Hello everyone, it’s Week 2 of the Winwick
Mum Sockalong! How are we all
doing? It’s been fabulous to see so many
pictures and conversations this week -
if you’ve not already joined our Facebook Sockalong group, the knit n natter group, Winwick Mum Sockalong Society, or the Ravelry group and you’d
like to, then please do get involved. Thank you so much to everyone who’s making this Sockalong such a success
– I never imagined there would be so many pairs of socks on the go and from so many places around the world!
This week, we’re onto the dreaded
heels. Dreaded heels? No, not at all! We're just going to take it slowly and you'll see there's not much to it at all. I like to use a heel flap heel because I
think it’s one of the easiest heels to create.
Yes, there is picking up of stitches involved but I’m going to show you
how to do that without creating holes.
If you do find a hole, that can usually be rectified later with a bit of
nifty stitching so it’s not the end of the world!
As we did last week, I’m going to talk
about each of the needles in turn – short circular, DPNs and long circular so
just jump to the section that’s relevant to you. Everybody ready? Let’s tackle those heels!
Heel Flap –
short circular needle
This is what your sock should look like at the moment. You've cast on, worked your rows of rib and knitted the leg of your sock to the length you want it to be.
I find that it’s too awkward to create the heel flap on the
small circular needle so at this point we need to change back to the pair of
2.5mm DPNs that you used to start off your cuff. You only need two needles as we’re going to
go back and forth as you would for straight knitting.
You
are going to create the heel flap from half the number of stitches that you
cast on, so if you have cast on more or less than 60 stitches, you need to
remember to adjust the number of stitches when you start the heel flap. You won’t need your stitch marker whilst
you’re knitting your heel flap so you can put it away safely for now.
Continuing in the direction you have been knitting:
1st row: K2, *Slip 1, K1* until you have 30 stitches on your needle, ending with K1, turn.
(Repeat instructions inside * and slip the stitch by sliding it from one needle to the other without knitting it.)
Continuing in the direction you have been knitting:
1st row: K2, *Slip 1, K1* until you have 30 stitches on your needle, ending with K1, turn.
(Repeat instructions inside * and slip the stitch by sliding it from one needle to the other without knitting it.)
The
reason that this row is different is because you’re knitting the first stitch
rather than slipping it as you will for the rest of the heel flap rows. This helps to stop a hole forming where your
gusset will be created later.
At
this point, you can tuck the ends of your circular needle down inside the tube
of your sock leg to keep them out of your way.
2nd row: Slip 1,
P to end, turn
3rd row: *Slip 1, K1* to end, turn
Repeat
rows 2 and 3 until heel measures approximately 2 inches, finishing on row 3
(approx. 35 rows - although remember this might be different if you're using different sized needles). If you want to make
the heel flap longer, continue knitting rows 2 and 3 until you reach your desired length.
This is what your heel flap will look like on the outside ...
…
and on the inside.
The
heel stitch that you have used creates a reinforced, cushioned heel, which is
more comfortable and durable than plain knitting.
Turning the
heel
This
is the part of the sock that many people find off-putting, but we’re going to
take it slowly and you’ll see that it’s quite easy. I like this bit of the sock construction
because this is where your sock starts to look like a sock. There are pictures of how to do the SSK and P2tog decrease stitches below.
You might like to read through the whole of
this section before starting to make sure that you are quite happy with how the
heel turn works.
We’re
still working on the same two DPNs with the rest of the stitches held on the
circular needle. Create the heel as
follows:
Row
1: Slip 1, P16, P2tog, P1, turn
This is your set-up row to get you into the middle of your heel. After this first row, you will still have stitches left on your needle that you haven't used. These are the stitches that you are going to decrease on every alternate following row to pull your heel into a V shape.
This is your set-up row to get you into the middle of your heel. After this first row, you will still have stitches left on your needle that you haven't used. These are the stitches that you are going to decrease on every alternate following row to pull your heel into a V shape.
Row
2: Slip 1, K5, SSK, K1, turn
Row
3: Slip 1, P6, P2tog,
P1, turn
Row
4: Slip 1, K7, SSK,
K1, turn
Continue
in this way, increasing the number of stitches worked between slip stitch and SSK or P2tog on each
row (ie, P8, K9, P10 etc) until all of the heel stitches are used and you won't need to turn after your last row. You should find that you finish on an SSK stitch and have 18 stitches left on your needle.
