Weldon’s Mystery Project: Double-Knitted Heels

Do you need some extra-sturdy socks for the winter months? Double knit those heels and toes the Weldon’s way to keep your feet safe and warm. What does this Victorian double-knitted heel pattern from Weldon’s Practical Sock Knitter, First Series (in Weldon’s Practical Needlework, Volume 1) look like? Well, we just don’t know! There is no illustration.

Weldon’s Practical Needlework Deluxe Edition

Here is the pattern as it was published in 1886, with neither corrections nor alterations.

DOUBLE-KNITTED HEELS

There are several ways in which a heel can be knitted double to give additional strength to the fabric. A very common method is to knit with wool from two balls, but this is rather thick and clumsy; it is preferable to knit a silk or cotton thread of the same colour together with the wool you are using. Still better is it to knit for the flap thus, with single wool only—3rd row—Slip 1, knit 1, slip 1, knit 1, and continue doing a slipped stitch between every knitted one, after the seam stitch you must so arrange that the last stitch comes to be knitted plain; then in the purl row, slip 1, purl 1, slip 1, purl 1, always slipping the knitted stitches and purling the slipped ones; this of course is to be effected throughout the heel, turning and all; be careful not to let any of the slipped stitches drop; if rightly worked it appears like moss stitch on the right side and like darning on the inside. The Germans have a very good method of strengthening the heels of stockings by means of which a very pretty effect of broken stripes is given on the right side. For the 3rd row of the Heel—Slip 1, knit 1, make 1, and repeat. 4th row—Purl all, taking care to purl together each made stitch with the slipped stitch lying underneath it. 5th row—Same as the third, but reversing the pattern by knitting all the stitches that were slipped in the third row and slipping those that were knitted. 6th row—Same as the fourth row. Proceed in this manner till the heel is finished. Of course if the stocking heels are strengthened by any of these methods, the toes must be strengthened likewise to correspond.

Do you double knit your heels? Please send a photo to us at piecework@longthreadmedia.com. We’d love to see your double-knitted heels!

Happy sock knitting!
Jenna