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He was a doughboy in the first World War. He asked the girl whom he had just met to give him a small souvenir to carry with him, something to remember her by. The girl had never seen a miniature sock, but in the need for a memento which could be quickly made, she knit a tiny sock. The young man cherished that sock, carried it with him to Europe, and carried it back to America as part of his argument for marriage.

After many years of happy marriage the girl who had knitted the sock told her story to Miss Sophia Caprio, of Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. The love story was touching to the teacher of home economics and she inquired about the details of knitting, but they had long been forgotten.

Miss Caprio, too, forgot the story until the advent of the second World War. With many of her young relatives and friends going into service, she recalled the story of the small sock. She began to experiment in an effort to make a well-proportioned miniature sock. Her extensive knowledge of knitting simplified the matter. In a short time she had made a miniature, the exact replica of a full sized sock, except in size. She even "turned" and knitted a double heel as though it were for a sock to be worn by the most fastidious dresser.

An inveterate giver of gifts, Miss Caprio gave the tiny socks, knitted in olive drab, to countless G. I.'s when they were called into service. Many socks she included in gift boxes sent to boys already overseas. Each sock was stuffed to capacity with all sorts of fascinating little things, for Miss Caprio believes that grown men are as delighted by little evidences of loving thought as are small boys. She collected trinkets for the socks, intricate tricks and puzzles, charms, individually wrapped candies, chewing gum, cigarettes, air-mail stamps, tiny brushes, combs, and numerous other things which could be forced into the little socks. In each she also included a bright penny, shiny for good luck, and for gaiety, she hung a small bell or two on the sock top.

MISS CAPRIO'S socks were an immediate success among her many handiwork-minded friends. At first, when people saw the clever socks and asked her to make identical ones for their own friends, she made the socks and gave them away. In a few weeks, it became apparent that she could not continue such a practice, for the cost of materials was high. She began charging only for the yarn she used in the socks, then finally, with sales ever increasing, she set a definite price for each sock size.

The first sales were to interested friends. Later, as her socks charmed their way into the hearts of local buyers who sent the socks to other sections of the country, she took samples to a local yarn shop which handled her socks for her. From Lock Haven, she branched out and finally began to sell miniatures of socks in a gift shop in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and in a shop in exclusive Radio City, New York City.

By the end of the war, Miss Caprio had developed a profitable hobby of miniature socks. Olive drab socks were no longer in demand but red and green ones sold rapidly to Christmas shoppers. The tiny socks found many uses during the holiday season for gifts, for Christmas tree ornaments, for favors at holiday parties, and for attractive pre-Christmas lapel pins.

Made of soft, fine white yarn, and filled with small gadgets for a house, they made attractive and unusual gifts for the bride. Dainty pastel blues and pinks and yellows thrilled mothers at baby showers and birthday parties for children. Red and white socks, filled with candies and novelties, became acceptable for St. Valentine's Day gifts, and green and white pleased the Irish on their day. Mother's Day, Father's Day, the Fourth of July, birthdays, anniversaries, any day became gay with a tiny sock knitted by Miss Caprio.

Miss Caprio's most successful creation was a very small white Angora sock. It was made to order for a nervous young man who had purchased a solitaire diamond ring but who was not at all certain that his girl would accept his proposal. However, the girl did accept the ring, presented in the soft furry sock, and Miss Caprio likes to believe that her sock may have played some small part in the happy ending.

PROMPTED BY increased sales and the native ability, inherited from her Italian ancestors, to use brilliance of color and attain richness of design, Sophia Caprio desired to improve her original idea. First she added bands of contrasting color to the tops of the socks; then later she experimented with designs and lettering, though basically, the socks still remained two colors. The second color was invariably used for a double heel and toe.

With hundreds of socks, each different in some way, to add to her knitting knowledge, miniatures by Caprio today are elegant in their decorative smartness. Especially at Christmas time, sock orders include individualized greetings, in the form of tiny designs to portray the interests or hobbies of the recipient. The words are necessarily short, so that they will fit well into the small number of stitches required by a small sock. Popular are such greetings as "Merry Xmas to Dick," "Good Cheer," "Happy New Year," "Best Wishes," "Good Luck, Bud," etc.

Designs may be a fleeing stag on the sock meant for a huntsman, or a flipping fish for a fisherman, a series of musical notes for a singer, a baton for a drum majorette, toys for a child. Since most customers prefer socks made to order, nearly every miniature has become an individual creation to say a special thing to the person to whom it will be given. Thus each sock order is a fresh demand on Miss Caprio's ingenuity and ability to think up new and fascinating designs.

ALTHOUGH ORDERS come from many of the folk who have bought socks on previous occasions, Miss Caprio is ever increasing her sales opportunities through her sister's yarn shop in Lock Haven. By exhibiting her miniature socks in the display windows and on the counters on the inside of the shop, she sells many of her socks to yarn customers.

Another means of selling is through natural human interest in handwork. Miss Caprio travels frequently on busses and trains and since she carries her knitting wherever she goes, fellow travelers usually inquire about what she is making. The next comment seems to be, "Would you sell me one?" Not quite by accident, and to meet such requests, Miss Caprio always carries several finished miniatures in the depths of her voluminous knitting bag. Being able to knit rapidly any place and under most conditions, Miss Caprio needs no workshop. Therefore, wherever she happens to be, with needles and yarn, she can work on her socks. There are usually inquisitive onlookers who naturally inquire, then buy.