If you have cast on more or less than 60
stitches then your heel flap will need to be made larger or smaller. It’s very easy to do this. All you need to do is to alter the number of purl stitches in the first row of the heel
(marked in bold above), increasing by 1 stitch for each block of 4 stitches
extra that you cast on, or decreasing by 1 stitch for each block of 4 stitches
less than 60 stitches. For example, if
you cast on 64 stitches, your first row would be Slip1, P17, P2tog, P1, turn. You can work the rest of the heel as from Row 2 above without changing anything else. Note that you will have more or less than 18 stitches left on your needle when you have worked all the decreases if you make the sock bigger or smaller.
You
will notice as you start your heel turn that there’s a gap between the end of
your knit or purl stitches in the middle of your heel and the remaining
stitches to be worked. This will help
you to see where you’re up to. You can see that you are always knitting the stitches in the middle of the heel flap whilst the remainder stay safely on your needles until they are required.
The
heel rows require you to use P2tog and SSK stitches. These are simply decrease stitches worked on
either the purl side or the knit side of your work.
To
create P2tog, put the right hand needle purlwise into the first two stitches on
the left hand needle and purl them together.
To
create SSK, put the right hand needle knitwise into the first stitch on the
left hand needle and slip it onto the right hand needle.
Put
the right hand needle purlwise into the second stitch on the left hand needle
and slip it onto the right hand needle.
Slip
both stitches back onto the left hand needle, then knit into the back of the
stitches. This gives a neat decrease on
the outside of your heel.
This
is what you’ll see on the outside of your sock.
This is the P2tog side ...
and
this is the SSK side. It gives a nice
neat finish with no gappy holes.
Shaping the gusset
Having
finished the heel turn, your sock should look like the pictures above. You can see how it’s taking on a sock shape
now, and the next job is to create the gusset, which fills in the gap between
the heel flap and the foot part of the sock.
We
do this by first picking up stitches from the heel flap. This is quite easily done, even if picking up
stitches isn’t your favourite thing to do.
Do you remember that you slipped the first stitch of the heel flap on
every row? That slip stitch is what’s
going to help you pick up the stitches because it creates a slightly bigger
loop for you to knit into. You can see in the picture the stitch is indicated by the wool needle.
Hold your sock so that the outside of the heel flap faces you. You
should be at the left hand side of your heel ready to pick up your stitches but
if you aren’t , simply knit across the heel stitches to bring you to the right
place. You are going to pick up and knit every slipped stitch (one stitch per two rows of heel flap) using a second DPN. I always pick up the first loop of the stitch as I feel that it gives a neater edge; some people like to pick up the second loop or both loops and that's fine - whichever you prefer!
Pick up the stitch by putting the needle into the stitch, wrapping the yarn around the needle and pulling it through the stitch to make a new stitch. Remember that if you made the heel flap bigger, you will need to pick up more stitches. You should find this easy to do because you will have more slip stitches to knit into. As a guide, I usually pick up about 19 stitches, but you may have more or less stitches than this depending on your yarn and needles.
Tip: if you think you are going to have a
big gap between the end of your picked-up stitches and the first of the
stitches held on your circular needle, pick up an extra one or two stitches as
required in the gap. Don’t worry about the extra stitches as you will just decrease them as you go along.
Knit across the top of the foot using
your circular needle by bending the ends around to knit in a tiny circle (if you find this too fiddly, knit across the stitches with a DPN, knitting them off your circular needle), place marker (I usually make sure that my markers are
both different – it’s easier to tell which side of the sock you’re working on
later), then pick up and knit 19 stitches (or more or less if required) up the other side of the
heel. If you have knitted off your circular needle across the top of the foot, use your circular needle to pick up the gusset stitches, or use another DPN if you prefer.
You can choose to knit back onto your short circular needle whenever you like - either as you go along picking up the stitches or as you get back round to it on your first decrease round. Your sock should look like this if you pick up the stitches with your circular needle ... (Note: I've stopped at the end of the second set of picked up stitches to take the picture.)
and like this if you use a DPN. (Note: I've stopped at the end of the second set of picked up stitches to take the picture.)
Knit across the heel stitches until you are back at the start of your first set of picked-up stitches. You will need to place a marker at the end of the first DPN just before you knit your top of the foot stitches which you will do as part of round 1 below (but don't do it before you get to that point as it will just fall off the needle).
Round 2: Slip marker, knit to next marker, slip marker, knit to 3 sts before marker.
