WIP Wednesday: Impossible Geometry Socks: The Heel!

 

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Hello, and welcome back, once again to WIP Wednesday; and today's post is the magic of sock heels!

Those who are following my Youtube Livestreams will be aware that the first of the Impossible Geometry Socks has reached the heel of the pattern - and turning the heel of a sock is always a bit of magic.  Short rows and decreases take a tube of knitting and turn it almost ninety degrees.  It's really something to watch, and I never grow tired of it. 

The yarn is *Malabrigo Ultimate Sock in "Teal Feather", kindly given to me by Malabrigo Yarns as part of the Malabrigo Quickies program; and what you're seeing today is the gusset decreases.  It's very interesting working on this pattern once you get to the gusset, since the stitch pattern shifts back and forth by one stitch.  So, for the first bit of the gusset decreases, you're actually borrowing a stitch from the gusset to complete the cable pattern, which gets a little fiddly. Honestly, though, I think I very much prefer a merino wool yarn to the BFL that I knit my first sample in.  The merino wool gives it just that little bit more stretch. . . . but because the stitch pattern is not stretchy at all, that little bit of extra stretch really, really helps with fit. 

Needles are my *Knit Picks Nickle-plated 2.25 mm circulars. I would have very much preferred double-points for this section of the instep, simply because I'm having to fuss about with the Magic Loop every time I needed to borrow that one stitch from the gusset. But, it looks like all my 2.25 mm double-points re in various WIPs, so, well, it is what is is.  Also, since these are my travel project, I've found I do much prefer Magic Loop for any project I'm travelling with.  It's far too easy to lose a DPN on a moving bus or train.  

Stitch marker is the  *Ocean Shell Stitch Marker from *WineMakersSister's Etsy Shop. I really do prefer the lobster claw markers when I'm working on anything where the stitch counts shifts - I can pull the stitch marker out and clip it wherever it needs to be without fussing about with my stitches.  

So, what are you working on on this grey February afternoon?  Feel free to show it off in the comments, or, on the Discord!