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I Need Your Help: How To Knit Heels?


I have finished my first Rye sock and started the second one last night. I prefer knitting afterthought heels instead of this kind of heel (with heel flaps) because I never get them to look neat. I just can't seem to get the stitches that I pick from the sides of the flap tight enough (even though I usually knit them through the back loop) so they look sloppy and there's always little holes. Usually I fix this by sewing them close with a piece of scrap yarn once I'm finished but there must be another way!



So I'm asking your help. How do you get the heels looking nice and tight? What am I doing wrong? I think my problem is that the slipped stitches at the sides of the heel flap are too loose, especially at the beginning of RS rows, but I don't know how to fix that. Any ideas?

P.S. This is what I love about knitting. It doesn't matter how much you knit, there's always a new technique to be learned, and you are never ready or perfect. Keeps things interesting!
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Comments

  1. Kelsey LeftwichOctober 6, 2015 at 6:53 PM

    My favorite heel is the Fish Lips Kiss heel. It is a paid pattern but only costs $1 US. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fish-lips-kiss-heel

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. tingOctober 6, 2015 at 7:44 PM

      I just finished my first fish lips kiss heel and want to add a vote for it. No holes! No picking up stitches! Yay!

      Delete
  2. MJOctober 6, 2015 at 6:59 PM

    My most common hole-y spots are at the spot where the flap meets the top of the foot at the beginning of the gussets, so I usually pick up an extra stitch there and knit it together (or ssk depending on which side) with the next stitch. As for the slipped stitches being loose, try pulling the first slipped stitch tighter as you go to knit the next stitch, it prevents the edge from getting too floppy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. adelheidOctober 6, 2015 at 7:22 PM

    Mä en nosta kantalapun ekaa silmukkaa, vaan neulon kaikki silmukat ja poimin langalla silmukat reunan joka toisesta kerroksesta, aina siitä kireämmästä silmukasta. Riippuen mallista ja langasta, voi olla että joskus tarvi poimia silmukka jokaisesta kerroksesta ja mahdollisesti seuraavalla kerroksella neulo kantalapun reunoista aina 2 o yht.

    ReplyDelete
  4. RyyniOctober 6, 2015 at 7:35 PM

    Mä taas poimin silmukat nurjalta puolelta, kuten tässä videossa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFhIr25Pb3M
    Reunasilmukat kiristyy mukavasti tuolla metodilla ja reunasta tulee siisti ja nätti :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousOctober 7, 2015 at 12:16 AM

    Do not work a slipped stitch! Work 1 or 2, or even 3 garter stitches at the beginning and end of the row.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AliceOctober 7, 2015 at 12:38 AM

    As mentioned above, don't bother slipping the first and last stitches! Personally I just knit those as stockinette (selvedges, even a garter stitch one, always come out looser for me than st st). But if I'm up for modifying the pattern, I prefer to do the fish lips kiss heel as well :) it's so easy to memorise and fits my feet much better (and I do the twinned stitch short rows everywhere else now too). I've read that it doesn't suit high-arched feet but my arches are low, so that might be something to consider.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousOctober 7, 2015 at 10:23 AM

    Minä neulon reunasta poimitun silmukan kiertäen ja saan siten tiukemman näköisen tuloksen.
    M#

    ReplyDelete
  8. AngelaHOctober 18, 2015 at 5:03 PM

    I am late to this party, but one thing that helps me (especially with worsted-weight socks, which seem to suffer from this more than fingering-weight ones) Is the slip the first stitch purlwise and then work the last stitch in the row through the back loop. That extra little twist helps pull it tighter. If you really notice looseness, though, you could always try going down a needle size for your heels.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nonnu NeulojaOctober 20, 2015 at 9:48 PM

    Mulla on blogissa postaus tavasta jolla opin noukkimaan silmukat ilman reikiä :)

    ReplyDelete

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