You can choose to knit back onto your short circular needle whenever you like - either as you go along picking up the stitches or as you get back round to it on your first decrease round. Your sock should look like this if you pick up the stitches with your circular needle ... (Note: I've stopped at the end of the second set of picked up stitches to take the picture.)
and like this if you use a DPN. (Note: I've stopped at the end of the second set of picked up stitches to take the picture.)
Knit across the heel stitches until you are back at the start of your first set of picked-up stitches. You will need to place a marker at the end of the first DPN just before you knit your top of the foot stitches which you will do as part of round 1 below (but don't do it before you get to that point as it will just fall off the needle).
After knitting across the top of the heel, shape the gusset as below.
Round 1: K to 3 sts before the end of the 1st DPN, K2tog, K1, place marker, knit to next marker, slip marker, K1, SSK, K to marker.
Round 1: K to 3 sts before the end of the 1st DPN, K2tog, K1, place marker, knit to next marker, slip marker, K1, SSK, K to marker.
Round 2: Slip marker, knit to next marker, slip marker, knit to 3 sts before marker.
Round 3: K2tog, K1, slip marker, knit to next marker, slip marker, K1, SSK, K to marker.
Repeat rounds 2 and 3 to shape the gusset. Make sure that you are always decreasing on the heel side of your sock and not across the top of the foot stitches.
Once all of your stitches are back on your circular needle, your sock should look like this:
To
make the K2tog stitch, simply knit into the first two stitches on your left
hand needle at the same time.
You
are using the same SSK stitch that you used to create the heel, so if you need
a reminder of how to make the stitch, go back to the heel turn section above.
Continue
in this way, decreasing by two stitches at the gusset on every other row (one on each side) until
there are 60 stitches (or whatever number you cast on) on the needle.
Now
is a good time to try on your sock again
to check whether you need your sock foot to be wider than the number of
stitches you cast on. You can see how the gusset is formed in this
picture.
This is what your heel flap and gusset will look like once they are completed.
And that's it for this week! There's been a lot to get through and you might need to read it more than once before you start to make sure that you're comfortable with it all. Just take your time and it will all fit together.
Heel Flap – DPNs
This is what your sock should look like at the moment. You've cast on, worked your rows of rib and knitted the leg of your sock to the length you want it to be.
When you reach the end of your final leg round,
it’s time to create the heel flap. You
only need two needles to create the flap as we’re going to go back and forth as
you would for straight knitting. You can
just leave the rest of the stitches on the other two needles, or if you prefer
you can slide them off onto a stitch holder.
You are going to create the heel flap from half
the number of stitches that you cast on, so if you have cast on more or less
than 60 stitches, you need to remember to adjust the number of stitches when
you start the heel flap.
Continuing in the direction you have been knitting:
Continuing in the direction you have been knitting:
1st row: K2, *Slip 1, K1* knitting across needles 1 and 2 until you have 30 stitches on your needle, ending with K1, turn
(Repeat instructions inside * and slip the stitch by sliding it from one needle to the other without knitting it.)
The reason that this row is different is because
you’re knitting the first stitch rather than slipping it as you will for the
rest of the heel flap rows. This helps
to stop a hole forming where your gusset will be created later.
You can choose to leave your stitches on needles
3 and 4 as shown:
or if you think you will find that too fiddly,
you can slip the stitches from needles 3 and 4 onto a stitch holder for the
time being.
2nd
row: Sl1, P to end, turn
3rd
row: *Sl1, K1* to end, turn
Repeat rows 2 and 3 until heel measures
approximately 2 inches, finishing on row 3 (approx 35 rows - although remember this might be different if you're using different sized needles). If you want to make the heel flap longer,
continuing knitting rows 2 and 3 until you reach your desired length.
This
is what your heel flap will look like on the outside ...
and on the inside.
The heel stitch that you have used creates a
reinforced, cushioned heel, which is more comfortable and durable than plain
knitting.
Turning the
heel
This is the part of the sock that many people
find off-putting, but we’re going to take it slowly and you’ll see that it’s
quite easy. I like this bit of the sock
construction because this is where your sock starts to look like a sock. There are pictures of how to do the SSK and P2tog decrease stitches.
You might like to read through the whole of this section before starting to make sure that you are quite happy with how the heel turn works.
You might like to read through the whole of this section before starting to make sure that you are quite happy with how the heel turn works.
We’re still working on the same two DPNs with
the other two holding the rest of the stitches.
