fine texture that helps them blend against your legs.

Other sheer stockings we carry aren’t quite as fine. Stockings like these do require a careful hand in wearing them, because they’re so delicate. But, here’s a fun tip: if you want our finest, sheerest nylon styles, use this search term “These are very sheer and delicate.” Our caution is your code to finding the finest!

If you love old stocking styles, definitely check out our “Socks Through Time” board on our Pinterest! There are some fabulous styles on there that make me want to break out the time machine! And I’m not done talking nylons yet, we’ll have some tips and tricks for you later this month!

We’ve got a Mother’s Day Favourites section, but most of those styles are the ones our moms like, and if your moms are like ours, they keep their fancy stuff pretty basic. They like comfy crews, cozy bedsocks, maybe a ‘crazy’ splurge on some hand-printed trouser socks.

• Meg Unconstricted Top Crew •
• New Zealand Bed Socks •
• Polonova Flower Trouser Socks •

But, the best gifts are the ones that you know the giftee would never think to get themselves. Something fancy, maybe a little more than they like to spend on themselves. Our Indulgences section is a good place to go for just that sort of thing. I’m going to be honest, these are our pricier styles. But they earn their price, with fabulous fibers, fit and construction. This is where the luxurious stuff lives.

That doesn’t mean you have to go wild picking something out for your moms. There are some great options under $25 that feel fantastic and look gorgeous. Plus, they’re practically basics, so you won’t get chided for going overboard.

• Multi-Lines Knee Highs •
• Orkney Angora Wrist Warmers •
• Philippe Matignon Silk Anklets •

Of course, if you can and do want to spoil your mom, we can help you there! Check out three sweet indulgences after the jump!

Probably one of the most luxe knee highs we carry are the B.Ella Ginger Ribbed Knee Highs. They’re 81% cashmere. That’s a lot of cashmere! Soft, cushy and feeling like they’re made of clouds, these knee highs are a favourite of folks who want to really treat someone they love.

The next step up are the St. Petersburg Gloves. Don’t worry, that’s not real fur they’re trimmed with, but the gloves are 100% wool, crazy cozy and amazingly classic in line. Plus, they have a fabulous little pocket hidden in their cuff. Moms need to feel fancy too, and dang if these gloves won’t help them feel like an old-time movie star who is also a spy, using films as their cover.

For the ultimate indulgence I present the Orkney Angora Over The Knees. 50% angora, 50% lambswool, made by a family-run business in the Orkney Isles, these socks are like hugs. Which you should give your mom, by the way (and not just cuddly, fuzzy, high-end sock hugs). What is great about the Orkney Angora Over The Knees is that they are comfy and wonderful, but they’re also tall socks. So your mom can feel kind of foxy too.

Of course, you might not be able to indulge your awesome mom with luxurious gifts. But if you’ve got a marvellous mother, let them know, however you can.

Wool and acrylic are especially prone to pilling (though cotton, polyester and nylon like to do it too). Linen and silk are the safest from the perils of pilling. Wool has an advantage, as it is more likely to shed pill build-up. Synthetic fibers are tougher and more stubborn, keeping those pilled bits secure to the fabric. Washing pill-prone items inside out on a short, gentle cycle (or hand washing) helps prevent this kind of wear, but often it is inevitable.

However or whyever there are pills, they’re a problem that you can solve. One of the most common ways is with an electric sweater shaver. Electric sweater shavers are fun and kind of loud (which is also fun). They require batteries and are sort of like a teddy bear’s version of a beard trimmer. A lot of them are even made by the same companies who make electric face razors!

And one of those can bring some freshness back to a tired looking pair of socks or armwarmers, like this pair of Harajuku Arm Warmers. That area between the thumb and fingers gets a lot of wear and shows it.

But all it takes is turning on the sweater shaver and lightly running it over the arm warmer, either while wearing it or laying it flat. The key word here is lightly, just gently brush the shaver across the top. If you’re too rough you could put a hole in whatever you’re sprucing up, particularly if it is a delicate item.

