How To > Patterns > AGSAS Soldiers Sock Pattern

Atlantic Guard Soldiers’ Aid Society

"Directions for Knitting Socks" from the United States Sanitary Commission Bulletin, Volume I, Number 31, February 1, 1865, p. 963

Modern Interpretation for Beginning Sock Knitters, Using Worsted Weight Yarn

Note: This pattern has been written to give beginning sock knitters the opportunity to learn the various steps involved in making a mid-nineteenth century sock. There is currently no documentation that worsted weight wool was ever used to make socks during the Civil War.

Needles: Use American size 5 (3.25 mm) double pointed sock needles. You’ll also need a crochet hook when we get to the heel.

Yarn: 6 ounces of worsted weight wool. If you want contrasting heels and toes, you will need 2-3 ounces of the color you want to make the heels and toes.

Gauge: Five stitches per inch, or change your needle size to get this gauge.

Swatch: Because fit is so important with socks, it is wise to do a 4 inch swatch to make sure that your choice of needles and yarn can achieve the proper gauge. If the person who will be wearing the socks has large feet, it is a good idea to make a tracing of their foot to use as a pattern, or have them stand on a ruler so that you know how long to make the sock feet.

Ribbing: Using your favorite method of casting on, cast on 54 stitches on a needle. . If you are using a different color for ribbing, heels and toes, cast on with that color.

When you’ve got about 30 stitches cast on, slip 16 of them to another needle, then return to your first needle and keep casting on. If you’ll knit on three needles (knitting around with the fourth), once you’ve got 54 stitches cast on, move the stitches so that the three sock needles are each holding 18 stitches. If you are going to knit with five needles (four holding the stitches and the fifth as the “working needle”), put 13 stitches on two needles and 14 on two needles.

If you are knitting in the round for the first time, don’t worry if you feel fumble fingered and clumsy. This is normal at first, even for experienced knitters.

A common worry for those who have never knit in the round before is that the beginning and ending of their cast-on row tends to separate, causing a gap in their ribbing. I’m going to teach you a knitter’s trick to avoid this:

When you have all the stitches cast on and evenly distributed over your needles, lay them down flat on a table surface. If you are using three needles, number them 1, 2,3. If you are using four, number them 1,2,3,4. Needle Number 1 should have the FIRST stitch that was cast on. Needle Number 3 (or Number 4) should have the LAST stitch that was cast on. Make sure that the needles are lying flat, and that there are no twists between the needles, that the stitches are all lying flat.

Now pick up the farthest tip of Needle Number 1 (the end closest to the first stitch cast on) and the farthest tip of your opposite end needle (either Needle Number 3 or Needle Number 4). This tip is the end of the needle closest to the last stitch cast on). Ignore the needles in the middle for the time being. Bring those two tips together. Carefully transfer ONLY the FIRST stitch cast on from Needle Number 1 to Needle Number 3 (or Needle Number 4). Leave all the other stitches on Needle number 1 on Needle number 1.

At this point, on Needle Number 3 (or 4) you have both the first and last stitches, sitting next to each other.

Take a minute and pull on the LAST stitch that was made, enlarging this stitch so that it is much bigger than any of the others. Carefully pass it over the FIRST stitch that was cast on. It’s now crosswise over the FIRST stitch, with it’s bottom still in it’s original position. Now slip the top of this stitch over to Needle Number 1. Pull the excess yarn tight.

By crossing these stitches over each other, you will avoid having a gap form in your ribbing. You will knit them where they are, and because their bottoms are crossed, they will hold your ribbing tight and not let a gap develop.

Ribbing: Now Knit 1, purl 1 and repeat these stitches for the entire row. Continue to repeat these stitches until you have completed 3 ½ inches of ribbing.

Leg: If you are making the ribbing one color and the sock leg another, switch to the second color of yarn at this point. Leave a tail of about 3 inches, then break off the ribbing yarn. Leave about 3 inches of your main color and tie the two together in a loose one loop bow, or a loose square knot, leaving the tails inside your sock (we’ll come back and finish them off at the end). You want to leave a 2-3 inch tail on both colors when you change colors because we will come back at the end and weave the ends in so as to make the join a very strong part of the sock.

Now knit the entire row (knit all the purl stitches, too). When you get back to the point where you switched colors, the first stitch of the next row will be your seam stitch. You will purl this stitch every row all the way down the back of the leg. Knit all the other stitches. Knit the sock leg this way until the leg is 6 ½ inches long (if you prefer to measure from the very beginning of your work, the ribbing and the sock leg should together measure 10 inches). Once you have completed the sock leg, it is time to begin the heel flap.

Heel Flap. – We’re about to start the construction of the heel. If this is the first time you’ve made a heel, don’t worry about trying to understand it, just trust me and make it to these directions. We’re first going to make a little flap, then we’re going to “turn the heel” and then we’re going to rejoin the heel to the rest of the leg and begin to knit the foot.