Create the heel as follows:
Row 1: Slip 1,
P16, P2tog, P1, turn
This is your set-up row to get you into the middle of your heel. After this first row, you will still have stitches left on your needle that you haven't used. These are the stitches that you are going to decrease on every alternate following row to pull your heel into a V shape.
This is your set-up row to get you into the middle of your heel. After this first row, you will still have stitches left on your needle that you haven't used. These are the stitches that you are going to decrease on every alternate following row to pull your heel into a V shape.
Row 2: Slip 1,
K5, SSK, K1, turn
Row 3: Slip 1,
P6, P2tog, P1, turn
Row 4: Slip 1,
K7, SSK, K1, turn
Continue in this way, adding between slip stitch and SSK or P2tog on each row (ie, P8, K9, P10 etc) until all of the heel stitches
are used, and you won't need to turn after your last row. You should find that you finish on an SSK stitch and have 18 stitches left on your needle.
If you have
cast on more or less than 60 stitches then your heel flap will need to be made
larger or smaller. It’s very easy to do
this. All you need to do is to alter the number of purl stitches in
the first row of the heel (marked in bold above), increasing by 1 stitch for
each block of 4 stitches extra that you cast on, or decreasing by 1 stitch for
each block of 4 stitches less than 60 stitches.
For example, if you cast on 64 stitches, your first row would be Slip 1,
P17, P2tog, P1, turn. You can work the rest of the heel as from Row 2 above without changing anything else. Note that you will have more or less than 18 stitches left on your needle when you have worked all the decreases if you make the sock bigger or smaller.
You will notice as you start your heel turn that
there’s a gap between the end of your knit or purl stitches in the middle of
your heel and the remaining stitches to be worked. This will help you to see where you’re up to. You can see that you are always knitting the stitches in the middle of the heel flap whilst the remainder stay safely on your needles until they are required.
The heel rows require you to use P2tog and SSK
stitches. These are simply decrease
stitches worked on either the purl side or the knit side of your work.
To create P2tog, put the right hand needle
purlwise into the first two stitches on the left hand needle and purl them
together.
To create SSK, put the right hand needle
knitwise into the first stitch on the left hand needle and slip it onto the
right hand needle.
Put the right hand needle purlwise into the
second stitch on the left hand needle and slip it onto the right hand
needle.
Slip both stitches back onto the left hand
needle, then knit into the back of the stitches. This gives a neat decrease on the outside of
your heel. When you come to use this stitch for the gusset decreases, you can knit into the back of the stitch on the knit rounds if you choose to, as this will help to keep the decreases straighter.
This is what you’ll see on the outside of your
sock. This is the P2tog side:
and this is the SSK side. It gives a nice neat finish with no gappy
holes.
Shaping the
gusset
Having finished the heel turn, your sock should
look the pictures above. You can see how
it’s taking on a sock shape now, and the next job is to create the gusset,
which fills in the gap between the heel flap and the foot part of the sock.
We do this by first picking up stitches from the
heel flap. This is quite easily done,
even if picking up stitches isn’t your favourite thing to do. Do you remember that you slipped the first
stitch of the heel flap on every row?
That slip stitch is what’s going to help you pick up the stitches
because it creates a slightly bigger loop for you to knit into. You can see in the picture the stitch is indicated by the wool needle.
Hold your sock so that the outside of the heel flap faces you. You should be at the left hand side of your heel
ready to pick up your stitches but if you aren’t, simply knit across the heel
stitches to bring you to the right place.
You are going to pick up and knit every slipped stitch (one stitch per two rows of heel flap) using a second DPN. I always pick up the first loop of the stitch as I feel that it gives a neater edge; some people like to pick up the second loop or both loops and that's fine - whichever you prefer!
Pick up the stitch by putting the needle into the stitch, wrapping the yarn around the needle and pulling it through the stitch to make a new stitch. Remember that if you made the heel flap bigger, you will need to pick up more stitches. You should find this easy to do because you will have more slip stitches to knit into. As a guide, I usually pick up about 19 stitches, but you may have more or less stitches than this depending on your yarn and needles.
Pick up the stitch by putting the needle into the stitch, wrapping the yarn around the needle and pulling it through the stitch to make a new stitch. Remember that if you made the heel flap bigger, you will need to pick up more stitches. You should find this easy to do because you will have more slip stitches to knit into. As a guide, I usually pick up about 19 stitches, but you may have more or less stitches than this depending on your yarn and needles.
