Did any of the early jurists permit wiping over a thin sock? And is this issue considered among the unprecedented matters (Nawazil) where it is permissible to differ from the predecessors due to a change in circumstances, given the development of the materials from which these socks are made?

It is permissible to wipe over a thin, non-transparent sock (khuff). This is narrated from some Companions and adopted by some early jurists. As for the transparent sock through which the skin can be seen, it has not been reported from the early jurists that it is permissible to wipe over it. However, Sheikh Ibn 'Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy on him, attributed it to some of them and favored the permissibility of wiping over it, even if it is transparent, because there is no evidence stipulating that it must be opaque.