Although small socks can be made rapidly by swift working knitters, numbers of socks, especially those with the intricate designs, take a great amount of time from this woman who also teaches school, as well as teaching knitting two nights a week. For that reason, she begins to take orders for the Christmas socks, which comprise the largest sales, in the late summer. Her orders taken through her sister's yarn shop, are increased by a small advertisement printed occasionally in the local newspaper. From early fall until Christmas Eve, Miss Caprio uses most of her spare moments making socks.

After the beginning of a new year, she advertises the Easter socks and begins making those to order, with knitted-in bunny, chick, and flower designs. Socks for other special days and occasions are advertised only in the yarn shop and in out-of-town shops which sell her creations.

BEING IN a position in which she can buy her yarn at wholesale prices from her sister, she is able to sell the socks for less than if she were to buy yarn at retail cost. She sets her prices at a low enough level to be attractive. For the smallest socks, ranging from three to five inches in length, with or without heels and toes of a contrasting color, the standard price is 50 cents. Prices run from 50 cents through $1.50 to $5 for the largest miniature-inspired sock she has ever made.

If there is a great amount of design or lettering, the price is set accordingly. For instance, for a six-inch sock in two colors, on which are knitted the words, "Merry Xmas to You," the price is $1.50.

The five-dollar "great" sock mentioned above was far from a miniature. The sock was twenty-seven inches in length, made in red, green, and white alternating rounds averaging three inches in width. Each round was decorated by a picture of some Christmas symbol or in Christmas greetings or in the name and nicknames of the girl to whom the sock was to be given.

For materials, Miss Caprio selects the finest yarns, for she believes that quality of workmanship depends greatly upon the quality of material. Customers are willing to pay slightly higher prices for better yarns. Fine, smaller socks are made from softest, two-ply yarns, using one set of size 1 or size 2 double pointed needles. Larger socks may be made from two-ply yarn, with size 1 or size 2 needles, or from four-ply yarn, using size 3 or size 4 needles, double pointed.

MISS CAPRIO'S directions for making the socks are as follows:

Cast on 40 sts. (stitches) (12-12-16 sts.) with a No. 1 needle, for the cuff. Join and work the ribbing, K (knit) 2, P (purl) 2 for 1½ inches. Decrease 4 sts. at even intervals in the following row.

Change to stockinette st. and knit for two inches. Slip the next 16 sts. to needles for instep. On the remaining 20 sts. work the heel.

First row: * Slip 1, K 1, repeat from * across needle. 2nd row purl back. Repeat these 2 rows 7 times more (16 rows). Now turn the heel as follows on the wrong side: slip 1, P 11, P 2 tog. (together), P 1, turn, slip 1, K 5, K 2 tog, K 1, turn, slip 1, P 6, P 2 tog, P 1, turn, slip 1, K 7, K 2 tog, K 1, turn, slip 1, P 8, P 2 tog, P 1, turn, slip 1. K 9, K 2 tog, K 1, turn, slip 1, P 10, P 2 tog, turn, slip 1, K 10, K 2 tog. There are now 12 sts. on the heel needle.

Pick up and K along one side of the heel 8 sts. (first needle). K across instep sts. (second needle). Pick up and K 8 sts. on the other side of the heel and K 6 sts. from the heel needle on to the same needle (third needle). Slip the remaining 6 sts. or the heel needle on to the first needle; end at the center of the sole (44 sts.).

Next round: K 1 round even. Next round: K to within 3 sts. of the end of the first needle. K 2 tog, K 1, K across second needle.

On third needle K 1, slip 1, K 1, and pass the slipped st. over the K st. K to the end. Repeat the last 2 rounds 3 times more (36 sts.) K until 4 inches from the tip of the heel and decrease as follows: Slip 1 st. from first and third needles on to second needle (9-18-9 sts.).

First decrease round: K to within 3 sts. of end of first needle, K 2 tog, K 1; on second needle, K 1, slip 1, K 1 and pass the slipped st. over the K st. K to within 3 sts. of the end of the needle, K 2 tog, K 1; on third needle, K 1, slip 1, K 1 and pass the slipped st. over the K st. K to the end. K 1 round even. Repeat the last 2 rounds until there are 16 sts. in the round. Place 8 sts. on each needle.

To weave: Thread yarn into a tapestry or blunt needle. Work from the right to the left * pass the threaded needle through first st. on the front needle as if to knit and slip st. off the needle. Pass through second st. on front needle as if to purl and leave the st. on the needle; pass through first st. on back needle as if to purl and slip st. off the needle; pass through second st. on back needle as if to knit but leave st. on needle. Repeat from * until all sts. are woven. Weave in end and fasten off the yarn.

These directions, using 40 sts. make the most popular sized miniature sock. For a smaller sock, cut all numbers of stitches in half; for instance, cast on 20 sts. instead of 40, (6-6-8 sts.).

Miss Caprio warns that when two or more colors are used in the sock, the new color must always be picked up from underneath the color dropped to avoid forming a hole.

If designs or letters are used, they should be placed well below the cuff or the ribbing, of the sock, so that all stitches of the design fall into the stockinette stitch. Designs should be placed so as to be in the front of the socks, or in the case of very small designs, in the sides.

After all ends of yarn are woven into the pattern of the socks, or tied securely and clipped off, the sock is ready for steaming with a damp cloth and a hot iron. Final touches may be added in the form of tiny bells tied to the top or to the toe of the sock. The bells are readily available with Christmas supplies in five-and-ten cent stores.