Tip:
if you think you are going to have a big gap between the end of your picked-up
stitches and the first of the stitches held on your circular needle, pick up an
extra one or two stitches as required in the gap. Don’t worry about the extra stitches as you will just decrease them as you go along.
Once you have picked up the stitches, knit
across the top of the foot using DPNs three and four which were holding the
stitches then pick up and knit 19 stitches (or more or less if required) up the other side of
the heel flap and then knit across the top of the heel so that your yarn is in the right place to start round 1 of the gusset. Your sock will look like this
and you will have the following number of stitches on your needles:
Needle 1 – 19 stitches (or more or less depending on how many you picked up)
Needle 2 – 30 stitches
Needle 3 – 19 stitches (or more or less depending on how many you picked up)
Needle 4 – 18 stitches
Needle 4 – 18 stitches
Note: if you are working on 4 needles, you will need to split your picked up stitches and top of the foot stitches across 3 needles, so use stitch markers to show where your decreases should go.
Round 1: (Needle 1) K to 3 sts before the end of the needle, K2tog, K1. (Needle 2) knit across all stitches. (Needle 3) K1, SSK, knit to end of needle. (Needle 4) knit across all stitches
Round 2: Starting with needle 1, knit across all stitches on all needles, finishing on needle 4 ready to start round 1 again.
Repeat these two rounds to shape the gusset. Make sure that you are always decreasing on the heel side of your sock and not across the top of the foot stitches.
To make the K2tog stitch, simply knit into the
first two stitches on your left hand needle at the same time.
You are using the same SSK stitch that you used to create the heel, so if you need a reminder of how to make the stitch, go back to the heel turn section above.
Continue in this way, decreasing by two stitches at the gusset (one on each side) on every other row until there are 60 stitches (or whatever number you cast on) on the needle. Now
is a good time to try on your sock again
to check whether you need your sock foot to be wider than the number of
stitches you cast on. You can see how the gusset is formed in this picture.
This is what your heel flap and gusset will look like once they are completed.
If you are working on 4 needles, you will need to have all of your stitches distributed across 3 needles which might feel a little bulky until you start decreasing them. After completing the heel turn, pick up 19 stitches with Needle 1, knit across 30 stitches for the top of the foot with Needle 2, pick up 19 stitches with Needle 3 plus 9 stitches from the heel. Knit the next 9 stitches plus the 19 picked up stitches originally held on Needle 1 and this will become your new Needle 1 - don't forget that you will need to decrease (K2tog) 3 stitches before the end of Needle 1 on this round (round 1 of the gusset decrease). Continue to work rounds 1 and 2 of the gusset as above until you have 60 stitches on your needles.
And that's it for this week! There's been a lot to get through and you might need to read it more than once before you start to make sure that you're comfortable with it all. Just take your time and it will all fit together.
If you are working on 4 needles, you will need to have all of your stitches distributed across 3 needles which might feel a little bulky until you start decreasing them. After completing the heel turn, pick up 19 stitches with Needle 1, knit across 30 stitches for the top of the foot with Needle 2, pick up 19 stitches with Needle 3 plus 9 stitches from the heel. Knit the next 9 stitches plus the 19 picked up stitches originally held on Needle 1 and this will become your new Needle 1 - don't forget that you will need to decrease (K2tog) 3 stitches before the end of Needle 1 on this round (round 1 of the gusset decrease). Continue to work rounds 1 and 2 of the gusset as above until you have 60 stitches on your needles.
And that's it for this week! There's been a lot to get through and you might need to read it more than once before you start to make sure that you're comfortable with it all. Just take your time and it will all fit together.
Heel Flap –
large circular
This is what your sock should look like at the moment. You've cast on, worked your rows of rib and knitted the leg of your sock to the length you want it to be.
Making sure that you have the front of your knitting facing you so that you have completed your last round, it’s time to create the heel flap. We’re going to go back and forth as you would for straight knitting, but the nice thing about the long circular is that you can just leave the rest of the stitches on your circular needle as there is plenty of room for you to work and hold your stitches securely.
You are going to create the heel flap from half
the number of stitches that you cast on, so if you have cast on more or less
than 60 stitches, you need to remember to adjust the number of stitches when
you start the heel flap.
Continuing in the direction you have been knitting:
Continuing in the direction you have been knitting:
1st row: K2, *Slip 1, K1* until you have 30 stitches on your needle, ending with K1, turn (Repeat instruction inside * and slip the stitch by sliding it from one needle to the other without knitting it.)
