Monica Knits

Having designed and written about the Ridgeline Turning Heel , a crisp, professional looking horizontal heel edge, I thought I'ld discuss a contrasting turning heel pattern. I call this softer, blended heel a basic turning heel. Although both turning heels are discussed in the context of a French heel, they can be used for other heel types as well. The basic heel, like the Ridgeline turning heel, is formed with short rows comprising paired decreases on either side of the heel center. Read more...
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The slip, purl, PSSO decrease slants to the right on the stocking stitch side of the fabric and is paired with the SSK (slip, slip, knit) decrease which slants to the left on the stocking stitch side. Using this pair of stitches in the Ridgeline Turning Heel creates a crisp, professional looking horizontal edge at the base of the turning heel.
Read more .... for stepwise instructions.
Related Posts: "Dad's Socks", SSK, Stitch Patterns , Turning Heel - SSK Appearance.
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A few days ago I wrote about the professional, polished ridgeline finish that can be achieved on a turning heel with the SSK stitch. Then I looked at a few of my sock books and patterns and noticed that the patterns didn't have a matching stitch for the opposite side of the sock. I found that odd and did a bit of research, including World War 2 vintage patterns, and didn't find a sock pattern with a matching stitch for the opposite side of the foot. One common pairing of decreases was the SSK with a P2tog. So I sat down and experimented until I found a closer match. Read more ...

There are many decreases that can be used for the turning heel. This horizontal line of demarcation created by the ssk on the knit row (right side) creates a very professional and polished appearance. Click on the thumbnail to view a larger image.
Related Posts:
Turning Heel - SSK Appearance