When I started making socks, a very experienced knitter said to me “In the middle of every sock is a little miracle – the heel turning. Just like every other miracle, you have to go forward, even if you don’t understand what is happening at first. Think of each new heel as a little practice miracle to get you ready for the future miracles waiting to come your way.”

Starting at your seam stitch (the one stitch that you purled the entire way down the leg), purl that stitch, then knit 13 more stitches. Now stop and turn your work so that you’re looking at the wrong side of the 13 stitches you just knit. Starting with the last stitch you knit, slip that one without knitting it, then purl the next 12 stitches. Knit the seam stitch and purl the next 13 stitches.

Now, turn your work back around so that the right side is facing you again. If you want to make the heels a contrasting color, you can either change the yarn here, or wait until you are half way through your heel flap. Personally, I prefer to wait until I’m halfway through my heel flap, but it’s up to you. If you want to change colors, leave a tail of about 3 inches, then break off the main color yarn. Take the end of your contrast color and tie the two together in a loose one loop bow, or a loose square knot, leaving the tails inside your sock (we’ll come back and finish them off at the end).

If you changed colors, at this point, knit all your stitches, even the first one, so that you’ll have an even line of color where the color changes. If you are continuing with the main color, starting with the last stitch that you purled, slip it, and knit back across these 27 stitches. When you get to the seam stitch, knit that as well. It will now become just another stitch in your heel flap.

When you get to the 27th stitch, and the edge of your heel flap, turn it back around and get ready to purl back in the other direction. But this time we’re going to do something a little different. Slip the first stitch, then purl the second. Slip the third stitch and purl the fourth. Continue across your heel flap, alternately slipping one stitch and purling one stitch until you get all the way across. ALWAYS purl the last stitch in the row before you flip back to the knitting side.

If you are going to change colors when your heel flap is 1.5 inches long, remember to keep measuring so you will know when your heel flap is ready to change colors. Change when you are ready to start a right side (all knit) row, and remember to knit every single stitch of that first row in the new color.

Keep alternating between knitting on the right side of the heel flap and slip-purl-slip-purl on the wrong side of the heel flap until your heel flap is 3 inches long. End ready to knit the next row, and we’ll move on to “turning the heel.”

Turning the heel: Divide the stitches on your heel flap roughly by four. Your heel flap is 27 stitches, so we’re going to say that one quarter is 7 stitches.

Starting with the right side of the heel flap facing you:

Row 1. Slip one, knit straight across until you have 8 stitches still un-knit. Now knit the next two stitches together. There will be 6 stitches left un-knit. Ignoring the un-knit stitches, flip the work so that the wrong side of the heel flap is facing you.

Row 2: The stitch you just made is now the first on the needle. Slip it and purl straight across until you have 8 stitches still un-purled. Now purl the next two stitches together. There should now be 6 stitches left un-purled. Ignoring the remaining un-purled stitches, flip the work back so that the right side of the heel flap is facing you again.

Row 3: Look at your knitting. Can you see the “gap” that was made by knitting two stitches together? You are now going to continue alternately knitting and purling across, each time knitting or purling together the two stitches on either side of the “gap.”

Slip the first stitch (which you just made when you purled two stitches together in the last row). Knit straight across until you have 7 stitches un-knit, one before the gap, 6 after it. Knit together the stitch before the gap with the first stitch after the gap. You should now have 5 stitches left un-knit. Flip the work so that the wrong side of the heel flap is facing you.

Row 4: Purl straight across until you have 7 stitches un-purled, one before the gap, 6 after the “gap.” Purl together the last stitch before the gap and the first stitch after the gap. There are now have 5 stitches left un-purled. Flip the work so that the right side of the heel flap is facing you.

Row 5: Knit straight across until you have 6 stitches un-knit, one before the gap, and 5 on the other side of it. Knit together those two stitches. There are now 4 stitches left un-knit. Flip the work so that the wrong side of the heel flap is facing you.

Row 6: Purl straight across until you have 6 stitches un-purled, one before the gap, and 5 after the gap. Purl together the stitch before the gap to the first one after the gap. There will be 4 stitches left un-purled. Flip the work so that the right side of the heel flap is facing you.

Row 7: Knit straight across until you have 5 stitches un-knit, one before the gap, 4 on the far side. Knit together the two stitches on either side of gap. There will now be 3 stitches left un-knit. Flip the work so that the wrong side of the heel flap is facing you.

Row 8: Purl straight across until you have 5 stitches un-purled, one before the gap, and 4 after it. Purl together the next two stitches (one from either side of the “gap”). There will now be 3 stitches left un-purled. Flip the work so that the right side of the heel flap is facing you.

