Eye of Partridge Heel flap

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I mentioned in my previous post that I like the Eye of Partridge heel flap.  It has a dimpled diamond stitch appearance and I just think it looks cool.  The technique is very similar to the more common Slipped Stitch Heel flap (below).

As with a lot of knitting stitches, the Eye of Partridge may be called something else.  I’ve also seen it called V-Heel flap (below).

I’m not going to explain the how’s of the heel flap, just the basic stitch pattern for the EoP flap on a typical top-down sock.

Eye of Partridge Stitch

Divide the heel stitches according to your pattern.  I the case of a 64-stitch sock, work the heel flap on 32 stitches leaving the instep stitches on the other needle(s). I find it easier to work the heel flap on two dpns than circulars.

Row 1: (Right side) * Sl1, K1*, repeat across, ending with K1.
Row 2 and all even rows: Sl1, purl across row.
Row 3: Sl1, Sl1, * K1, Sl1,* repeat across row ending with K2.
Row 4: Repeat Row 2.

Repeat these four rows until ready to turn the heel, usually 32-33 rows.  This pretty knitting stitch offsets the slipped stitch every other row, which results in a diamond pattern.

One down

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…and one to go.

I’m talking about The Handmade Sock Society 2 pattern: Samphire.  I was having trouble keeping my stitch count correct so I finally added some lifelines and made it to the tip of the toe. 

The lace pattern wasn’t difficult, it was just my wandering mind.  I try to multitask when knitting and was listening to a book (Mr. Churchill’s Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal) when I got so wrapped up in the story that I lost track of my knitting.  My bad.

So Samphire sock #1 is finished and the second sock is ready for the lace panel.  I followed the pattern as written though I changed the heel flap to the partridge eye heel.  I like it better and think it wears well.

I love the color though it’s a bit dark for my eyes at night.  I should invest in a better light next to my knitting chair so I can see the stitches better.  The third sock pattern in this series will be out soon.  Hopefully, I can get this pair finished by then.

Needles at the ready!

My back had been acting up to the point that Mr. Aitch had to take me to the emergency room.  Excruciating pain radiating from my lower back to my toes.  It even hurt to breathe.  It was close to Memorial Day weekend so seeing my regular doctor wasn’t possible for a few days. Some days I couldn’t pick up my knitting. Things are looking up.  I’m on the mend now and taking each day at a time.

Yarn order

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Trying to get ones knitting mojo back is a hard task but I think I might be gaining on that.  Periodically Knit Picks* says “goodbye” to some yarn colors and I happened to spot two that I liked.  As I’m a member of Helen Stewart’s The Handmade Sock Society 2, I’m desperately stash diving for yarns that I like.  If you have any kind of a stash (fabric, fiber, dyes, threads, paper, office supplies, cigars, etc.), then you sometimes buy items that you wanted to try but then don’t particularly like anymore.

So here I am with some sock yarn that falls into that stash category of I-don’t-really-like-this-color-anymore or the What-was-I-thinking?  I should just sell or trade them on Ravelry…and I will once I find the gumption to list them.

Back to the Knit Picks “goodbye” sale… I needed a knitting pick-me-up sp I found Hawthorn Fingering Multicolor yarn had two such “goodbye” colorways that I loved.

Rich blues and purples of Goose Hollow…

…and the deep blue-greens that morph into warm yellow greens of Cully.

Goose Hollow is still available but evidently, Cully is sold out.

And to round out my order (for free shipping) a pair of super sharp steaking scissors.  These 4-inch little gems are VERY sharp, fit nicely in my knitting gadget bag and have a point protector.

*I am not affiliated with Knit Picks and did not receive any compensation for this post.  I just like and use these products and thought you might, too.

THSS II Samphire

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The Handmade Sock Society II second sock pattern, Samphire, came out last month.  I’ve been working on it though this is the first time I’ve posted about it.

The yarn is Knit Picks Stroll fingering weight in Aurora Heather (color 25025), a rich, deep hunter green.

The pattern has a lace panel down the front which doesn’t show up well in my pictures so I’ve borrowed this one from the pattern.

My first mistake was when I decided to count the stitches on the needle.  That’s when I discovered I had lost two stitches somewhere between the ribbing and row 54.  The pattern stitches were fine somehow and I could always not decrease a couple of stitches after the heel turn to make up for the two missing ones.

Then I forgot to mark my row and knit it a second time.

Lace has a certain rhythm and knitting two identical rows just throws it all off.  I tried to knit back a few rows to correct it but I kept losing more stitches with the knit-two-together, slip-slip-knit, and the yarn overs.

I ripped it all out back to the ribbing and decided to put in some lifelines after each 12-row lace pattern.  The good news is that I did start with the correct amount of stitches and didn’t have to reknit the ribbing.

Wish me luck…