Foot and Heel
Huzzah! Time for the Heel
Yay! It's finally time to start knitting your heel. This will be the second most-challenging piece of your socks after the cast-on. But it will be a lot of fun.
Finish the Foot and Gusset Sections First
Just to make sure you're ready to start the heel, follow your pattern and your Toe-Up Sock class video instructions in knitting the Foot and Gusset sections of your sock.
For the foot you will have knit a plain tube until the knitting reaches the front of your ankle (for the basic Fleegle heel sock) or until the knitting reaches the specified measurement from the back of the heel (for the faux heel-flap sock).
You will have then begun increasing for the gusset until your heel needle contains the specified number of stitches. When it does, you are ready to turn the heel of your sock(s).
Your Toe-Up Socks class provides videos showing how to turn the heel of your sock.
Find Your Heel-Turn Video
- If you are doing the basic beginner sock (Fleegle heel), the link above will take you to the right video.
- If you are doing the Faux Heel Flap sock, go to the bonus area of your class where it says "The Faux Heel Flap" and watch the video.
How to Turn Heels on Two-at-a-Time Socks
Grab the second sock and follow the same heel-turning instructions.
Then proceed to knit across both insteps to get back to the heels.
Continue following the heel-knitting instructions in your pattern, working across one heel and then the other.
Don't forget to try the knitting-backwards video in your Toe-Up Socks class if you are up for a challenge. You will add another unique skill to your knitting repertoire AND never have to turn your work again! (If you don't want to.)
More Knitting Success Stories
Congratulations to the intrepid knitters who have completed! I love that KnitFreedom knitters go at the pace that works for them.
Remember if you're knitting ahead, you can ask questions in the "Ask Questions Ahead" section in the sidebar of your knitalong.
<--------- See the sidebar at left to ask questions ahead.
Leave a Comment If You Have Questions
I'm here to help you if you get stuck or confused on your toe-up socks. Leave a comment here if you have questions on the "Foot and Heel" section of your socks. Happy knitting!
Hi Liat – I used German Short Rows to turn the heel after watching your video, reading your amended directions for substituting GSR for W&T, and looking at your step-by-step guide. In the video, you count the double stitch when you are on the first purl side to total 18 stitches (according to the pattern you are using as an example). In the amended directions immediately below the video, you say P23 when the W&T pattern says P22 but you don’t specify whether to count the double stitch. In the step-by-step guide, at steps 10 and 11, you caution NOT to count the double stitch. So, as I am knitting the medium size sock, regular instep, I knit 37 before turning and making the first double stitch; then, I purled 23 excluding this double stitch. From then on, I knit and purled to the double stitch before turning. However, I reached 6 unwrapped stitches (between the wrapped stitches) on a Row 3 (knit row) of the repeat. But, the pattern says to repeat rows 3 AND 4 until 6 stitches remain. If I complete row 4 I will have 5 unwrapped stitches remaining. Should I continue knitting across this row, picking up the double stitches, and turning once I have knitted the last double stitch? Then turn, slip 1, and purl until I have picked up all the double stitches? The good news is I have 13 stitches on either side of the double stitches!
Many thanks Liat.
Marla
Hi dear, I finally had the brain power to go through and dissect this. :D
Everything you said you did sounds correct to me, according to the instructions I wrote for GSR. I think that you finished on a Row 3 is a result of the GSR changing the stitch count slightly. I’m really not sure. I would have liked to have acquired more expertise with GSR before making that blog post!
I think you should continue knitting across the row and disguising the double stitches, just like you suggested.
Sorry you had to wait 4 months for a “yes,” lol.
Hugs,
Liat
Liat, you are the dear one! There was no urgency and for sure no worries that it’s been a while. OK, when I am ready to get back to the socks, I will proceed as I suggested might be the way to go from where I stopped. Many thanks for focusing on my concern and confirming that will work. For sure I will post a pic once they are finished but it won’t be any time soon as I immersed myself in too big a project for an engagement present. As a result , it will now be a wedding gift!
Grateful always for you,
Marla
Hi Liat – not sure where the note I posted this morning is but I’m pretty sure I figured it out. No need to reply to that one or this one unless I have it wrong. The three sets of numbers correlate to sizes Sm, Med, Lge, and within each of those sets, the first number is for a regular instep, middle number for high, and last number for very high. As I am knitting Med regular, I will repeat Rounds 2 and 3 of the gusset until I have 50 stitches on the heel needle (total 22 stitches increased).
