Last week we worked the leg of our Never Never Sock KAL, and the stacked increases and decreases are a fun challenge. This week we’ll sit back and relax with a nice vanilla heel flap and short row heel. You can substitute whatever heel you want if you’ve got a favorite, but if you’ve never done German Short Row heels, they are fun.

I go through knitting preference phases, and right now I strongly prefer German Short Rows to Wrap-and-Turn short rows. Make sure to check out the project sheet download (available in THIS post) for a lengthy explanation of how to work the Pulled Stitches that are the cornerstone of German Short Rows. If you missed the first two sections of these instructions, you can find that HERE and HERE. We’ve also got a handy video tutorial on Stacked Increases HERE and Stacked Decreases HERE.

I know Turn coat was a few weeks ago, but the socks on the red needles just match this cover so well!

Never Never Socks

Part Three

Instructions given inside [brackets] are pattern repeats. The bracketed instructions should be repeated the number of times indicated immediately after the bracket. Ex: [K1P1] x4. Means you should work “K1, P1” four times, and [K1P1] to marker means to repeat “K1, P1” until you reach the next marker.

Part 1 is available HERE.

Part 2 is available HERE.

Note that the set-up row of this section is worked flat over only the first ½ of the sts on your needles. You can place the second half on a holder, or if you are working in magic loop individually or taat, just leave the second half of the sts for each sock on the cable of your needle as you work. 

Heel Flap 

In this section you will work the heel flap and heel. Both are worked in K1P1 ribbing. The heel instructions are written using German Short Rows (GSR) that implement a Pulled Stitch (PS) and Double Pulled St (DPS), however if you prefer to work your short rows with the Wrap-and-Turn technique you certainly can. 

The flap is worked with Color A, and the heel is worked with Color B. The transition between the colors should occur 2 rows before the completion of the flap (this is to avoid having the color change happen on a stitch that you will be working a PS on. If you opt to work your flap and heel in the same color that’s no problem, but still work the 2 rows that are after the indicated color change before starting the GSR.  

R1: Sl1wyib. [K1, P1] across the next 24(28, 32, 36, 40) sts. K1. Place the remaining 26(30, 34, 38, 42) sts onto a holder (or if you are working in magic loop you can leave them on the cable). These are the instep sts. Turn work. The 26(30, 34, 38, 42) sts on your needles that you just ribbed across are the heel sts. 

R2: (Wrong Side): Sl1wyif. [K1, P1] to the last st. P1. Turn. 

R3: (Right Side): Sl1wyib. [K1, P1] to the last st. K1. Turn. 

R4: (Wrong Side): Sl1wyif. [K1, P1] to the last st. P1. Turn. 

Repeat rows 3-4 7(9, 11, 13, 15) times more. Break Color A; Join color B. With color B, work rows 3-4 once more. 

Short Row Heel

Maintain the established ribbing between Pulled Stitches (PS).

R1 (Right Side): K1, [K1, P1] to the last st. K and PS. 

R2 (Wrong Side): [K1, P1] to the last st. P and PS. 

R3 (Right Side): [K1, P1] to 1 before the PS. P and PS.

R4 (Wrong Side): [P1, K1] to 1 before the PS.  Wrap and turn. 

R5 (Right Side): [P1, K1] to 1 before the PS. P and PS.

R6 (Wrong Side): [K1, P1] to 1 before the PS.  Wrap and turn. 

Repeat 3-6 until there are 9(10, 11, 12, 13) Pulled Stitches on each side of the heel, ending on a wrong side row. 

R7: K the Ks and P the Ps to the first PS. K through the PS as if it were a regular st (do not treat the 2 legs of the PS on your needle as separate sts!), then K through the next PS. PS the stitch just worked, creating a DPS. 

R8: The first stitch of this row is the first PS you knit through on the previous row. If the stitch just after it is a knit stitch, purl this first stitch. If the stitch just after it is a purl, knit this first stitch. This re-establishes the ribbing on that stitch. Rib as established to the next PS. K through the PS as if it were a regular st (do not treat the 2 legs of the PS on your needle as separate sts!), then K through the next PS. PS the stich just worked, creating a DPS. 

R9: The first stitch of this row is the first PS you knit through on the previous row. If the stitch just after it is a knit stitch, purl this first stitch. If the stitch just after it is a purl, knit this first stitch. This re-establishes the ribbing on that stitch. Rib as established to the DPS. K through the DPS as if it were a regular st, then K through the next PS. PS the stich just worked, creating a DPS.

Repeat R9 until all of the PS have been worked and you have a DPS on the first and last st of the heel, ending on a wrong side row after completing the DPS at the end of that row. 

R10: Rib across the heel as established until you reach the DPS. K through the DPS as if it were a regular st. 

Come back Friday the 31st for part 4 of the Never Never Socks!

Gambit is not amused by my decision to take up premium couch real estate to snap a picture.

BOOK CLUB

contains spoilers form ‘Ghost Story’ by Jim Butcher

Hands down, this book is Jim Butcher’s best work to date. First of all, Butters is straight up Nevill-ing and is now the action hero he was born to be. That alone is worth showing up for. Although, my favorite thing about this book is how much of it Harry has to get through without magic. Forced to be the least of all practitioners in the room, he has time to grow and push himself. 

I don’t think it comes as a surprise to any of you that Harry isn’t really dead. Even going into the start of the book, you know there are more books coming, though I do remember thinking once or twice when I read it the first time that maybe it will continue with Harry as a ghost. I was glad it didn’t, I think that trope would get tired, but for one book it was fantastic. He was forced to observe the people around him without being able to really interact, and without being in charge.

I loved seeing him get back to his investigative roots. Speaking of roots, I assume the working title of this book was “backstory” when Butcher wrote it. After a long 13 book wait, we finally get to hear in detail about Harry’s fight with He Who Walks Behind, and to learn about his childhood and how he came into his magic. I imagine this was a hard book to write compared to the others. Harry is observant when it comes to security cameras, but really dense when it comes to his friends. Now, when he can only passively observe things, he starts to see people not as he wants them to be, but as they really are. He had to confront his relationship with Molly (well, sort of. Even this book wasn’t devoid of him not really taking accountability for how he thinks he’s some sort of hero for not taking advantage of her). 

Karrin is one of my absolute favorite characters, and watching Harry come to terms with her mental health was a very powerful part of the book. For years, Karrin Murphy has been slipping further and further into losing the battle with her mental demons. Three or four books ago we saw her chase Vicodin with alcohol. In this book, Harry is forced to confront the person that she has become, and has to question what his role in that has been. Ten years ago, Karrin would have never accepted a civilian casualty as a part of war, but here we see her working with Marcone’s people, and willing to kill teen gang members. As readers, we’ve watched Harry grow and work through his depression, and the thing that excites me most about the next book is seeing Karrin begin to accept that she has a problem and (hopefully) start to heal. 

I’m also getting weirdly nervous about reading Peace Talks in two weeks. I’ve only got two books, Cold Days and Skin Game, left on my reread and then we’ll be at the newly released novel. Reading them this time has been such a different experience, I’ll be interested to see how it feels to read one that is new for me. 

~Megan-Anne

“Courage is about learning how to function despite the fear, to put aside your instincts to run or give in completely to the anger born from fear. Courage is about using your brain and your heart when every cell of your body is screaming at you to fight or flee – and then following through on what you believe is the right thing to do.” ― Jim Butcher, Ghost Story

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