I’ve knit a ton of socks in all shapes, sizes, colors, stitches, you name it. I rarely make a sock using a peasant heel. For an ankle sock I perfer to use a peasant heel because it seems to help the cuff “hug” the ankle. It works great with self-striping yarn and especially stranded / fair isle socks.

Here’s how I make an ankle sock with a peasant heel.

♥ You’ll need the following ♥

Set of four or five 3.75mm DPNs (have you tried Harmony Wood needles by Knit Picks?)

Medium worsted weight yarn or a yarn that gives you a gauge of 6 stitches x 7 rows to an inch

Size “D” crochet hook

Blunt tapestry needle

♥ Abbreviations ♥

K – Knit

K2tog – Knit 2 stitches together

K2tog tbl – Knit 2 stitches together through the back loop

M1 – Knit into the front and back of stitch to increase

P – Purl

Psso – Pass Slipped Stitch(es) Over

Sl – Slip

St(s) – Stitch(es)

(11-22-11) – Needle 1 has 11 sts, Needle 2 has 22 sts, Needle 3 has 11 sts

¨°ºöº°¨ Knitting the Cuff ¨°ºöº°¨

Cast on 44 stitches. Divide onto 3 needles. (11-22-11)

Round 1-5: Work in K1, P1 ribbing.

Round 6: *K11, M1 repeat from * to *. (12-24-12)

Round 7: Knit across needles 1 and 2.

¨°ºöº°¨ Peasant Heel Set up ¨°ºöº°¨

Slip the stitches from needles 3 and 1 onto a strand of [thick] scrap yarn. Do not tie the yarn. Just let it hang as is from either end.

Cast on 24 stitches using the backward loop cast on. Divide onto 2 needles.

Note: To determine the length of the foot, we will measure from these cast on stitches.

Knit across needles 2 and 3.

Now we’re back at needle 1 and ready to being working in the round.

¨°ºöº°¨ Knitting the Foot ¨°ºöº°¨

Continue working in the round [stockinette stitch] until the foot measures 5 inches less than the desired finished length.

¨°ºöº°¨ Shaping the Toe ¨°ºöº°¨

Round 1:

     Needle 1- K to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1

     Needle 2- K1, K2tog tbl, K to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1

     Needle 3- K1, K2tog tbl, K to end.

Round 2: Knit even

Repeat rounds 1 and 2 until there are 16  sts remaining. (4-8-4)

Knit across needle 1.

Cut yarn leaving a 10 inch tail. Slip the toe sts onto a [thick] strand of scrap yarn.

¨°ºöº°¨ Peasant Heel Set-up ¨°ºöº°¨

Hold the sock with the toe pointing away from you. Working from right to left, slip the first 12 heel sts off of the scrap yarn and on to a needle. This is Needle 3.

Slip the next 12 sts onto another needle. This is Needle 1.

Knit across Needle 1. With Needle 1, pick up and knit two sts at gap between Needles 1 and 2.

Note: I pick up sts along the cast on row using a crochet hook because it’s just easier for me and I find that my new sts look more like actual knit stitches.

Slip the crochet hook from side to back to other side of first knit st of cast on row

(yarn over and pull loop through) 2 times.

Continue picking up sts along cast on row until you have 24 sts on the crochet hook.

Slip the sts off of the crochet hook and onto a needle. This is Needle 2.

With another needle pick up and knit 2 sts along gap between Needles 2 and 3. With this same needle Knit across needle 3. (14-24-14)

¨°ºöº°¨ Knitting the Heel ¨°ºöº°¨

Round 1:

     Needle 1- Knit to last 3 sts, Sl the next 2 sts as if to Purl, K1, psso

     Needle 2-Knit across

     Needle 3- Sl the next 2 sts as if to Purl, K1, psso, Knit to end of round. (12-24-12)

Round 2: Knit even.

Round 3:

     Needle 1: Knit to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1

     Needle 2: K1, K2tog tbl, Knit to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1

     Needle 3: K1, K2tog tbl, Knit to end of round.

Repeat Rounds 2 and 3 until 20 sts remain. (5-10-5)

Knit across Needle 1.

Cut yarn leaving a 10 inch tail. Slip the heel sts on to a [thick] strand of scrap yarn.

¨°ºöº°¨ Finishing ¨°ºöº°¨

Turn sock inside out.

Slip the heel sts onto two needles and close using the 3 Needle Bindoff.

Slip the toe sts onto two needles and close using the 3 Needle Bind-off.

Weave in loose ends.

I spin as a hobby. I use an Ashford Traditional and as of this very moment I don’t have the jumbo flyer or bobbins. When I spin I usually spin a laceweight single, filling the bobbin to maximum capacity and then finish it off with a Navajo ply. Generally I end up with a 3 1/2 ounce skien.

My favorite fibers to spin are merino wool / silk blends as well as superfine merino. Yummy, squishy goodness! …that’s if I don’t overspin my ply. I perfer to spin undyed wool, navajo ply and then dye it myself using non-toxic dye. 

So. My question is, “What can I do with this 3 1/2 ounces of handspun love?” Well for sure I can get a pair of ankle socks. A hat, cowl, fingerless mittens…. maybe fingerfull mittens as well. I perfer to make socks with my handspun, but to tell you the truth, I’ve never worn a pair of my handspun knit socks. I fold them up neatly and stick them in my drawer where they’ll stay safe and snag-free. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got a ton of knit socks that I wear, but they’re all acrylic.