I’ve been camping out with some sock knitting lately since I can take socks to work and easily knit them during meetings and trainings. Linum Tee is at a part that requires some attention to the pattern, but I’ve made so many socks that they seem to just flow out of my fingers, so they’ve been my knitting company. These are Hermione’s Everyday Socks. The pattern is a shifting k3, p1 on every other row, making them fairly automatic. I was able to work on the heel flap during a meeting yesterday afternoon, and then last night I completed the heel turn and gusset pickup. Here are a few shots of that process: 
The slipped stitch heel flap shown from the sole side. This fabric is made by doing k1, sl1 on the RS of the fabric, and purling the stitches on the WS. At this point of the sock, the instep (top of the sock) stitches are not worked and the sole is extended out in a thick flap that strengthens the heel.
When the flap is long enough, you work short rows to insert a curve into the end of the heel flap. You can see the slight curve in the photo above. The short rows start at the center stitches and move outward until the edge of the heel flap is reached. 
Then you pick up stitches along the side of the heel flap, and this becomes the gusset. I place markers on either side of the back of the heel flap because I continue the slipped stitch heel up the back of the heel for a few inches to provide strength to that part of the sock. The gusset is easy to pick up because while you’re making the heel flap you slip the first stitch of every row, leaving large loops to grab. 
When the gussets are picked up you start working the instep (top) of the sock that was previously taking a time out while you worked on the sole side for the heel flap. Now the sock is going in a different direction. Heel turns are the bomb.
OMG! I love the colors. Great job!
socks intimidate me a little…but I may give them a try sometime…these are just beautiful!
Beautiful socks, and the colors are fab! I do a sort of modified short row heel, but no matter how you do it, turning a heel is magic!
Next on my list of projects
The heel is my favorite part of socks.
Back when I taught knitting, teaching heel turns was the best part. Watching knitters look at their work like its magic never gets old.
Cassy. When you say heel turns are the bomb what do you mean???? Tricky? Easy??
They get easier and easier, like anything else. When I say they’re the bomb, I mean they make a sock completely change directions and I think they’re fascinating. 🙂
Turning a heel is such a rush. I love all the pretty pictures you posted too.
Thank you so much for the step by step with pics!!! I’ve been wanting to try the way that you do your toe up with a gusset for a while but procrastinated. Now I have no reason not to try it 🙂