Row 9: Knit straight across until you have 4 stitches un-knit, one before the gap, 3 on the far side. Knit together the two stitches on either side of gap. You should now have 2 stitches left un-knit. Flip the work so that the wrong side of the heel flap is facing you.

Row 10: Purl straight across until you have 4 stitches un-purled, one before the gap, and 3 after it. Purl together the one stitch before the gap to the first stitch after it. There will be 2 stitches left un-purled. Flip the work so that the right side of the heel flap is facing you.

Row 11: Knit straight across until you have 3 stitches un-knit, one before the gap, 2 on the far side of the gap. Knit together the stitch before the gap to the first stitch after the gap. There will be 1 stitch left un-purled. Flip the work so that the wrong side of the heel flap is facing you.

Row 12: Purl straight across until you have 3 stitches un-purled, one before the gap, and 2 after it. Purl together the stitch before the gap, and the first stitch after the gap. There will be 1 stitch left un-purled. Flip the work so that the right side of the heel flap is facing you.

Row 13: Knit straight across until you have 2 stitches un-knit, one before the gap, 1 on the far side. Knit together the last two remaining stitches. Flip the work so that the wrong side of the heel flap is facing you.

Row 14: Purl straight across until you have 2 stitches un-purled, one before the gap, and 1 after it. Purl those two stitches together. Flip the work so that the right side of the heel flap is facing you.

You should have 13 stitches left on your needle. Now, for the final time, knit back across each of the 13 stitches. Congratulations! You just “turned the heel!

Knitting the Foot: If you have used a contrasting color for the heel, return to the main color. Again, leave a tail of about 3 inches on both colors of yarn and loosely tie them together inside your sock. Look at your sock. With the right side facing you, position the sock so that it’s like a little open mouth, with the heel flap as the tongue, sticking it out at you and saying “Ah-h-h-h-h-h.” Along the “upper lip” are the stitches which will form the top of your sock foot. There are also stitches across the bottom of the “tongue” (the heel flap). But to knit a foot we’re going to have to have stitches connecting the end of the “tongue” to the “upper lip.” Take a minute to examine the right and left edges of your heel flap. Locate a row or two across the heel flap. At the edge of that row, there is a little band of yarn that connects each row to the one above and below it. We are going to use that little band to create a stitch between each row on both sides of your heel flap.

Picking up stitches: Starting at the left hand corner of your heel flap (your yarn should already be there), locate the left hand edge of the first row of stitches along the side of your heel flap. Take a small crochet hook and insert it along the edge, just between the first and second row of stitches. Wrap your yarn around the crochet hook and draw the yarn back out between the two rows, forming a stitch. Move this stitch onto an empty needle. Move up to the thread that connects the edge of the second and third rows. Insert the crochet hook again, wrap the yarn around it, and pull it through to the right side of the heel flap. Place this stitch on the needle with the first stitch. Do this all the way up the left hand side of the heel flap until you reach the point that the instep stitches start. You should have 12 stitches on this needle.

Knit across all the 27 instep stitches, until you get to the top of the heel flap on the right hand side. Pick up 12 stitches all the way down the right hand side of the heel flap just as you did up the left hand side. You should now have a needle with the 12 stitches on the left hand side of the heel flap, the two needles holding the 27 instep stitches, a needle holding the 12 stitches down the right hand side of the heel flap and a needle holding the 13 stitches at the bottom of the heel.

You should have a total of 64 stitches on your needles.

We’re going to move the stitches as follows:

1. Starting at the middle of the bottom of the heel, slip the six left hand stitches on to the same needle that holds all the left hand stitches up the side of the heel flap. This will be Needle Number 1. There should be 18 stitches on this needle.

2. Needle number 2 holds 13 of the instep stitches.

3. Needle number 3 holds the remaining 14 instep stitches.

4. Needle number 4 holds the 12 stitches down the left side of the heel and the remaining 7 heel stitches.

Knit as follows:

Row 1:
Needle 1: Starting with needle number one, knit until you have only three stitches left on the needle, then slip one, knit one, pass the slipped stitch over the knit stitch and off the needle, so that it drops down around that stitch. Knit the last stitch on that needle.

Needle 2: Knit straight across.

Needle 3: Knit straight across.

Needle 3: Knit the first stitch, slip one, knit one, pass the slipped stitch over the knit stitch and knit all the rest of the stitches on that needle.

Row 2. Knit all stitches on needles 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Row 3: Repeat Row 1.

Continue repeating Rows 1 and 2 until you have 46 stitches on your needles.

Foot: Knit plain until your foot is 3 ¾ inches short of the finished length of your desired sock foot.

If you want the finished length of the sock to be 10 inches, you should start the toe when the sock foot (including the heel) measures 6 ¼ inches.

If you want the finished length of the sock foot to be 11 inches, you should start the toe when the sock foot (including the heel) measures 7 ¼ inches.

