Although literature about the history of textiles is very extensive, there are almost no literary works which deal exclusively with legwear.

Some exceptions, for example, are the works "Die Romantik des Strumpfes" (The Romance of Hosiery) by E. Frowein (1936), "Eine Kulturgeschichte des Strumpfes" (The Cultural Story of Hosiery) by Paul Wiethoff (1949) or "Die Strumpfindustrie in Chemnitz und im Chemnitzer Kreise" (Hosiery History in and around Chemnitz) by Dr. F. Irmscher (1929), though these are usually smaller books by "hosiery insiders". Even the books "Strümpfe - Mode, Markt und Marketing" (Hosiery - Fashion, Market and Marketing), from 1992 and the thesis "Gewirkte Wunder, hauchzarte Träume - von Frauenbeinen und Perlonstrümpfen" (Knit Wonders - Delicate Dreams - about women's legs and Perlon hosiery), which was written by Susanne Buck at the University of Marburg in 1995 and published a year later as a book, only take into account some of the aspects of hosiery.

Until today, there is no documentation about hosiery which does its importance justice. Some of the reasons for this could be the very nature of hosiery - that it remained invisible for a long time, was really intimate apparel, or that is was considered an accessory. Or did we just miss the chance to understand the historical development of this incredibly interesting piece of clothing?

The most important sources for the German Hosiery Museum are - next to the historic works about technology or costumes - periodicals and specialty magazines.

Since the beginning of the 18th century, particularly early fashion journals such as "Der neuen Moden und Galanterie-Zeitung" (The New Fashion and Gallantry Newspaper, Erfurt 1758-59), "Magazin für Frauenzimmer" (Magazine for Women, Straßburg 1782-89), "Journal des Luxus und der Moden" (Journal of Luxury and Fashion, Weimar 1786-1828), "Journal für Fabrik, Manufaktur, Handlung und Mode" (Journal for Factory, Manufacture, Retail and Fashion, Leipzig 1788-1808), "Journal des Dames et des Modes" (Journal of Ladies and of Fashions, Frankfurt/Main 1798-1848), "Magazin des neuesten Geschmacks und Mode" (Magazine of New Tastes and Fashion, Leipzig 1798-1806), "Allgemeine Moden-Zeitung, eine Zeitschrift für die gebildete Welt" (General Fashion News, a Magazine for the Educated World, Leipzig 1799-1903), and "Bazar", (Bazaar, Berlin 1855 - 1936) reported on hosiery fashion trends.

Other written sources on hosiery fashion in general and on German hosiery mills are the magazines "Strumpf und Socke" (Stocking and Sock, 1952-1962) and "Textil-Wirtschaft" (Textile Commerce, Frankfurt), which has existed since 1946. The German Hosiery Museum owns a majority of the aforementioned magazines and uses them for research.