Sock Talk Part II

Last week I discussed my sock construction and some of you wanted to know the rest of the pattern.  So here is my feeble attempt to explain the heel flap and turning the heel.  This sock is for my husband and I knit about 8-8 1/2 inches from the cast on edge.  Remember that I am on five needles, four needles hold the sock stitches and the fifth needle is my knitting needle.

When I begin my heel flap I just knit across the first two needles!  Yep-that is 34 stitches and that is half of the stitches I casted on (68 total).  I knit and purl back and forth NOT in the round until the flap measures about 2 1/2 inches which for me is 26 rows.

End your flap so that the right side is showing.  Here comes the challenging part.  Some math is involved.  To construct the heel turning you have to divide your flap into thirds....I know!  My total number is 34 stitches so my division will be 11 stitches-12 stitches-11 stitches.  My middle third is ALWAYS an even number because I like it that way. (If I were making a smaller sock, my total sock cast on would be 60 stitches, half would be 30 stitches and my division in thirds would be 10 sts-10 sts-10 sts.) It is sock magic :D

Row 1: knit across the first third (11 sts)-continue to knit across the second third (12 sts) then SSK. Stop turn the work.  (photo above is the first ssk)

Row 2:  Slip the first stitch,  knit middle third (12 sts) then P2TOG!!  Stop-turn the work.  (above photo is the P2tog)

Row 3: slip first stitch, k 12, ssk, turn
Row 4: slip first stitch k 12 p2tog, turn

repeat rows 3 +4 until you cannot ssk or p2tog anymore stitches.  If you can visualize it, you are decreasing stitches on your first and last third group of stitches.  The middle third remains constant.  Next week will be the gusset-easy peasy!!

So go ahead my friends, make your very own sock with your own numbers.....and math!