If you want the finished length of the sock foot to be 12 inches you should start the toe when it is 8 ¼ inches long, including the heel.

If you measured the foot of the person who will be wearing the socks, or if you took a tracing of their foot, you can use this to modify the length of the foot, start the toe shaping when you are 3 ¾ inches from the finished size of the foot.

Toe: Once your sock foot is the right length, it is time to make the toe. Nancy Bush in Folk Socks refers to this toe as the “Round Toe” and it is a very common way to make period sock toes.

Contrasting Color Toes: If you are using a contrasting color for toes, now is the time to switch to your contrasting color, remembering to leave a tail of about 3 inches for each color, loosely knotted together..

Row 1: Knit 6, slip one, knit one, pass the slipped stitch over the knit stitch. Repeat this sequence of stitches over and over again the entire length of the row. If there are an odd number of stitches left over, knit them all plain.

Row 2-7: Knit plain.

Row 8: Knit 5, slip one, knit one, pass the slipped stitch over the knit stitch. Repeat this sequence of stitches over and over again the entire length of the row. If there are an odd number of stitches left over, knit them all plain.

Row 9-13: Knit plain.

Row 14: Knit 4, slip one, knit one, pass the slipped stitch over the knit stitch. Repeat this sequence of stitches over and over again the entire length of the row. If there are an odd number of stitches left over, knit them all plain.

Row 15 – 18: Knit plain

Row 19: Knit 3, slip one, knit one, pass the slipped stitch over the knit stitch. Repeat this sequence of stitches over and over again the entire length of the row. If there are an odd number of stitches left over, knit them all plain.

Row 20 – 22: Knit plain

Row 23: Knit 2, slip one, knit one, pass the slipped stitch over the knit stitch. Repeat this sequence of stitches over and over again the entire length of the row. If there are an odd number of stitches left over, knit them all plain.

Rows 24 and 25: Knit plain.

Row 26: Knit 1, slip one, knit one, pass the slipped stitch over the knit stitch. Repeat this sequence of stitches over and over again the entire length of the row. If there are an odd number of stitches left over, knit them all plain.

Row 27: Knit plain.

Row 28: Knit two stitches together. In other words, insert your needle into two stitches rather than one, and knit them as though they were just one stitch. Do this over and over again the entire length of the row.

Break off your yarn with a tail of about 4 inches. Thread it through a darning needle and run this yarn through all the remaining stitches, drawing them up tight into a little circle. Weave the yarn in and out of the stitches in the area to secure it, then stick it through the middle of the circle into the sock.

Turn your sock inside out, carefully holding the darning needle in the middle of the circle. Pull the darning needle through, until the yarn is taunt, but not too tight. Now, weave the remaining tail through the inside surface of the sock for about an inch in one direction, then reverse and run back in the other direction. You want to catch the inside surface of the sock, but not go through it. When you’ve done this back and forth a couple of times, cut the tail off close to the surface, so you that you don’t leave a loose end.

Finishing: Look through your sock for any little bows or loose knots where you changed colors. Untie these, and thread each remaining “tail” in turn through your darning needle, then weave it into the inside of your sock. Be careful when you get to the parts where there are contrasting colors that you don’t leave a spot of contrasting color on the right side of your sock. Once you’ve woven the ends in, cut the extra off each tail so it can’t be told where the tail was.

“To Run the Heels and Toes:” In the original pattern the last step is to “run heels and toes.” “Running a heel” is a 19th century term for a way of reinforcing the heels and toes of a sock. The knitter would take a darning needle, thread it with extra sock yarn, and then use a “running” stitch all over the inside surface of the bottom of the toe, and the bottom and sides of the heel. Because you are knitting with worsted weight yarn, you’ll need to split your yarn to get reinforcing yarn that is thin enough to do this. Cut a length of yarn about 12 inches long. Look at the end and pull apart the two or three threads that make up your yarn, so that you have two 12-inch lengths of thinner yarn. Thread one onto a darning needle. Don’t make a knot at the end of your “running yarn.” Don’t go all the way through the sock – just shallowly dip the needle down so that it slides under the surface of the inside of the sock. You can take fairly large “running stitches” and just go back and forth inside first the heel and then the toe. To make sure that you don’t accidentally sew the sock closed, it’s a good idea to insert a darning egg, a light bulb or a potato inside the sock to help hold it open.

Congratulations! You made a sock!

How To > Patterns > AGSAS Soldiers Sock Pattern

Atlantic Guard Soldiers’ Aid Society

"Directions for Knitting Socks" from the United States Sanitary Commission Bulletin, Volume I, Number 31, February 1, 1865, p. 963

Modern Interpretation for Intermediate Knitters

Yarn: 5 ounces 3/8 Jagger Spun yarn (1490 yards per pound). Contrasting heels and toes: 3 ounces of contrast color.

