So I cast on for another pair of socks...

[untonuggan]

And I have a question. If I I'm knitting a sock and I like the pattern on the "inside" better, when I get to the heel flap couldn't I just do a wrap and turn or something and flip it inside out and work the rest of the sock the other way out? I know it might affect gauge, but other than that can anyone see any problems?

(This is what happens when I experiment with yarn.)

Comments

[ngakmafaery]

...eh, you sound cleverer on this than I am, so it does indeed seem to make sense: good luck, and show us what you do please...!

[esmenet]

I think I've done this at some point. Never finished the sock, but it seemed to work.

[starfish]

Is there a reason you can't just invert the pattern (i.e. turn the purls into knits, etc)? I think turning it inside out and reversing the direction you're knitting might cause weirdness at the point you turned, where the row count doesn't match ...

also I want to see this pattern, it sounds interesting. Linky?

[rainbow]

Hmmm. I'm never sure what sort of heel it is that I make; I knit back and forth for so many rows. I don't see why one wouldn't finish the flap with a purl row, turn inside out, pretend one just did a knit row, and pick up and go from there. (Vs finishing wiht a knit row and going from there.) You might need to deal wtih a couple extra ends to weave in, but visualising, it seems like it should work just fine (granted I'm visualising a toe-up sock; I don't know if that would make a difference, but it seems like top down would be, if anything, easier).

[untonuggan]

We-ell, it's not a pattern that is officially written down or I would link it. I've been playing around a lot with knitting with a pattern for the basic structure and then choosing the stitch myself, but right now...well...I'll post photos when I'm done, how's that?

Also, I was thinking of inverting it at the beginning of the heel flap, where I figured it would make the least amount of difference.

[untonuggan]

Oh! I had not thought of doing it that way, but that makes more sense than short rows. Thank you.

[aunty_marion]

There is a pattern called Outside In, where the designer found she liked the pattern on the inside better than the one on the outside. What happens there is that the socks are actually knitted 'inside out', so you're doing mostly knits, and it has an afterthought heel, which you do after finishing the pattern past the 'gusset' position (so before you actually finish the whole sock, to allow for making the foot long enough as well as for the gusset!). I don't see why you couldn't do something like that - put in a half-round of contrast waste yarn and knit over it again the the main yarn to mark the heel position, carry on as you were, and when you're finished you can turn the sock 'inside out', pick up the stitches from round the waste yarn and do a short-row heel there. Take a look at that pattern anyway, it might give you some ideas on heel construction (the pattern is continued part-way down the heel).

[untonuggan]

Thanks! I have some ideas as to how to still do it for the heel flap and make it work, but if that totally doesn't work I'll make sure to leave a lifeline and just do it this way!