Improving heel fit with heel increases
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- Опубліковано 7 сер 2024
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This is the third video in a series on short row heels and peasant heels, which have identical shape and size, which means they have identical fit issues. This video demonstrates three methods for increasing the heel width, depth, and diagonal for a better fit, without encroaching on the instep stitches.
To jump directly to a specific point in the video, click on the relevant link below:
Introduction to the three methods
Introduction: 0:00
The Calculations 1:26
Measure diag, calculate target heel diagonal 1:29
Calculate sock diag using 50% of sts: 2:03
The Heel base: 2:32
Calculate additional sts required: 4:51
The Three Methods: 5:33
Method #1: 5:37
Method #2: 8:13
Method #3: 11:11
Comparison of the three heels: 12:34
Final words: 13:44
If you have questions about this video, or suggestions for future videos, please let me know down in the comments or on social media.
Facebook: / roxknits
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Rox Rocks Ravelry group: www.ravelry.com/groups/rox-rocks
What an exemplary exploration of how to solve fit issues of heels in making socks - you really have gone a long ways to demystify how to do it! I totally appreciate that you have modeled the results so I can see in real life how they do fit. And I love seeing all the heel swatches together at one time. I am so happy you are making these videos!
Thank you...although if I knit another heel without a sock attached to it in the near future, I may poke my eyes out with my knitting needles! :-)
Sooo very helpful to see a real foot modeling all these heels! Rox I'm watching ALL your sock shows today in prep for afterthought heels very soon!
Wonderful explanation! Completely explained issues I had after the video talking about making a nicer looking heel! You are truly a master knitter and a wonderful teacher!! Thank you!
You make these fit issues seem so simple, thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Like a lot of things...it's simple once you know how. The trick was figuring it out!
Excellent video Rox! So much thought and detail out into the video with excellent explications. Also thank you for putting so much effort into preparing the different swatches and writing out all the maths. Also the comparisons between each method and comparing benefits. So so so helpful
Glad it was helpful!
This was a very informative video and I posted it on my FB page. You are creative, math wizard and gifted teacher. Thank you!
I'm so glad you liked it!
It is a very professional tutorial, thank you for sharing such good methods.
I've recently wanted to make contrasting cuffs, toes & heels but was avoiding the contrasting heel for just those fit issues. Now you've given me options so a big Thank You. I think I may do what you did re the "samples" so I can try them all.
If you do the peasant heel, you can try a different one for each sock, and then rip out the one you don't like as much and re-knit. :-).
Eureka! I have avoided knitting socks for myself because who wants beautiful socks that don’t FIT?!? Thank you Roxanne for all the time you have invested in research and this terrific presentation! Thank you!!
Thanks for the opportunity!
This video helps me understand the heel fit better . Still lots to learn. I need to make a pair for myself before I try to please someone else. Thanks you for the help.
This was very helpful. Thank you.
Excellent tutorial....thank you!
My favorite method is also #2 method at 8:13 thanks for this awesome video :)
This video really did help me out thank you so much for making it!
You're so welcome!
Amazing thank you!
Thanks you so much. That's was exactly the video i was looking for.
Glad I could help!
Great video thank you
Thank you 😊
0.48” at 7 sts/in
0.44” at 8 sts/in
0.40” at 9 sts/in
I just don't know how did you get these numbers please? I used ratio to calculated others but just lost here. Thanks for this. You are a great teacher.
I had same question. As stated 2 sts added = 0.4 inches added to diagonal at 9 sts per inch gauge. But 2sts/9 sts per inch = 0.22”, so I think some step and or explanation the inches added per 2 stitches formula provided in instructions is needed, imho and perhaps faulty understanding. Maybe the equivalence given is not based on math?
I have been watching all of your videos relating to socks. I made a couple of pairs but they sit in the naughty corner because they dont fit me. I made a partial sock to get the heel and flap to fit correctly. I am about to cast on version 2 to tweak it again after watching this video a few more times.
Thank you for your channel and all the good information you share. I really like the math parts. I appreciate the details of each part of the sock being explained.
