Sock Knitting to Occupy My Hands with Other Than Food

I have been watching a lot of Netflix lately. It's my evening pleasure, catching up on years of shows I missed (all the Star Treks, Battlestar Galactica, 24) as well as movies (Tiny Furniture the latest) and some old favorites (Cheers, Frasier.) Unfortunately, I found myself getting pretty munchy, and though I have a pretty clean diet these days, even the healthiest food has those darn calories.

Knitting socks instead of munching is so win-win.  I used to take forever to finish a pair of socks.  That pair on the right in the picture? At least two years. a victim of a raging case of Second Sock Syndrome.
Well, I finished it up in a couple of episodes of 24, immediately began a new pair and knitted both socks during the rest of the series.  I couldn't believe it. Finished one sock and immediately started the second.

Needed some more Kiefer Sutherland, so began to watch his new series, Touch, and I'm well along on the first sock of another pair.  These socks are all Opal (I have a huge Opal stash, acquired at a very reasonable price, thanks to a German eBay seller who listed bags of Opal & other German sock yarn with a "make an offer" button.)  I like to make solid cuffs, heels and toes. I'm just not fond of the way heels look in patterned sock yarns, and there is something that aesthetically pleases me about the complement of the solid colors, the way it frames those patterns in the body of the sock.

So the yarn is Opal and the pattern is my own personal basic sock pattern. One of the things I hoped to do in this spate of sock knitting is to "get" the pattern. Especially the heel turn. To be able to do it in my sleep, to not have to refer to the written instructions. I have probably written this before, but the "how" of heel turning eludes me. I follow the directions and they are like a magic spell - poof! - a turned heel! Wow, how did that happen?

 I have no idea how it happened. I can't visualize what is going on with those short rows. So I'm hoping to change that, to understand the process.  I want to be able to turn a heel with any number of stitches, just in case.  I feel like understanding this will also give me more insight into knitting structure. Also prepare me for any apocalypse which might involve the destruction of all written knitting instruction.

I looked up heel turning and found this handy chart - who knew there were so many varieties of knitted heels! The one I use is the one called Rounder Heel.   I still have a way to go to being able to visualize what is going on with the turning. 

Getting down to the toe of the sock - I love the nice rounded toe in my pattern and the Kitchener stitch finish. There is something beautiful about closing the sock with that seamless stitch.  And I totally get that bit of magic!