Needles: Use a set of five American size 1 needles (2.25 mm) or size to make gauge.
If you prefer to knit with four double point needles, one circular or two circulars, adjust these instructions accordingly

Gauge: 9 stitches to the inch, or change your needle size to achieve this gauge. Vertical gauge: 11 rows per inch.

I Never Swatch, Why Swatch now? Socks have to be large enough to fit comfortably, but small enough that there isn’t extra sock bunching up inside the wearer’s shoe. It is wise to do a four- inch square swatch to make sure that your choice of needles and yarn can achieve the proper gauge. Some people knit more tightly than others, and after making your swatch, some will want to use size 0 (2.0 mm) needles to make denser socks.

What Size Will Fit?

Knitters who donated socks didn’t know the size of the wearer’s leg, and fit would be more approximate. Just pick a size and knit the socks using those directions.

However, if you are knitting these socks for a particular person to wear, you want them to fit well. Two measurements are crucial: a) how big around to make the leg and b) how long to make the foot. Start with these two measurements for the person who will be wearing your socks.

19th Century Sizes
Some people believe “people were smaller then” – but the average height of soldiers in the Civil War was 5’ 8” – most wearers will fit into the size feet included in this pattern. What has changed is that some modern people weigh much more than Civil War soldiers did – so you may have to make the sock legs a little larger around.

Leg Size: We tried on socks made to each size to see how large a leg they could comfortably fit. The “small size” can stretch to snugly fit a leg that is up to 13 inches around. The “medium” will fit a leg that is up to 14 inches around, and the “large” will fit a leg that is up to 15 inches around. If the person who will be wearing the socks has a calf that is bigger than 15 inches around, you may want to adjust accordingly (see below).

How many stitches to cast on for a good fit in the leg:
Measure from the floor up the wearer’s leg 13 inches. Using a tape measure, measure how big around the leg is at this point (circumference).

Multiply this number by your stitches per inch (from your gauge swatch).
Subtract 30%. Your new total is the number of stitches to cast on.

Foot Size: The original pattern provides instructions for making three sizes: small (10 inch foot); medium (11 inch foot); and large (12 inch foot). We have included these choices in the pattern – throughout the pattern, when you see three notations for a given measure, the first number will be for the small size, the second for the medium and the third for the large size. \

If the wearer has a foot that is smaller than 10 inches long or larger than 12 inches long, you’ll need to alter the length of your sock. Either have the wearer stand on a ruler to give you the exact length, or make a tracing of his or her foot and use that to measure.

Ribbing: I find it helpful to use four double points to hold my stitches, using a fifth as my working needle. If you prefer to use three double points to hold the stitches and work with the fourth, or like to make socks with circular needles, adjust the pattern accordingly.

If you are using four needles to hold the work (with a fifth needle for knitting), divide your work as follows:
Cast on 65: 16 stitches on three needles, with 17 stitches on the fourth.
Cast on 70:18 stitches on three needles, with 16 stitches on the fourth.
Cast on 75: 19 stitches on three needles, with 18 on the fourth.

Make your ribbing using either a) knit one, purl one or b) knit two, purl two. If you cast on an odd number of stitches, be careful to remember this when you get back to the starting place, so that your ribbing will line up. It’s helpful to split your work so that you begin each new needle with a knit stitch.. Some people keep the tail of their cast on as a marker for the beginning of a new row – or you might want to add a knitting marker at the beginning of the row, so that you remember where it is. Continue this pattern until your ribbing is 3 ½ inches long.

Leg: Once you have completed the ribbing, begin to knit the sock leg in stockinette stitch (knit all the stitches), making the first stitch on one needle a purl stitch, so that you are forming your “seam stitch” down the back of the sock leg. The seam stitch won’t show very much on the outside of your sock, but you’ll clearly be able to see it when you look inside your sock leg on the wrong side of the knitting.

Keep knitting the same way until your sock leg is 6 ½ inches long (if you prefer to measure from the very beginning of your work, the ribbing and the sock leg should together measure 10 inches). Once you have completed the sock leg, it is time to begin the heel flap.

Heel Flap: Making the heel is the part of the sock which has the most mythology about it. Don’t try to understand what is happening – when I first started to knit socks, one of my teachers said “There is a little miracle in the middle of each sock – the turning of the heel. Don’t try to figure it out in your head, just do EXACTLY what the directions tell you to do without thinking about it and at the end you’ll have a heel.” She was so right – I made about 35 pair of socks before I could understand what was happening when I made a heel.

When you make a heel, the first step is to knit a little flap, just like the tongue of a shoe. This flap will fold down around the back of the wearer’s heel and then join to cup the bottom of the heel. To form the heel flap, you will be knitting back and forth on only a few needles, ignoring (for the present), the needles holding the rest of the stitches.