The reason that this row is different is because
you’re knitting the first stitch rather than slipping it as you will for the
rest of the heel flap rows. This helps
to stop a hole forming where your gusset will be created later.
2nd
row: Slip 1, P to end, turn
3rd
row: *Slip 1, K1* to end, turn
Repeat rows 2 and 3 until heel measures
approximately 2 inches, finishing on row 3 (approx 35 rows - although remember this might be different if you're using different sized needles) . If you want to make the heel flap longer,
continuing knitting rows 2 and 3 until you reach your desired length.
This is what your heel flap will look like on
the outside ...
and on the inside.
The heel stitch that you have used creates a
reinforced, cushioned heel, which is more comfortable and durable than plain
knitting.
Turning the
heel
This is the part of the sock that many people
find off-putting, but we’re going to take it slowly and you’ll see that it’s
quite easy. I like this bit of the sock
construction because this is where your sock starts to look like a sock. There are pictures of how to do the SSK and P2tog decrease stitches below.
You might like to read through the whole of this section before starting to make sure that you are quite happy with how the heel turn works.
You might like to read through the whole of this section before starting to make sure that you are quite happy with how the heel turn works.
We’re still working on the circular needle with
the rest of the stitches held on the cable.
Create the heel as follows:
Row 1: Slip 1,
P16, P2tog, P1, turn
This is your set-up row to get you into the middle of your heel. After this first row, you will still have stitches left on your needle that you haven't used. These are the stitches that you are going to decrease on every alternate following row to pull your heel into a V shape.
This is your set-up row to get you into the middle of your heel. After this first row, you will still have stitches left on your needle that you haven't used. These are the stitches that you are going to decrease on every alternate following row to pull your heel into a V shape.
Row 2: Slip 1,
K5, SSK, K1, turn
Row 3: Slip 1,
P6, P2tog, P1, turn
Row 4: Slip 1,
K7, SSK, K1, turn
Continue in this way, adding one between slip stitch and SSK or P2tog on each row (ie, P8, K9, P10 etc) until all of the heel stitches
are used and you won't need to turn after your last row. You should find that you finish on an SSK stitch and have 18 stitches left on your needle.
If you have
cast on more or less than 60 stitches then your heel flap will need to be made
larger or smaller. It’s very easy to do
this. All you need to do is to alter the number of purl stitches in
the first row of the heel (marked in bold above), increasing by 1 stitch for
each block of 4 stitches extra that you cast on, or decreasing by 1 stitch for
each block of 4 stitches less than 60 stitches.
For example, if you cast on 64 stitches, your first row would be Slip 1,
P17, P2tog, P1, turn. You can work the rest of the heel as from Row 2 above without changing anything else. Note that you will have more or less than 18 stitches left on your needle when you have worked all the decreases if you make the sock bigger or smaller.
You will notice as you start your heel turn that
there’s a gap between the end of your knit or purl stitches in the middle of
your heel and the remaining stitches to be worked. This will help you to see where you’re up to. You can see that you are always knitting the stitches in the middle of the heel flap whilst the remainder stay safely on your needles until they are required.
The heel rows require you to use P2tog and SSK
stitches. These are simply decrease
stitches worked on either the purl side or the knit side of your work.
To create P2tog, put the right hand needle
purlwise into the first two stitches on the left hand needle and purl them
together.
To create SSK, put the right hand needle
knitwise into the first stitch on the left hand needle and slip it onto the
right hand needle.
Put the right hand
needle purlwise into the second stitch on the left hand needle and slip it onto
the right hand needle.
Slip both
stitches back onto the left hand needle, then knit into the back of the
stitches. This gives a neat decrease on
the outside of your heel. When you come to use this stitch for the gusset decreases, you can knit into the back of the stitch on the knit rounds if you choose to, as this will help to keep the decreases straighter.
This is what you’ll see on the outside of your
sock. This is the P2tog side ...
and
this is the SSK side. It gives a nice
neat finish with no gappy holes.
Shaping the
gusset
Having finished the heel turn, your sock should
look like the pictures above. You can
see how it’s taking on a sock shape now, and the next job is to create the
gusset, which fills in the gap between the heel flap and the foot part of the
sock.
We do this by first picking up stitches from the
heel flap. This is quite easily done,
even if picking up stitches isn’t your favourite thing to do. Do you remember that you slipped the first
stitch of the heel flap on every row?
That slip stitch is what’s going to help you pick up the stitches
because it creates a slightly bigger loop for you to knit into. You can see in the picture the stitch is indicated by the wool needle.
