On the Italian side of my family, I recall helping my uncle make wine as a kid and he used them as a filter and as a tie to fasten the vines to wooden planks. Very useful. I also recall MacGuyver using them in one episode along with an oil can, an exhaust pipe and an old battery to build a bomb. The panty hose served as the fuse dipped in the old oil and inserted into the pipe. I think the idea was that the ferrous oxide from the metal inside the pipe would generate enough heat to explode the battery, at least in the make belief world, as oil technically would not be able to ignite it. He may have also used duct tape.
Seems like a good weekend to be at the springs. Very warm. If I didn't have a project deadline in a few days I would be there now.