b in every other course courses c 2 c 4 c 6 c 8 c 10 of yarn in toe 52 and heel 54 of sock 50 with reinforcing yarn r knit in plaited relationship with the body yarn b in every other course of yarn enhanced although not maximum abrasion resistance is imparted thereto where maximum abrasion resistance is required reinforcing yarn r would be knit in plaited relationship with every course of body yarn b as shown in fig6 whether reinforcing yarn r is plaited in every course of body yarn b or only in alternation courses it is plaited with minimal tension so that as applied to body yarn b it is in a substantially relaxed condition in another preferred embodiment of the invention depicted in fig7 reinforcing yarn r is knitted in plaited relationship with body yarn b in every course of toe 52 and heel 54 but alternates its position relative to body yarn b that is from the inside of the fabric to the outside of the fabric in every other course this alternate relative placement of reinforcement yarn r and body yarn b is achieved by changing the order in which yarn is fed into the needles of the circular.