Locate your purl (or seam) stitch. This will be the center of your heel flap. Divide your work onto two halves -- the stitches that will become the heel flap and those that will form the top of the sock foot.

The seam stitch should be in the middle of the heel flap stitches. If you cast on 75 stitches, you should have a heel flap of 37 stitches (18 stitches, the seam stitch in the middle, then 18 more stitches). The remaining 38 stitches on the other two needles are going to form the top of the foot (the instep) but first we’re going to just concentrate on the 37 stitches of the heel flap.

If you cast on 70 stitches, your heel flap will be 35 stitches (17 stitches, the seam stitch in the middle, 17 more stitches). The remaining 35 stitches on the other two needles are going to form the top of the foot (the instep) but first we’re going to just concentrate on the 35 stitches of the heel flap.

If you cast on 65 stitches, your heel flap will be 33 stitches (16 stitches, the seam stitch in the middle, and 16 more stitches). The remaining 32 stitches on the other two needles are going to form the top of the foot (the instep) but first we’re going to just concentrate on the 33 stitches of the heel flap.

If you cast on a different amount, divide the total number of stitches in half (you need to have an odd number, because your seam stitch will be in the middle) and that will be the number of stitches on your heel flap. The remaining stitches on the other two needles are going to form the top of the foot (the instep) but first we’re going to just concentrate on the heel flap stitches.

Slip the stitches for the heel flap on two needles, and the stitches for the top of the sock on two.

If you want Contrasting Color Heels: Some people change colors at this point, others knit an inch or more of their heel flap in the main color before changing to the heel color. It’s up to you when to change, but it’s best to do so at the end of a row, and easiest when you are about to do a right side row (with the right side of the heel flap facing you). If you’re changing colors now, cut off your yarn about 2 inches from the knitting. Loosely tie the first two inches of the new color to your old color yarn. Then choose which of the two heel flaps (see below) and knit on – leave the loose knot for now, when you’re finished with the entire sock, you’ll go back and weave in the ends. We’ll discuss this more at the end.

Choice of Heel Flaps:
This pattern includes a choice of two ways to make a heel flap:

Version A:
Row 1: Slip first stitch from one needle to the other without knitting it (this is called “slpping a stitch”), knit straight across, remembering to purl the seam stitch when you come to it.

Row 2: Slip the first stitch, purl straight across; remembering to knit the seam stitch when you come to it.

Repeat these two rows until your heel flap is three inches in length, and end ready to start a right side row..

Version B:
This version of the heel flap will add durability to your heel and make it last much longer.

Row 1: Slip first stitch from one needle to the other without knitting it (this is called “slpping a stitch”), knit straight across, remembering to purl the seam stitch when you come to it.

Row 2: Slip first stitch, then purl one stitch, then slip the third stitch, and purl the next stitch. Alternate purling and slipping stitches across the heel flap. Knit the seam stitch when you come to it.

Repeat these two rows until your heel flap is three inches in length, and end ready to start a right side row.

Turning the heel: You’re about to turn the heel. At this point, if you maintained your seam stitch through the heel flap, you’re now doing to just knit it as you would any other stitch. It’s done it’s work.

Mentally divide the number of stitches on your heel flap roughly by four.
If your heel flap is 33 stitches, one quarter is 8 stitches.
If your heel flap is 35 stitches, one quarter is 9 stitches.
If your heel flap is 37 stitches, one quarter is 10 stitches.
If your heel flap is any other number, figure out what a quarter of the stitches would be and write it here __________.

Starting with the right side of the heel flap facing you:

If your heel flap is 33 stitches:
Row 1. Slip one, then knit straight across (knit the seam stitch as a regular stitch) until you have 8 stitches still un-knit. Now knit the next two stitches together. There should now be 7 stitches left un-knit. Ignore the un-knit stitches, and flip the entire sock so that the wrong side of the heel flap is facing you.

Row 2: Purl straight across until you have 8 stitches still un-purled. Now purl the next two stitches together. There should now be 7 stitches left un-purled. Ignore the un-purled stitches, and flip the entire sock back so that the right side of the heel flap is facing you again.

Row 3: Look at your knitting. You should be able to clearly see the “gap” that was made by knitting two stitches together in two places on this heel flap. You are now going to continue alternately knitting and purling across, each time knitting or purling together the two stitches on either side of the “gap.”

Knit straight across until you have 7 stitches un-knit. Knit the next two stitches together (one from either side of the “gap”). You should now have 6 stitches left un-knit. Flip the work so that the wrong side of the heel flap is facing you.

Row 4: Purl straight across until you have 7 stitches un-purled. Purl the next two stitches together (one from either side of the “gap”). You should now have 6 stitches left un-purled. Flip the work so that the right side of the heel flap is facing you.