Hold your sock so that the outside of the heel flap faces you. You should be at the left hand side of your heel
ready to pick up your stitches but if you aren’t, simply knit across the heel
stitches to bring you to the right place.
You are going to pick up and knit every slipped stitch (one stitch per two rows of heel flap). I always pick up the first loop of the stitch as I feel that it gives a neater edge; some people like to pick up the second loop or both loops and that's fine - whichever you prefer!
Pick the stitch up by putting the needle into the stitch, wrapping the yarn around the needle and pulling it through the stitch to make a new stitch. Remember that if you made the heel flap bigger, you will need to pick up more stitches. You should find this easy to do because you will have more slip stitches to knit into. As a guide, I usually pick up about 19 stitches, but you may have more or less than this depending on your yarn and needles.
Pick the stitch up by putting the needle into the stitch, wrapping the yarn around the needle and pulling it through the stitch to make a new stitch. Remember that if you made the heel flap bigger, you will need to pick up more stitches. You should find this easy to do because you will have more slip stitches to knit into. As a guide, I usually pick up about 19 stitches, but you may have more or less than this depending on your yarn and needles.
Tip:
if you think you are going to have a big gap between the end of your picked-up
stitches and the first of the stitches held on your circular needle, pick up an
extra one or two stitches as required in the gap. Don’t worry about the extra stitches as you will just decrease them as you go along.
Once you have picked up the stitches, place a marker
over the end of your right hand needle.
Knit across the top of the foot using your circular needle, place marker
(I usually make sure that my markers are both different – it’s quicker to tell
which side of the sock you’re working on later), then pick up and knit 19 stitches (or
more or less if required) up the other side of the heel. Knit across the heel stitches until you are back at the start of your first set of picked-up stitches and then
shape gusset as below.
Round 1: K to 3 sts before the first marker, K2tog, K1, slip marker, knit to next marker, slip marker, K1, SSK, K to marker.
Round 2: Slip marker, knit to next marker, slip marker, knit to 3 sts before marker.
Round 3: K2tog, K1, slip marker, knit to next marker, slip marker, K1, SSK, K to marker.
Repeat rounds 2 and 3 to shape the gusset. Make sure that you are always decreasing on the heel side of your sock and not across the top of the foot stitches.
Round 3: K2tog, K1, slip marker, knit to next marker, slip marker, K1, SSK, K to marker.
Repeat rounds 2 and 3 to shape the gusset. Make sure that you are always decreasing on the heel side of your sock and not across the top of the foot stitches.
To make the K2tog stitch, simply knit into the
first two stitches on your left hand needle at the same time.
You are using the same SSK stitch that you used
to create the heel, so if you need a reminder of how to make the stitch, you
can look back at the heel section above.
Continue in this way, decreasing by two stitches
at the gusset on every other row until there are 60 stitches (or whatever
number you cast on) on the needle. Now
is a good time to try on your sock again
to check whether you need your sock foot to be wider than the number of
stitches you cast on.
You can see how the gusset is formed in this picture.
You can see how the gusset is formed in this picture.
And that's it for this week! There's been a lot to get through and you might need to read it more than once before you start to make sure that you're comfortable with it all. Just take your time and it will all fit together.
So there you go - your sock should be looking more like a sock now! Time to congratulate yourself on a job well done! J
So there you go - your sock should be looking more like a sock now! Time to congratulate yourself on a job well done! J
Next week, we're going to finish the foot of the sock, decrease the toes and graft them using Kitchener stitch, which isn't nearly as difficult as some people believe. If you really can't wait until next week and have to keep going with your sock, then your foot section needs to finish 5cm before your toes.
As always, please do ask questions if you're stuck, either here on the blog or through the Facebook or Ravelry groups. No question is a daft question as we all had to start somewhere, and don't worry if you feel you're not keeping up - there's no time limit, it's not a race or a competition and what's important is that you end up with a pair of socks, so go at your own pace.
If you need a reminder of any of the earlier tutorials, then you can find them all here. There have been a couple of amendments to the pattern over the last week so you might want to check that you have the latest version which you can download from here. Happy knitting everyone, see you next week for the final tutorial!
If you need a reminder of any of the earlier tutorials, then you can find them all here. There have been a couple of amendments to the pattern over the last week so you might want to check that you have the latest version which you can download from here. Happy knitting everyone, see you next week for the final tutorial!
