The long socks knitted for soldiers in 1918, with their "seam stitch" down the back of the leg and a heel flap.
This pattern comes from an American booklet of 1918, published during the First World War for Red Cross knitting. They are long men's socks, with a leg shaped by decreases on either side of a mock seam.
The construction is that of most classic socks: leg, heel flap, gusset, foot and grafted toe. A very good pattern to learn from.
Not yet checked by a knitter: if you find a mistake, please report it. contact@nico7an.fr
Good to know
The "seam stitch" is a purl stitch worked on every round at the center back of the leg. It imitated the seam of woven stockings and marks the decreases.
The gusset and toe are worked over 3 needles: needle 1 (half the heel and one side of the foot), needle 2 (instep), needle 3 (the other side).
Source
Handbook of Wool Knitting and Crochet, Needlecraft Publishing Company (anonyme), 1918. Project Gutenberg.
What we modernised
Measurements converted to centimeters, current needles and yarn given.
The seam stitch is placed at the beginning of the round, which makes the decreases simpler.
Heel: 30-row flap and heel turn over 30 sts using today's usual method. The 1918 text gave a 25-row flap and a row order that is hard to follow. The result (60 sts for the foot, 10 gusset decreases) is the same.
Toe closed with grafting (Kitchener stitch) instead of being "drawn together and darned".