Continue in this manner until all the stitches have been knit off the needle. No matter how many stitches you cast on, when your heel is completely turned, you should have 17 stitches on your needle at the bottom of your heel flap.

Move 9 of these stitches onto another needle. Now there should be 9 are on one needle, and 8 on another. If you have used a contrasting color for the heel, now is the point to switch back to the main color to make the sock foot. Cut your yarn, leaving a two-inch tail and loosely tie the main color to it. You will knit the rest of the foot in the main color.

Skip down to “Pick up stitches along the left side of the heel flap…”

If your heel flap is 35 stitches:
Row 1. Slip one, then knit straight across (knit the seam stitch as a regular stitch) until you have 9 stitches still unknit. Now knit the next two stitches together. There should now be 8 stitches left unknit. Ignore the unknit stitches, and flip the entire sock so that the wrong side of the heel flap is facing you.

Row 2: Purl straight across until you have 9 stitches still unpurled. Now purl the next two stitches together. There should now be 8 stitches left unpurled. Ignore the unpurled stitches, and flip the entire sock back so that the right side of the heel flap is facing you again.

Knit straight across until you have 8 stitches un-knit. Knit the next two stitches together (one from either side of the “gap”). You should now have 7 stitches left unknit. Flip the work so that the wrong side of the heel flap is facing you.

Row 4: Purl straight across until you have 8 stitches unpurled. Purl the next two stitches together (one from either side of the “gap”). You should now have 7 stitches left unpurled. Flip the work so that the right side of the heel flap is facing you.

Skip down to “Pick up stitches along the left side of the heel flap…”

If your heel flap is 37 stitches:
Row 1. Slip one, then knit straight across (knit the seam stitch as a regular stitch) until you have 10 stitches still unknit. Now knit the next two stitches together. There should now be 9 stitches left unknit. Ignore the unknit stitches, and flip the entire sock so that the wrong side of the heel flap is facing you.

Row 2: Purl straight across until you have 10 stitches still unpurled. Now purl the next two stitches together. There should now be 9 stitches left unpurled. Ignore the unpurled stitches, and flip the entire sock back so that the right side of the heel flap is facing you again.

Knit straight across until you have 9 stitches un-knit. Knit the next two stitches together (one from either side of the “gap”). You should now have 8 stitches left unknit. Flip the work so that the wrong side of the heel flap is facing you.

Row 4: Purl straight across until you have 9 stitches unpurled. Purl the next two stitches together (one from either side of the “gap”). You should now have 8 stitches left unpurled. Flip the work so that the right side of the heel flap is facing you.

Pick up stitches along the left side of the heel flap: With the wrong side of the heel flap facing up you are now going to “pick up” stitches along the left side of the heel flap. Look at the edge of the heel flap and see the stitches along the outer edge. Notice that between each row of horizontal stitches, on the edge of the heel flap there is a little “V” stitch that joins each row to the next. Using a spare knitting needle or a crochet hook, insert it from the left underneath that “joiner” stitch between the first two rows, catch a loop of yarn and pull it back out to the outer edge of the heel flap, forming a stitch. Place this on the knitting needle on the left side of your heel flap. Pick up one stitch between each row of the heel flap along up the left hand side of the heel flap, heading toward the needle that has been holding your instep stitches (the stitches that will form the top of the sock foot)..

Knit across all the instep stitches.

Now, stop and count the total number of stitches you picked up down the left hand side of the heel flap, including the 9 heel stitches you started with on that needle(don’t include the instep stitches). You’ll want to pick up the same number of stitches down the right hand side of the heel flap (remembering to also include the stitches at the bottom of the heel on the right hand side).

You’re now ready to start knitting the foot!

Joining the heel to the foot: Stop and look at your needles. Holding the sock so that you’re looking into it, with the instep needles closest to the ceiling and the needles holding the stitches down the side of each heel flap along each side. We’re going to number them again. Needle 1 holds half the stitches that remained after you turned the heel, and all the stitches up the left side of your heel flap. Needles 2 and 3 are holding your instep stitches. Needle 4 holds all the stitches picked up on the right hand side of the heel and half the stitches that remained when you finished turning the heel.

Knit as follows:

Row 1:
Needle 1: Starting with needle number one, knit until you have only three stitches left on the needle, then slip one, knit one, and then reach back with your left needle and pass the slipped stitch over the knit that was knitted, and drop it down over the slipped stitch, and off the needle. Knit the last stitch on that needle.
Needle 2: Knit straight across.
Needle 3: Knit straight across.
Needle 4: Knit the first stitch, slip one, knit one, reach back with your left needle and pass the slipped stitch so that it drops over the knit stitch (and off the needle) and knit all the rest of the stitches on that needle.

Row 2. Knit all stitches on needles 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Row 3: Repeat Row 1.