These Sockalong tutorials are free and will always remain so, but if you have enjoyed using them and would like to make a donation towards future projects, it will be gratefully received! You can find the donation button on the sidebar on the left hand side. Thank you! xx
Sockalong - yarns
Sockalong - needles
Sockalong - tension squares, casting on and stitch calculations
Sockalong - accessories and matching yarn
Sockalong - anatomy of a sock
Sockalong - Week 1 - Cast on, cuff and leg
Sockalong - Week 3 - Foot, toe and grafting the toes
Sockalong basic 4ply sock pattern
Sockalong successes
Facebook Sockalong group for help, advice and encouragement
Ravelry Sockalong group
Thanks Christine. Lovely and clear instructions as always.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Selma! Glad they make sense! Looking forward to seeing your heels very soon :-) xx
DeleteBrilliant, thanks Christine. I'm so glad this is so successful for you and it's pretty clear from facebook that you've created a lovely sock community, it's so lovely to see crafters all enjoying their craft together! Lil xx
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lil! It's been good fun and the Facebook group is full of very enthusiastic people so it's lovely to see them all knitting their socks! xx
DeleteWill get started on my heel as soon as I have finished baking a cake. Struggling to fit in everything I want to do today. Xx
ReplyDeleteI have that sort of day every day, Jan! :-) xx
DeleteYou make it look easy Christine thank you for the clear instructions. :) xx
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome :-) xx
DeleteWow, so much work! Just amazing!! xx
ReplyDeleteThank you! :-) xx
DeleteI think you only have to turn the heel once to realise it isn't so scary. My worst bit of sock knitting is picking up the stitches, I'm always glad when I'm past that bit.
ReplyDeleteI think it gets easier the more you do, Jo! When you're on your 10th pair of socks you won't think twice about it :-) xx
DeleteReally enjoying this but I have one (potentially silly) question. When I'm back to the number of stitches I began with, after decreasing the gusset, where do my rounds begin and end? I just can't work it out! X
ReplyDeleteHi Elaine, glad it's going well for you! Use the first stitch marker (the one after your first K2tog, K1) as the start of your round. You can take the other marker out for now if you want to and put it back in again when you come to do your toes xx
DeleteHi Christine, you have done a superb job putting together this great tutorial. The photos and instructions are so good even for a sock knitter like me. I'm sure you're having a great time doing this sock knit along. My best wishes to you. Hugs, Pat
ReplyDeleteThanks, Pat, that means a great deal! I'm having a wonderful time! :-) xx
DeleteHi thanks for that. I finally sussed it. It's great having you on hand to help - thank you for all the effort you put into this! X
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! It's fab to see so many people getting pleasure out of seeing their socks grow on their needles! :-) xx
DeleteDelightful. I come to the blog at the odd times allowed in my schedule. Most convenient to print out and study as I sit at the old sofa on the enclosed porch. Still struggling along but the concepts are becoming clearer. Perhaps someday you might but all this in a simple published volume?
ReplyDeleteIsn't that the wonderful thing about the internet - you can access information at whatever and in whatever time you have. Yes, the plan is to put all the blog posts into a book and also into Kindle format - I'm working on it at the moment and hope it won't be too much longer before it's available!
DeleteHi, I am very much enjoying knitting my first sock and I am approaching the heel turn. I have one question before I plough on though. I am working with 68 stitches and I understand that I will need to do the following on the first row 'sl1,p18(instead of 16),p2tog, p1 turn'. Do I need to make any allowances for the rows after that? For example, row 2 - instead of 'sl1,k5,SSK,K1,turn' would I need to change the k5 to K7 or something? Thank you very much in advance!
ReplyDeleteHi Tracy, I never bother changing the heel turn rows so even using your example of sl1, p18, I would still k5 on the next row. The heel works out just fine. Glad you're enjoying knitting your sock! xx
DeleteHello - I don't know if you're still monitoring this - it's 2021, but here goes. I cast on 72 stitches and so in the heel turn I sl1, P19 and as I continued I finished the k side sooner than the P side so I ended up with about 4 or 5 rows just hanging out - not connected to the rest of the sock. I tinked it and did it over and the same thing happened so I picked up stitches to attach it to the rest of the sock. This is my first time knitting a sock. I guess I wasn't in the middle of the heel. I fudged it and completed the sock and it "works"! I'm starting another sock because now I'm addicted but I feel I'll probably have the same problem so I'm gong to increase the heel turn rows by adding three stitches for each EX: sl1, K8, etc.
Delete