And the pills are gone, turned into easily-disposed of fluff! The softer look of a much loved-and worn item doesn’t disappear, but the pills do. It even does a solid job removing all the pills on the heels of my poor old Extraordinary Thigh Highs, which have had a lot of hard wear.

Electric sweater shavers are definitely rad, but there have to be some non battery powered options out there, right? Tumblr Fairy Zaf prefers the Sweater Stone and I’ll walk you through that technique next. Why don’t you let us know your tips and tricks for removing pills? In looking up information on pilling I saw that some folks use the hook side of Velcro—have you tried it, does that work? I’ve definitely gone the sticky tape route myself.

There isn’t a whole lot of difference and sometimes we do use the phrase “knee sock” when we’re talking about knee highs. But, more often than not, when we call something a “knee sock” we’re talking about a sock that ends somewhere around the knee—sometimes below, sometimes above, sometimes right there in the middle of your knee cap—depending on your leg shape. The Bess Cashmere Slouch Rib Knee Socks are a perfect example of this, you can see how they end at different spots on different models’ legs:

Since we try on all the styles we sell and almost all of the models you see in our pictures are Sock Dreams employees, we get to see how socks act on different leg types. Long legs and fuller calves mean some shorter over the knee styles don’t fairly deserve the name “OTK”. But those same socks can’t properly be called knee highs either because just as many other folks had them go over their knees. So, we started using the phrase “knee sock” to highlight that ambiguity.

It was Sourpuss’ styles that made us first start using the phrase more actively, they’re shorter for over the knee styles and even though Sourpuss called them OTKs, we couldn’t after testing them, even though we love them.

• Octopus Knee Sock •
• Galley Ho Knee Sock •

The DreaM Stockings “knees” styles are another great example of a knee sock. Available in seven variations (with lots of varieties for each!), they can be worn as over the knee socks or knee highs, depending on your legs (or on your personal taste, I prefer them as knee highs, even though I’ve got short legs).

Clockwise, from top: Purple Knees, Pink Knees, Green Knees, White Knees, Orange Knees, Blue Knees. Center: Brown Knees,

A way to find these in-betweeners is also to choose both “knee high” and “OTK” in Advanced Search then click the word “ALL” next to the header for Coverage. This shows you styles we’ve found fall both above or below the knee, depending on your leg. If you’ve got longer legs or fuller calves, you may already know the trick of wearing OTKs as knee highs, cuffing or double-cuffing to take care of any extra length.

A knee sock isn’t a style that couldn’t cut it as an OTK, nor is it just an over-achieving knee high. They straddle both coverage worlds, offering their stylish services to more leg types.

Diamonds are, according to popular song, a girl’s best friend, but they’re also clear so they’re not easily represented via sock. If only there was a pattern or something that was diamond-y . . .

• Diamond Jester Knee Highs •
• Dreamer Harlequin Diamond OTKs •
• Harlequin Diamond & Stripe Tights •

Right! “Diamond” is a pattern/texture you can check off in our Advanced Search. It’s a gorgeous, simple pattern that goes with everything, kind of like the gemstone, even.

Top row, from left: Diamants Lace Topped Knee High, Sheer Pattern Knee High, Vienna Trouser Socks.
Bottom row, from left: Sheer Pattern Crew, Five Toed Sheer Knee High, B.Ella Gigia Microfiber Crew.

Sweet peas are pretty little pastel flowers. They have a distinct shape and don’t seem to be a popular choice to decorate socks with. Daisies too! Other than the flowers the Sock It To Me Elephants are holding, there isn’t single daisy on the socks we currently carry. I suppose I’ll just have to make my own. Let’s see, we need some solid white styles for the outside and some solid yellow for the middle:

Clockwise from top: Bobby Socklings, Ribbed M Stockings, Socklings, Opaque Thigh High with Bows, Taller Tabis, Harajuku Arm Warmers.
Center: Arm Warmer w/Thumb.

Did you know the daisy is a compound flower? Each petal and each cluster of yellow in the middle is an individual flower. Nature! So crazy and awesome.

