Toe-Up Faux Heel Flap Socks – Worsted Weight
A toe-up sock with a built-in heel flap. Use for contrasting toes/heels. High-instep friendly.
Gauge: 4.5 sts/in in Stockinette stitch
Technique: Toe-Up Socks
Yarn Weight: Worsted (9 wpi)
See also: Fingering-Weight Version
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By popular demand! A basic toe-up sock pattern with a knitted-in heel flap that fits your heel snugly and that you can adjust for a high instep.
Pattern Details
- Sizes: Small/Medium, Medium/Large
- Finished Measurements: Small {small high instep, small very high instep} (Large {large high instep, large very high instep} - Finished Measurements: 7 {7.5, 8} (8 {8.5, 9}) in. [18 {19, 20} (20 {21, 22} cm)] around ball of foot.
- Yarn Weight: Worsted (9 wpi)
Materials
- Yarn: 180 yds worsted-weight yarn. If working two socks at one time, you’ll need two separate balls of yarn.
- Needles: 1 pair circular needles, 47" for two-at-a-time, 40-47" for one-at-a-time
- Needle size: US 7 - 4.5 mm or size required to get gauge (4.5 sts/in)
- Notions: Stitch markers, scissors, tapestry needle
Gauge
- 4.5 sts/in in St st
Pattern Notes
KnitFreedom's list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here.
Recommended Course: August 2022 Toe-Up Socks Knitalong – Free With Purchase!
Recommended Course: Toe-Up, Two-at-a-Time Socks
Knitters who want to knit their first pair of socks have so many options that they get overwhelmed and don't know where to start.
We eliminate that confusion with a no-fail method for perfect-fitting beginner socks and help you discover that confident knitter inside you who is ready to take on new challenges at every turn.
Related Free Knitting Patterns:
Video Tutorials for This Pattern
Faux Heel Flap for Toe-Up Socks
Related Blog Post: What To Do When You Have A High Instep – Tips for Using KnitFreedom’s Faux Heel Flap Toe-Up Sock Pattern
By Liat Gat – Founder / Heels, Socks, Toe-Up Socks / June 20, 2017 / 54 CommentsThis tip is for sock-knitters who are following my high-instep toe-up sock pattern. It explains how to easily use my pattern for Toe-Up Faux-Heel-Flap Socks to make a bigger instep than you normally can with basic Fleegle-heel or other toe-up sock patterns.
Read Post »Related Blog Post: NEW! Fingering-Weight Toe-Up Socks With A Faux Heel Flap
By Liat Gat – Founder / Heels, New Patterns, Socks / September 21, 2012 / 76 CommentsFor toe-up sock lovers who want a great-fitting heel that can be adjusted for high insteps. This toe-up sock pattern has a “faux” heel flap which allows you to use heel stitch patterns like the Eye of the Partridge heel. You can also do a contrasting-color heel.
Read Post »Related Blog Post: Picot Hem Bind-Off: The Cadillac Of Bind-Offs
By Liat Gat – Founder / Bind-Offs, World Travels / July 27, 2012 / 159 CommentsThis bind-off combines three things you love about socks, but couldn’t have all together until now: a picot edge, a hemmed edge, and the ability to do it on toe-up socks. Here’s how to create a picot hemmed edge at the end of your knitting.
Read Post »Related Blog Post: Heel Flaps Are BACK – The New “Faux-Heel-Flap” Toe-Up Sock
By Liat Gat – Founder / Heels, Socks, Toe-Up Socks, World Travels / July 20, 2012 / 116 CommentsWait – heel flaps are BACK? Yes, and better than ever. This integrated “faux” heel flap for toe-up socks lets you adjust for high insteps and more.
Read Post »Published July 11, 2018
Last Updated: October 19, 2021 - Current Version: 4.5
Update notes: Simplified sizes into Small and Large
Do you have the directions for the faux flap heel for the top down socks?
Hi Darlene,
Thanks for your comment! For top-down socks I just have a pattern with a regular heel (where you knit a heel flap and pick up stitches): https://www.knitfreedom.com/free-patterns/socks/top-down-socks/
If that’s intimidating for you, I have a video class on how to do it (it’s not hard) https://www.knitfreedom.com/shop/top-down-socks. I hope this helps!
Liat
Thank you for your reply. I have the flap and gusset heel with picking up stitches I’ve been using. Just thought no picking up stitches would be good to learn and top down is my current method of knitting socks.
Thank you for this class, you make 2 at a time so easy. Thank you again.
Okay I am making the Super Bulky Weight Toe up socks and I need help with the stitch count is for a large size. On the pattern it only has the count for small and medium which puts me off in stitch count for a gusset and the heel. HELP!!!
Suzan Cox
Hi Suzan!
This is Mary Claire, KnitFreedom’s knitting expert here to help with your question :)
For the Toe-Up Super-Bulky Socks pattern, the final foot stitch count for the Medium-Large size is 20 (10 on each needle). You can find the total stitch count listed after the toe increase instructions before the “Small-Medium Size Only” instructions.
Here’s the link to the full pattern in case you want to keep it handy: https://www.knitfreedom.com/free-pattern/toe-up-socks-beginner-magic-loop-super-bulky/
Hope that helps, and happy knitting!
