Knit This Ingenious Heel from a Pair of Turkish Socks

One of the most fascinating structural elements of the Turkish socks purchased in Afyonkarahisar province and featured in Lynne Hershberger’s article, “Entranced by Turkish Socks” from PieceWork’s January/February 2018 issue, is the heel construction. To work my sample heels, I chose Aran-weight wool from Imperial Yarn. I used a set of U.S. size 4 double-pointed needles. I could see that the heel-flap stitches were worked flat then decreased and bound off, which created a “boat” shape. Two rows of single crochet, in two colors, were worked along the “boat” edge and created a decorative element. Stitches were then picked up and knit along the crochet edge through the back loop, and the maker proceeded to finish the sock leg in the round. Here are the instructions for my sample heel.

With MC, CO 40 sts. Place marker (pm) and join in the rnd. Knit 15 rnds.

Heel Flap: Work heel flap back and forth in St st over 21 sts (50% of sts, plus 1) for 14 rows (2/3 of the number of heel-flap sts), while leaving 19 sts on holder for instep. (Figure 1.)

Figure 1

Turn Heel: Place a removable m on center st of heel flap. (Figure 2.)

Figure 2

Dec Row 1 (RS): Knit to 2 sts before marked st, k2tog, k1, ssk, knit to end—2 sts dec’d.
Dec Row 2 (WS): Purl to 2 sts before marked st, ssp, p1, p2tog, purl to end—2 sts dec’d.
Rep last 2 rows 3 more times—5 sts rem.
Dec Row (RS): K2tog, k1, ssk—3 sts rem.
Dec Row (WS): P3tog—1 st rem. Fasten off last st.

With CC1, crochet hook, and RS facing, sl st to join yarn in 1st unworked st at right side of heel opening.
Next Row (RS): Ch 1, sc 25 sts across heel flap edge—25 sc.
Break yarn and fasten off.
Next Row (RS): With CC2, crochet hook, and RS facing, sl st to join yarn in back loop of 1st st, ch 1, sc in back loop of each sc along heel flap edge—25 sc. (Figure 3.) Break yarn and fasten off.

Figure 3

For the Leg: With MC, pick up and knit 1 st through back loop of each sc on CC2 row of sc, k19 held instep sts—44 sts total (10% more sts than originally CO). Pm and join in the rnd. Knit 15 rnds. BO all sts. (Figure 4.)

Figure 4

Featured Image: Lynne Hershberger’s Turkish socks purchased in Afyonkarahisar province featured in her article, “Entranced by Turkish Socks” fromPieceWork’s <a href="https://shop.longthreadmedia.com/products/piecework-january-february-2018-digital-edition" rel="noopener" target="blank">January/February 2018 issue. Photos by George Boe._