SOME USEFUL HINTS.

Waikato Times, Volume 116, Issue 19459, 26 December 1934, Page 5

SOME USEFUL HINTS.

GIVE STOCKINGS A CHANCE. ARE YOU GETTING SERVICE? The average life of a pair of chiffon 'silk h-ose, provided the wearer does inot walk an 'extraordinary amount or ' is molt unusually hard on them in other ways, ranges from 10 -to 15 wearing®. This t-does not take Into consideration runs and holes caused by catching on rough places. Are you getting this service? Are you really giving your stockings a chance? The foot -of an average silk stocking ' to-....,, is sumciently well made to withstand ordinary wear. If it develops unreasonable holes, the fault often ts- not in the hose’. What happens when you buy your stockings toe short? The toe wears out. Because the stocking is to-o small it has to stretch tight to cover the foot. Tire friction of the shoe against the taut material frays it rapidly. Rough toenails and too-shorl shoes also cause these holes. One of the exasperating sensations is a stocking in which (lie heel constantly slips under the foo’t and crumples. Even a well-fitting stocking may slip down at the heel if it -is not properly held up. Usually, though, this slipping is due to a too-short stocking. In putting .them on, you can pull the hose -tight -to get the heel into the

proper place, but in walking there is not sufficient fabric to cover the foot easily. So the heel works down, and often there comes a break .at one side of the ankle. The -tension is too great over the •instep. Sometimes stockings which are too large will slide under the heel, or this slipping may be because narrowings' in the beel are incorrectly spaced, or because the heel is too narrowly constructed. Rough -shoe linings often -cause _ excessive abrasion, and this will mean holes in both the toe and heel. Be -sure to see that your shoe linings remain smooth. Rough sandal straps will snag stockings at the instep.

The High Mortality Rate. If you are especially long-legged, or generously proportioned, it will mean a real 'saving 'bo 'buy extra-size 'hosiery. Extra-size .stockings are not necessarily built for fat ladies but, rather, made slightly wider and an inch or two longer so 'that ith-e stocking has more material to “give." ■Runs, of course, are the main 'cause for tho high mortality rate in silk stockings, Yet hosiery -authorities approximate that 90 per cent of the hosiery runs are due to .carelessness in handling, and could he avoided.

Hangnails and rings are a prolific source of snagged l and pulled threads. Also, women are careless about where they throw their stockings. The careful person will' provide a special box for (hosiery only. One of the worst ways to injure hosiery is to put in your foot and pull, as a man jerks on his boots. The stocking invariably breaks in the corner of the ankle. The manager of a large hosiery shop told me that 75 per cent of the stocking runs had broken under this, strain.

Hosiery should be worked on to the foot like a glove, by ruffling the stocking down to the food,, fitting the .toes into the toe of the stocking and then working the leg up carefully. Incidentally, this guarantees a straight seam line, an 'essential of every wellgroomed woman.

Although stockings can stretch both ways, ■stretching them in one direction 'Shortens the other dimension. If women buckle their stockings up very tight and then thoughtlessly cross their logs or bend over, the strain is put on the stocking where the stretch is not so great as across the leg. Pew stockings can withstand Ibis strain. Accordingly the hose breaks in the kneecap or at the hack.

Major Mistakes In Washing. Hot water, strong -soap, 100 much muscle and too little rinsing are major mistakes women make in washing their hosiery. Stockings should he washed immediately after every wearing, to remove the perspiration before it damages the silk. Use lukewarm water, not cold and not hot, with a good pure soapsuds. Don't, soak the hosiery beforehand, unit -don’t apply soap directly In the silk. Do no I nib or twist. The dirt and perspire I ion ran be removed by lowering and raising the shirkings in and out of l.lir water.

ASt or you are sijliistfied Ilia: you have removed the did. rinse in three clear, lukewarm waters. si|iieez!ng lie water out with the lingers without wringing.

The is bookings are (heady to toe dried. This should be done by hanging them ■in a shaded or dark place, without direct heat. The violet rays of the sun have an 'Oxidising effect' on \Vet silk hosiery, and long exposure will weaken the fibres so that the stocking will tear next time it d® stretched,. Intense heat also has a damaging effect on the fibre of pure silk, and so hosiery should not be dried on top of a radiator or in a dryer, and should never be ironed. Your best hosiery value lies in finding the make of stocking which fits your foot. Remember the name, the quality, and the size that give you the best service, and then clasp this knowledge to your heart as you would your ’.husband’s business secret. It’s really your. business secret, because ■correctly fitting and 'carefully handled hosiery will save your budget as well as your disposition.—An exchange.