How do you knit an afterthought heel?
Afterthought Heel: Prep
- After desired length cuff is worked, knit 2 rounds.
- Next Round: With waste yarn, knit half of stitches. These are your heel stitches.
- Slip the stitches just knit on waste yarn back onto left-hand needle.
- Re-knit the heel stitches with main yarn.
What is an afterthought heel in knitting socks?
The afterthought heel is added after the entire body of the sock is completed down to the toes. You can use it instead of a gusset heel. It is easy to replace once worn out; it also lends itself to the use of contrasting yarns for an interesting heel addition.
Where do you start afterthought heels?
Beginning at the right end of the heel opening, insert one of the needles under the right leg of every stitch in the row below the waste yarn. Then insert the second needle under the right leg of every stitch in the row above the waste yarn.
When should you start afterthought heels?
The basic idea with the afterthought heel is that the heel isn’t worked until after the main part of the sock is complete. The heel is called peasant or forethought heel if you decide the heel placement while you are knitting the body of the sock and use waste yarn as a placeholder in a planned location.
What’s the best way to knit an afterthought heel?
Waste Yarn Afterthought Heel Method. – Using a knitting needle, gently pick up the stitches on the row above and below the waste yarn row: The stitches will likely feel tight on your needle. I like to use a needle one size smaller, so they will slide on easier.
Is there such a thing as an afterthought heel?
The heel can be raveled or cut out, live stitches can be picked up, and then a new heel can be knitted to replace the old one. This heel is often erroneously referred to as an afterthought heel, but it is not an afterthought (something thought of or added later); it is planned for while the sock is being knitted.
When do you put the afterthought heel on a sock?
The afterthought heel, a term coined by Elizabeth Zimmermann in her book Knitting Without Tears (Fireside Books, 1971), isn’t placed until after the leg and foot of the sock are complete. At that point, the location of the heel is determined—usually on the foot about 2″ before the back of the heel—and a stitch is snipped at the center of the heel.
Where do you put the stitches on a peasant heel?
The stitches should be placed onto smaller needles (same as for the peasant heel) as the yarn is removed so that they don’t ravel any further. Whether working the peasant heel or the afterthought heel, a stitch must be added to the upper needle so that the top and bottom of the heel have the same number of stitches.