Slip 1, knit 1 pattern on sock heel flap. why?

#1

What is the purpose of this stitch in the heel flap? :thinking:

S1, K1 on knit side
S1, P1 on purl side.

since I’m not decreasing, do I slip purl-wise on both sides?

Laura

#2

you will eventually pick up stitches along the heel flap. By slipping the first stitch, you give yourself a nice smooth edge on which to do the pickups. I would slip knit-wise on the knit side, and purl-wise on the purl side, but the more important thing is that you be consistent in which way you slip, so your edge looks uniform.

hope this helps.

#3

Ohhh… I know this one. This is how I was taught to make my socks. The reason you slip one is that it makes the heel stronger. It makes a kind of ribbed heel and it seems to be stronger and last longer than regular heels.

When you slip every 2nd stitch on the knit row, do it knit wise, and when you do the first one on the purl row, do it purl wise.

Also, when you slip the first stitch of every row, it makes a neater edge and makes it easier to pick up the stitches.

HTH!!!

Trish

#4

The reason you slip one is that it makes the heel stronger. It makes a kind of ribbed heel and it seems to be stronger and last longer than regular heels.

Thanks Trish:

that is what I suspected, but wasn’t quite sure. I’ve only knitted 1 sock thus far- the toddler/baby sock that came with Amy’s Knitting Help.com CD-ROM and it did not have this “feature” in the heel flap.

Thanks,
Laura