I am always up for a new way of knitting top-down socks (not such a keen fan of toe up). Anyway, this one doesn’t have a heel flap (or at least one where you knit backwards and forwards). This is what the designer (
Ailbíona McLochlainn) says
The Integrated Heel looks and fits similarly to a traditional heel flap and gusset. The difference is in the process. Like the traditional sock heel, the Integrated Heel features a heel flap, a gusset, and a turned heel. Unlike the traditional sock heel, the Integrated Heel is worked almost entirely in the round. This eliminates the need to work the heel flap back-and-forth flat, and to later pick up stitches along its edges.
The resulting benefits include: a gusset with more give (since you aren’t picking up stitches along a finished edge); fewer interruptions to workflow (which, in turn, speeds up the knitting process considerably); and excellent fit, with ample opportunity for heel-depth customisation.
I bought the pattern and used the ideas rather than the specific pattern to knit my sock. I liked it. I need to wear it a bit before deciding if it is my new go to heel type (and I still have a second sock to knit).
The yarn is from Dingo Dye Works – in the Desert Rose colourway. It’s beautiful and feels fabulous, so soft.
