Faith...

...or how turning a heel is a lot like life.

Knitting is an act of faith. Faith in your skills, the pattern, your needles, your yarn. As much as you plan and swatch and sketch, there is no guaranteeing the results. I found this to be particularly true making my first heel.

I had never seen a knitted heel up close before, so I had no real visual guide. I read and re-read the instructions, blindly following them to the letter. I watched as my sock grew a flap. I felt a little weird turning the work in the middle of the row, and the gussets took forever for me to understand. But I did it, and from the dark tunnel of the ankle tube and my doubts emerged a perfectly respectable heel.

So turning a heel is a lot like life...it's confusing, scary, and even though you're trying your hardest, you don't know if it will work. It seems to be an incomprehensible mess until you reach the other side and the beauty of the plan is made apparent.