The constellation that makes up most of April is Aries, the ram. I know the ram is kind of like, this noble symbol, but even the most dignified ram is still as fluffy as the sheep on the Sleepy Sheep bedsocks (though I’m sure the facial expression would be more stern). Sheep provide a lot of wonderful wool, with merino being a popular choice when luxurious softness is sought. We have a nice selection of merino styles to pamper your toes, but here are a couple that I consider the fluffiest, thanks to the amazing combo of soft wool and boucle yarn:

• B.Ella Katy Striped Wool Socks •
• Alpino Merino Mousse Crew •
• Franco Wool Boucle Stripe Midcalf •

April! Fluffy flowers, sparkling sheep! Spring all of its wackiness in full force.

One style Gumball Poodle calls “dress socks.” You can spot ‘em by their contrast heel and toe. Smooth textured and thin enough for snugger shoes, they’re perfect at hiding under office slacks, looking like a plain dress sock at the ankle while secretly being like, a ninja.

The other style is called an “athletic sock.” True to its name, this style is rugged and ready for anything. A terry lined foot cushions and absorbs—in the copy for the athletic styles we even say “Keep in mind that they are SO cushy they bring your shoe size up by half a size, so they’re best for roomier sneaks and boots.” Their lightly ribbed body is a pro at staying up, they’re no sissies.

Beyond just style, the differences between the dress and athletic socks affect the fit. The dress socks don’t stay up as well on some legs as the athletic socks and there is no way the athletic socks are fitting into snug dress shoes. But with over forty words and phrases to choose from we know you’ll find a fit that strikes your fancy and says exactly what you mean.

Sock-wise, all you need is a Crafty Bundle or a (clean!) old sock that lost its mate or got holey in the toes. We like styles that are little longer, especially if you want to make this a sewing-free project. If your sock is open on both ends, make a knot in one end, so you have a closed tube. If you want, you could also sew that end shut.

 For filler, there are a lot of great options: uncooked rice, feed corn, buckwheat hulls, barley, oatmeal, beans! Rice and barley are the most common options. Keep in mind that their grainy smell increases when you heat up the pack, so if you prefer a less hot-cereal scent you might like to add dried herbs and flowers like lavender and rose petals or mint and rosemary. If you decide to add a scent, mix it in with the filler and let them hang out together in a closed container for a while, so the smell gets nicely infused and distributed.

Now, all you’ve got to do is fill the sock with the filler! You want to aim for half to three-quarters full, this leaves enough room for the filler to scootch around and drape comfortably. Sticking the sock in a large glass and cuffing it over the top makes the filling process easier. A funnel is useful too, but so is a heavy piece of paper folded in half to make a sort of slide. Whee!

The second and last (!) thing to do is close it up! Again, a knot works just fine, but you can sew it if you want. Cut off any excess sock.

To heat your pack up, microwave for a minute or two and keep an eye on it for safety’s sake. You might also want to stick a small glass of water in the microwave with the pack while you heat it, the moisture helps heat sink into your muscles and helps ensure nothing catches on fire.

All ready to relax! But, what do you do if you don’t have the leisure to sit still and let the pack do its work? Here’s where a long sock comes in handy. Slip your pack into a long sock and let it fall to about the middle. Then use that long fabric to tie the pack in place! This works particularly well for lower back stuff (tie it like a belt) and shoulders (tie like a sash).

Now you can relax on the go, all thanks to this quickie craft (and socks!).

Even though we love science, none of us are professional scientists (yet!), but luckily the compression brands we carry have plenty of them. Therafirm, Sockwell and CEP are all amazingly designed graduated compression brands, each of them designed for different lifestyle needs. Therafirm’s Preggers styles are graduated compression tights designed to energise and support the tired legs and feet associated with pregnancy. CEP is designed for sports, maximising performance and recovery after competition or working out. Sockwell has socks that maximise fun and health, with gorgeous designs and smartly built socks. Even Dahlgren and Injinji have compression styles with the same smart sports and lifestyle designing that defines their brands.