When I turn the heel, I will follow the first number of the middle set of numbers, i.e., knit 36 before I W&T.
Whew.
Thanks.
Marla
Yes!! Exactly.
Happy heel-turning!!
Liat
Many thanks for confirming!
Hi Liat,
I’m running way behind on my sox, but finally finished the faux heel flaps with eye of the partridge stitch pattern. They look much nicer than my last attempt (on my very busy crazy sox).
Thank you for emailing me the photo! Sorry about the photo uploading, I have to look into why it has stopped working recently.
Your sock heels look FANTASTIC!! And there’s no such thing as being behind. Thank you for checking in and great work!
Liat
I left it for a few days and had to figure it out where I was.
I am a bit behind because I could not get the count correct in the decreasing on the heel. After a few times ripping back, I finally realized that I had somehow gotten the wrong # of sts on the heel side. Full # was correct. I’ve adjusted the needle and after multiple video watching, I finally have it all figured out and doing the decreases now. Hurray!
Hi Naomi,
Amazing! Thanks for this update. I love hearing about your detective work! I have also found that ending up with the wrong number of stitches on the heel needle after finishing, or almost finishing, turning the heel, is one of the trickiest places to find out where something went wrong. It is usually because of exactly what you found, that you started out with the wrong number of sts on the heel side.
Great work!!
Liat
Oh boy…so I haven’t been at my socks for a few days and I kind of lost my place. I think I am at the point to turn the heel, but… my back loop has 29 sts not 30 and my front needle has 16 sts. What did I do wrong and where am I? Yikes!
Hi Deb,
Don’t worry, we will figure this out! To best advise you I need you to remind me which pattern you are doing and what size.
In the meantime, I’m pretty sure what happened is that you forgot one of your increases on the Fleegle gusset.
Let me know if this helps!
Liat
Thanks for your reply, Liat.
I saw the comment where someone mentioned using smaller needles and have done that. I do like the tighter stitches in both the weights I am using.
I am doing the basic beginners sock in worsted weight Lion Brand wool blend. I have this pair to turning the heel point. I am thinking I can just join the extra yarn to the regular one just for the turning since it is on the bottom of the heel/foot that wears out first. I’ll see if that works–??! Won’t know until I try. (Smile)
Also thought I would do the faux heel flap sock just for fun in chunky Lion Brand. I have that pair to the gusset, heel point so I am considering doing it in the basic heel as well just so I can reinforce it. I’ll think about it. I’ve never done the faux heel so chances are good I will go ahead and do it.
Your reply was just fine and very helpful. Can’t recommend your classes and web site enough. You are a gem!
Thank you!
Janeen
Hi dear!
Yes, you can join the reinforcement yarn just for the “turn heel” bit. The turn heel part is quite small, though, and slightly on the back of the heel as opposed to on the bottom. It could help, though!
I like that you are going to try the faux heel as well. Just please be aware that the gusset starting points are not the same on both of the socks, so you can’t do the gusset for one and then use the other heel turn directions. Make sense?
Hugs! And thank you so much for your sweet words. Your support means the world to me.
Liat
Hi Liat,
I am enjoying the class very much. I do have a question that I may have missed the answer to with my speed reading (or impatience!) Since socks wear out so fast in the heel, I would like to reinforce the yarn on the heel. I see that there is reinforcement yarn available but wonder if that is the way to go. Are there any secrets to doing reinforcing?
Thank you,
Janeen
Hi Janeen,
I am so sorry for the delay in getting back to you! Your email got buried in my inbox over the weekend and I didn’t see it. Sorry!
My tips for reinforcing the heel will depend on which pattern you are knitting and in which weight of yarn. My toe-up sock patterns in general are not great for using reinforcing yarn because the heel is not really worked as a separate piece, but mostly in the round as you are doing the gusset increases. So the reinforcing yarn would end up on the top of the foot as well.
One tip that you can do is go through afterward and weave yarn through every other purl bump on the wrong side of the work, wherever the heel wears out for you, whether that’s on the bottom or the back of the heel. The other tip, for future socks, is to knit them at a very tight gauge. Small stitches tightly knitted are much more durable. In addition, the yarn you choose for the sock will matter. A sock yarn with 3 or 4 plies will be much more durable than any single or double-ply yarn.
If you remind me which yarn and which pattern you are using right now, I can tell you which tips would work for you on these socks. Thanks!
Liat