Socktober Fest - Week 3 - Shaping the Heel

Shaping The Heel

Shaping the heel is often intimidating for knitters.  Understanding how socks are constructed and how your knits will be placed helps to understand your pattern.  This week we divide our socks up into two parts:  the heel flap and the heel turn.  When finished we will be ready to work the instep and finish our pedicure sock.  

Our Progress So Far

1.  Started with a long tail cast on 48(52,56)
2. Then working in knit 1, purl 1 we stitched 16(17,18)  on the first needle in  16(18,20)  on the second needle and lastly 16(17,18) on our third needle.
3.  We then joined our work by starting our next round, NOT turning our work.

After finishing 2 1/4 inches of our sock’s ribbing our goal is to work the knit stitch on our rounds until work reaches 6 inches. Now we have the ribbed cuff and leg totaling to approximately 8 1/4 inches.

Arranging our stitches

This week we are going to work the "To shape the heel" portion of the Pedicure Sock Pattern.  There are two parts to the heel, the first part is the "heel flap" and then "shape the heel".  To begin we arrange our needles by moving 4 stitches from the third needle to the second needle and 4 stitches from the first needle to the second needle. If you find that your second needle has a lot of stitches divide your stitches into your fourth working needle.  When you start knitting your instep you will need to arrange your stitches again.  

Heel Flap

Although our pattern doesn't call this the heel flap, you will see this part of the sock called the flap in other sock patterns.  The pedicure sock pattern categorizes the heel flap and the heel turn into the section "to shape the heel" To complete shaping the heel we are working on the first and third needles only and leaving the second needle for later when we work the instep.  We work this part of the sock in a row instead of around so we don't walk on a seam when we are wearing our sock. This also means that we now have a right and wrong side of our sock.  Make sure to mark your sock now.

Start by knitting 12(13,14) stitches from the first needle onto the third needle

Next row: (wrong side) knit 1, purl 10(11, 12), purl 2 stitches together, purl (10 (11, 12), knit 1.  This leaves us with 23(25, 27) stitches on the first needle

(Pattern To shape heel:)

Row 1:  (Right Side) slip 1, knit1 repeat until the last stitch then knit 1. Row 2:  Slip 1, purl until the end

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until you have reached 2(2, 2 1/2) inches, and end on a row 1 (right side: slip 1, knit1 repeat until the last stitch then knit 1)  

Heel Turn

Row 1: P 12(13, 14), p2tog, p1, Turn. Row 2: K3, sl 1, k1, psso, k1, Turn. Row 3: P4, p2tog, p1, Turn. Row 4: K5, sl 1, k1, psso, k1, Turn. Row 5: P6, p2tog, p1, Turn. Row 6: K7, sl 1, k1, psso, k1, Turn. Row 7: P8, p2tog, p1, Turn. Row 8: K9, sl 1, k1, psso, k1, Turn. Row 9: P 10, p2tog, p1, Turn. Row 10: K 11, sl 1, k1, psso, k1, Turn - 13(15, 17) sts.

Size 7/8 only:

Row 11: P 12, p2tog, Turn. Row 12: K 12, k2tog - 13 sts.

Size 9/10 only:

Row 11: P 12, p2tog, p1, Turn. Row 12: K 13, sl 1, k1, psso, k1 - 15 sts.

 

Next week

Next week we are going to pick up stitches and work the instep to finish our pedicure sock.  Be sure to follow us on our other social media sites and join our crochet and knitting groups for exclusive patterns and crochet alongs.