Sole Gusset

 I learned something new in knitting. New for me, anyway. I don't know how long this has been around. Haven't tried to find out. I just know I came across it and am thrilled because I don't learn something new very often in the craft of knitting. Here's the story.

I am in a Facebook group for Fairisle knitters.  A few weeks ago one of the members, Becky Van Ryzin Piette, posted a picture of some socks she'd finished.

Aren't they absolutely gorgeous? I saw these and had to knit them for my son-in-law for Christmas. She told us what pattern she used, which is on Ravelry:  Herringbone Kiel by Stephanie Van Der Linden

It is a for-pay pattern, and I wasn't interested in buying it because I'm perfectly capable of knitting socks without a pattern. I just needed a herringbone chart, which I found by way of Google. I bought some yarn. I decided on yellow and black (the ones above are yellow and dark grey with dark purple cuff, heel, and toe.). This week, with the chart I found, I got busy and got all the way to the heel being done and was about to start the gusset.

For some reason I looked up Becky's picture of her socks again and that's when I saw it. Her gusset looked different, in a way I've never seen before. The gusset doesn't start at the same place it usually does.

The blue arrows are where a gusset normally starts. The red arrows are where they started on Becky's socks.

This intrigued me. I spent a few hours trying to figure out what she'd done on my own. I just about wore out the yarn knitting, then unknitting, then repeating. I had most of it figured out, but I couldn't quite get it.

I went on Ravelry to see if she had an account there and the socks might be posted in her notebook. Lo and behold, she does. She'd put lots of notes in the project page too (HURRAY!!!), and this is where I learned she'd done something called a Sole gusset. The gusset is made on the sole. She mentioned the author of the instructions on how to do this kind of gusset, and with a little googling, I found them available for purchase on Ravelry, of all places, for the mere price of about $1.45 (in US dollars). I bought them of course.

Last night I started knitting it correctly. I've only got a couple rows done at the moment, so not big enough for a picture yet, but here's one from the tutorial, so you know where I'm going with this. The turned heel is at the top. The gusset is that nice little triangle of stripes. 

I like this better than what is normally done. The fairisle pattern goes all the way down the side of the foot, rather than what happens with the regular Dutch gusset in fairisle socks, which is to use a different very simple stitch pattern for the whole sole.

If you might be interested in trying this kind of gusset you can purchase the instructions on Ravelry here:                                    Sole Gusset by Jaana Talvitie.

Many thanks to Becky Van Ryzin Piette for allowing me to use her beautiful sock picture, and for making those socks to come along and inspire me. 

Live long and prosper. \\//