From the pattern page: “Hand knitted stockings were popular in the 1940’s before nylon stockings could be bought, and these take us back to that era. We have used the traditional Shetland lace eyelet pattern, as used for the cardigan in my previous book, “Country Weekend Knits,” but have changed the yarn to a merino wool, worsted spun with a tight twist, making the knitting very elastic and with good stitch definition. Conveniently, this particular yarn can also be machine-washed and dried, which would be the envy of a knitter from the past. The lacy pattern will show up to best advantage when carefully blocked after washing.“