I am a little confused on which pattern to use since I do have a high instep. I have printed the Worsted Weight Toe-Up sock pattern for Magic Loop and also the Toe-Up Faux Heel Flap Sock pattern for Magic Loop. I am under the impression that the worsted toe up pattern is for someone with a regular foot and the toe up faux heel flap is the pattern to use if you have a high instep and it is the one I should use. Please let me know if there is a different pattern I should use. I am so looking forward to actually knitting a pair of socks that will actually fit this time and want to make sure I am starting off with the right pattern. This will also be my first time knitting using magic loop and have been practicing on it and looking forward to the class. Thank you so much for all that you do.
Peggy Compton
Hi Peggy,
Thanks so much for your comment! I’m really looking forward to knitting socks with you. You have come to the right place! The pattern you should use for a high instep is the one on this page (Faux-Heel-Flap Toe-Up Sock – Worsted Weight).
https://www.knitfreedom.com/free-pattern/toe-up-socks-faux-heel-flap-worsted/
I am so proud of you for embarking on toe-up socks. Thank you for your trust in me as your guide! Let me know if you need anything else.
Cheers,
Liat
I’m a little confused. The website says worsted weight and size 7 needles but when I open the pattern PDF is says heavy-worsted and size 8. Is the link taking me to the right pattern?
Hi Candace,
Sorry for the confusion. This is the right pattern. The website says “size 7 needles or whatever size needed to get gauge.” The gauge is 4.5 sts/in. You can achieve this with a heavier worsted yarn or a regular worsted-weight yarn – it just depends on how tight or loose you knit and what size needles you use.
Use whatever yarn and needles gets you 4.5 sts/inch.
I hope that helps.
Do you have a formula for figuring how many stitches to knit before 1st wrap & turn, how many to purl before 1st purl w&t if using other total stitches
Hi Mayzy, I think so! I’ll look at the patterns and get back to you with an answer.
-Liat
Hi again,
Here’s how to understand the heel formula you were asking about.
The width of the heel flap is the number of stitches on half the sock, minus two.
I’ll show you examples for each sock – just take size Small for the examples.
Worsted-Weight Version
For the worsted-weight sock, half the sock, before increasing, is 14 stitches. Subtract two – that’s 12 stitches. Your heel flap will be 12 sts wide, centered in the middle of the heel stitches. Since you increase to 32 sts before starting the heel flap, find the number of stitches that is NOT the heel flap (32-12=20). Divide that in half = 10 sts on either side of the heel flap. To start the knit row, knit 10 + heel flap = 10+12 = 22 sts. Subtract 1 to account for the W&T and that’s why the first knit row of the heel flap is “k21, W&T.” The purl row is then 12 sts (the width of the heel flap) minus two = 10 sts. The fact that I’ve added one to the knit row and subtracted two from the purl row is just to make the sizes come out right, because with so few stitches in this worsted-weight heel flap, you have to round up or down. The formula below, for the fingering-weight pattern, is exact:
Fingering-Weight Version:
Half the sock, before increasing for the gusset, is 24 stitches. Subtract two – that’s 22 stitches. That will be the width of the heel flap. Since you increase to 46 sts before starting the heel flap, to center the heel flap, find the number of stitches that is NOT the heel flap (46-22=24). Divide that in half = 12 sts on either side of the heel flap. To start the knit row, knit 12 + heel flap = 12+22 = 34 sts. The purl row is then the exact width of the heel flap = 22 sts.
I hope this helps! I enjoyed answering your question – love the curiosity you show. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Liat
Thank you for this formula – I’m having trouble making my brain get this right. I’m trying to do a larger size worsted and would like to cast on 36 stitches (18 on the heel needle). Would I increase the heel needle to 36? And if 36 is correct, then would the work & turns come out to K26, P14?
I love this pattern so much, thank you. A 36 stitch version would be so great because with worsted yarn I could make a man-size sock, and it would also make a perfect baby sock with fingering weight.
Hi there!
Sorry it’s taken me so long to get back to you. I love the idea of modifying this sock to make a men’s large. I’ll publish the pattern update soon, but in the meantime, here are the general numbers you need:
Cast on 36 sts (18 on heel needle).
Gusset: Increase until heel needle contains 36 sts. The heel flap is still 12 sts wide.
Heel Turn:
Row 1: K23, W&T.
Row 2: P10, W&T.
Please let me know if these numbers work out correctly for you! If so, I’ll publish an update to the pattern and include this men’s-large size.
Thanks so much!
-Liat
Thanks for your reply! I have done the 36 stitch version a few times now and yes, your numbers above work. I made a couple of other slight adjustments to the heel as follows:
After picking up and disguising the last wrap on the purl side, 12 sts remain on the left-hand needle (WS facing). Turn. 34 heel sts total.
In the faux heel flap section (I do stockinette heel), repeat rows 1-2 until 3 sts remain on left-hand needle after completing a RS row. 19 sts remain on heel needle. Do not turn. K rem 3 sts on heel needle. Knit across instep. Next round: K3, k2tog. K to end of round. 18 heel sts remain (36 sts total).
This size will fit a mens large (US shoe size mens 11-13). The same pattern with fingering weight yarn will work for a baby sock (like 6-12 months).