The Knitting Fiend/ Diet Diary

I am finally going to explain the last “fiddly” step involved in knitting my knee sock toe up. Mind you, fiddly doens’t mean difficult. It just means doing something that involves a few unusual steps. (But then, “usual” means knitting or purling only.) (This lesson describes steps to knit the knee sock created by the Hourglass Knee Sock Sockulator.)

The last couple of days, I explained how to knit the toe, knit the gusset and then work the heel turn. Now, I’ll show how we work the flap!

First, when knitting a flap will still be knitting back and forth; this is just the same as when you were knitting the heel turn which you will have almost finished when you start working the heel flap.

Second, conceptually, the first row of the heel flap is the last row of the heel turn; it happens to be a purl side faciing row. What does this mean? It means when you begin the row, it will seem like you are still working the heel flap. But when you get to the final stitch, you’ll suddenly do something else because . . .

Third: the only fiddly thing about working the heel flap is you “seam as you go” to the gusset stitches at the end of each row.

How to seem as you go? Well, here goes. Remember that, when knitting the heel turn, only the heel stitches were on the needle. The gusset and instep stitches were placed on three different strings. The instructions will tell you to purl until there is only 1 stitch on the left needle tip. Easy enough, do that.

Then, you must slip the stitch on the left needle tip purlwise to the right tip. The purpose of this is to get it out of the way while you do the next operation. So, slip it purlwise. (You slip purlwise so you don’t change the way the stitch sits on the needle.)

Now, to the left of the right hand needle tip, you will see gusset stitches on a string. Snip that string; see above left. Then, slide the left needle tip into those stitches. (See why you needed to get that last stitch off the left needle tip?)

Now, slip the stitch on the right needle tip back to the left tip. Then insert the right needle tip into the first two stiches on the left tip as to purl; see left. Wrap yarn and purl the stitch.

What does this do? Well, it “eats up” a gusset stitch, thus seaming as you go. When you turn the work you’ll see the flap stitch lies over the gusset stitch.

After turning the work so the knit side shows, you’ll slip the first stitch then knit until 1 stitch remains on the left needle tip. Slip that one as to knit; this is the first slip in an ssk.

Once again, gusset stitches will be waiting. Snip the string and slid them onto the left hand needle tip. Then, slip the first stitch on the left needle tip as to knit, (this is the second s in the ssk), then knit the two slipped stitches together. (This is the k in the ssk. It’s just all spread out!)

If you examine the “ssk” you’ll notice the flap stitch lies over the gusset stitch. That means, it mirrors the “p2tog” which makes both sides of the flap look similar.

From now on, when knitting the flap, you slip the first stitch , then work across in stockinette until you reach the last flap stitch. (My pattern will tell you how many stitches to knit– but the principle is you knit almost all the way across the flap.) Then, if you just worked a purl row, you work a p2tog, fusing the last flap stitch and the first gusset stitch. If it’s a knit row you work an ssk.

You do this until all the gusset stitches are gone, and the flap loops similar to mine show to the right. The flap is done!

After this, all that’s left is the leg. Or no leg. You could just crochet around the edges and this is a tennis sock / ped / footie. We’ll talk about working the leg in a bit, but remember:

Before working the leg, you try the sock on, right? ‘Cuz it’s pointless to discover the sock foot doesn’t fit after working the leg, right?

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