• CEP •
• Sockwell •
• Therafirm •

There’s a trick to putting compression socks on correctly, though. As you might have noticed, compression socks are tight and can be hard to put on. There’s a reason for that. Just yanking them on won’t distribute that smartly designed sock correctly and will prevent the sock from giving you the benefit of proper graduated compression. Plus, for styles with higher compression, it can be unhealthy, since they are designed to be worn with the fabric evenly distributed up the leg. CEP has a fun little video on YouTube showing the basics of putting on compression socks and Therafirm’s Preggers has some great tips on their website for donning compression styles.

This simple little trick just takes a minute or so extra but is worth every second. For folks who prefer a photo reference, we got you covered after the jump!

First, put your hand inside the sock and grab the heel from the inside. While still holding the heel, turn the body of the sock inside out, to where you’re gripping. The heel area makes kind of a little “ear.”

Now open up the sock and put the foot on, up to the heel.

With the foot in place you can ease the sock up your leg a bit at a time; either by pinching and pulling small sections up, starting at the ankle, or by gathering the body of the sock and gently working it up the leg. The pinch and pull approach lets you deal with just one layer, instead of an entire handful of bunched up sock, allowing you to more properly and easily distribute the fabric of the leg. If you gather the sock, as shown here, you’ll need to go back and make sure that everything is distributed properly.

Now that you’re all en-socked, take a second to check: Is the body of the sock twisted and are the toes straight? CEP’s arcing stripes and the little plus sign on the back of Sockwell compression styles are a guide to proper alignment. A twisted up sock is uncomfortable, imagine how much more uncomfortable a twisted up compression sock would be! Taking a second to check everything now saves you annoyance and discomfort later. Running your hands over the body of the sock, make sure it is evenly distributed. The Sockwell styles  in particular like to bunch at the ankle, so pinch and pull that extra fabric up, distributing it along your leg.

The last thing to do is enjoy the hugging comfort of a perfectly placed compression sock!

So, whether you stand a lot, sit a lot or work out hard, graduated compression socks can help refresh, recover and relax tired legs and feet. Just remember to take that extra minute to put them on so that their benefits can truly benefit you.

The aptly named “water of the sea” Aquamarine is turquoise beryl (its deeper green cousins are emeralds!). Now, we’ve got a lot of things that are turquoise, it’s a very popular colour (although, I will confess, it’s a real bear to colour correct!)

Clockwise from top: Opaque Solid Nylon Trouser Socks, Nuova Baby Ribbed Wool Socks, Harajuku Arm Warmer, Classic ToeToe Socks, Harajuku Scrunchy Socks, Layered Tulle Petticoat.

But March gets two birthstones! The second is Bloodstone, also known as Heliotrope, even though it is totally a different colour than the Heliotrope flower. Deep, dark green with flecks of red, it’s sort of the perfect counterpoint to the clear blues of Aquamarine. Green and red don’t appear together on socks very often, but I think we can capture the ideals of Bloodstone pretty easily.

• Dreamy Striped Tubes •
• New Zealand Bedsocks with Stripes •
• N Stripes •

I always forget that March’s flower, the Daffodil, is properly called the Narcissus. Frilly and yellow and already flowering in my yard, they’re harbingers of spring, reminding us that sun is around the corner. I was a little worried about picking styles to represent these flowers. Yellow, despite the recent popularity of mustard as a colour, isn’t a common shade of sock, but lo and behold I found a couple of shots where we used the Narcissus to bring out the best of lemony shades!

• White Knees •
• Sock It To Me Bumble Bees •
• Vertically Inclined Knee Highs •

Properly following February’s Aquarius sign, March’s constellation is mostly Pisces, symbolised by two fish. And we’ve got two-by-two options for you, both straight up fish:

• Sock It To Me Koi Fish •
• Mouthy Fish 3-D Socks •

And more symbolic scales (maybe your feet are the fish!):

• Lola Knee High •
• Mermaid Armor Over the Knee •

March marches on, bringing us the start of spring and sneak peeks of sunshine. Are you a March birthday? Do you pick Aquamarine or Bloodstone?