Continue repeating Rows 1 and 2 until you have the same number of stitches on your needles as you originally cast on (if you are using the original Sanitary Commission’s cast on, this will be 65: 70 or 75). You have now finished the heel and are about to knit the foot.

Knitting the Foot: First we’re going to plan this -- your foot is going to be made 2 ½ inches shorter than you want the finished sock to be. If you are making and of the sizes that were given in the original Sanitary Commission directions, this means that you will start shaping the toe when your sock is 7 ½, 8 ½ or 9 ½ inches long. If you are making a different sized foot, subtract 2 ½ inches from the finished length.

Toe: Once your sock foot is long enough that you only need 2 ½ inches more knitting to have it be the exact length of the wearer’s foot, it is time to make the toe. If you are making the toes of a contrasting color, now is the time to switch yarn (again remembering to leave a 2 inch tail on each color for weaving in afterward).

The toe for this sock is an extremely common way to make 19th century sock toes -- Nancy Bush in Folk Socks refers to this toe as the “Round Toe.”

Row 1: Knit 6 stitches, then slip one stitch, knit one stitch, reach back with your left needle and pass the slipped stitch over the knit that was knitted, drop it down over the slipped stitch, and off the needle. Knit 6 more stitches, then slip one stitch, knit one stitch, reach back with your left needle and pass the slipped stitch over the knit that was knitted, drop it down over the slipped stitch, and off the needle. Repeat this the entire row. If there are odd stitches left at the end, knit the remaining stitches on that row plain.

Row 2-7: Knit six rows plain.

Row 8: Knit 5 stitches, then slip one stitch, knit one stitch, reach back with your left needle and pass the slipped stitch over the knit that was knitted, drop it down over the slipped stitch, and off the needle. Repeat this the entire row. If there are odd stitches left at the end, knit them plain..

Row 9-13: Knit five rows plain.

Row 14: Knit 4 stitches, then slip one stitch, knit one stitch, reach back with your left needle and pass the slipped stitch over the knit that was knitted, drop it down over the slipped stitch, and off the needle. Repeat this the entire row. If there are stitches left at the end, knit them plain.

Row 15 – 18: Knit four rows plain.

Row 19: Knit 3 stitches, then slip one stitch, knit one stitch, reach back with your left needle and pass the slipped stitch over the knit that was knitted, drop it down over the slipped stitch, and off the needle. Repeat this the entire row. If there are stitches left at the end, knit them plain.

Row 20 – 22: Knit three rows plain

Row 23: Knit 2 stitches, then slip one stitch, knit one stitch, reach back with your left needle and pass the slipped stitch over the knit that was knitted, drop it down over the slipped stitch, and off the needle. Repeat this the entire row. If there are stitches left at the end, knit them plain.

Row 24 - 25: Knit two rows plain.

Row 26: Knit 1, then slip one stitch, knit one stitch, reach back with your left needle and pass the slipped stitch over the knit that was knitted, drop it down over the slipped stitch, and off the needle. Repeat this the entire row. If there is one stitch left at the end, knit it plain.

Row 27: Knit this row plain.

Row 28: Knit two together, over and over again until you’ve finished that row.

Break off your yarn with a tail of about 3 inches. Thread it through a darning needle and run this yarn through all the remaining stitches, drawing them up tight into a little circle. Weave the yarn in and out of the stitches in the area to secure it, then poke it carefully through the center of the circle, just until the needle is inside the sock.. Carefully turn the sock inside out, and weave the end of the yarn in the darning needle into the inside of some of the inside stitches, then cut it off.

Finishing: Look through your sock for any little bows or loose knots where you changed colors. Untie these, and thread the remaining “tails” through your darning needle, then weave the ends into the inside of your sock, being careful not to go through the sock, or leave a spot of contrasting color on the right side of your sock. Once you’ve woven the ends in, cut the extra off each tail so that you can’t tell where the tail was.

“To Run the Heels and Toes:” In the original pattern the last step is to “run heels and toes.” “Running a heel” is a 19th century term for a way of reinforcing the heels and toes of a sock. The knitter would take a darning needle, thread it with extra sock yarn, and then use a “running” stitch all over the inside surface of the bottom of the toe, and the bottom and sides of the heel. Don’t make a knot at the end of your “running yarn.” Don’t go all the way through the sock – just shallowly dip the needle down so that it slides under the surface of the inside of the sock. You can take fairly large “running stitches” and just go back and forth inside first the heel and then the toe. To make sure that you don’t accidentally sew the sock closed, it’s a good idea to insert a darning egg, a light bulb or a potato inside the sock to help hold it open.

Congratulations! You’ve made a sock!

Find a mistake? Was something confusing? Let us know and we will revise the pattern and publicly thank you for helping to make it better. Send a note with your comments or corrections to me at ktimour@aol.com.