I do have a written tutorial that puts all the information about measuring, calculating where your likely fit issues will be, and then how to work various types of heels and toes, along with how to modify each typefor a customized fit. The formulas are all written down, and there are links to the videos, as well. If you're interested: www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/august-sock-kal
Hello. Thank you so much for the video and the information, it is really useful! I would like to ask if you remember which kind of increases and decreases did you in the method 1? Thanks again!!
I have tried Cat Bordhi's Sweet Tomato Heel and the instep increasing by Kate Atherley in Knitty Fall 2008. I found the latter to work better for me, but there is some bunching of the extra instep fabric across the front of my ankle. I think I will try some of these modifications, maybe in combo, to get a better fit.
Let me know how it works out for you! I have found that increasing the amount of fabric in the place where the foot is larger to be the way to go. (For me, that means adding depth and diagonal across the heel, not the instep. Some people have insteps that are large/swollen, but don't have heels that are particularly tall, so different things work for different people.
I have a question, and maybe more to follow based on results. I'm going to go to your ravelry group to continue this exploration.
Thank You Roxanne, this is so very informative, I have long narrow feet so I usuallu use a heel flap and gussset for my own socks, but it will help me knit more fitted socks for friends.
I so love your TShirt, I would love to buy one, can I order it on line ?
I'm not sure where I bought it. Might have been in the marketplace of a knitting event. Sorry!
I do afterthought heels. I have same problem you have. Wondering when I cut into heel initially, could I unravel stitches all the way to the other side of sock, like 4 extra on each side. Then begin my yarn for heel with gradual increases. Seems it might give me a bit more room on the top part of foot where it normally feels tight?
What is your favorite invisible increase in this method?
This is giving me a headache, but why do you need to make your heel base longer if it will only decrease your heel diagonal? I'm confused.
I would LOVE to have two of those tee shirts like you are wearing! Can you please give me a source?
I usually look for knitting-related t-shirts at yarn shops and at yarn markets (at teaching events). Occasionally, I buy them online, but I've never been able to figure out later where I bought them from when someone asks. Sorry!
Hey Roxanne, I have a question... how do I know how wide I need my heel base? In your case, you need 1,5 in heel base, but how do I know how much I need? Thanks in advance and, as always, great video!!!
Well, I've knit a number of peasant heels for myself, and once I solved the issue of getting enough depth and a long enough diagonal, I saw that if I went too far into the pointy-heel territory, it isn't what I want/need. Once you've knit a few pairs of socks, you spend the rest of your life tweaking things, sometimes just to see what will happen. So try it one way, and if you don't like it, tweak it.
@@RoxanneRichardson thanks for answering me! Well, actually I'm knitting a sock for my friend, so I have no reference to follow. I already measured her foot, following the steps of your video, just this part was a little bit difficult to me. I guess I should use the standard 1/3 heel stitches then, right? Thanks again!
Hi Roxanne. I started a sock toe-up, because I wanted a lacy stitch-pattern that only looks nice in that direction. Like you I prefer the heel-flap and gusset because of fit issues (high instep). I really want that gusset, so I started to increase at the sides ... 'but then how do I get rid of those extra stitches when I start the leg? My ankle is not wide at all!' ... So I searched your playlist on socks. I think this tutorial gives the solution. I can decrease the stitches at the end of the (short-row) heel. It doesn't look bad.
So this is a new experiment!
Curious what sock yarn are you using??
How do you know that you need a heel base of 1.5"rather than 1.25"? Is that through trial and error? or is that calculated somehow?
It's from knitting a heel that came out too pointy. It's useful to knit a peasant heel to see what exact fit you actually need. You can always rip back a couple of rounds to adjust the final width of the heel base and the final length. (You can knit decrease rounds without plain round between, or knit extra plain rounds between decrease rounds.) It's reasonably easy to get a reasonable fit the first time around, but it takes some experience to get the exact fit that you want, partly because of foot anatomy, but also because of fit preferences.
Thank you.
@@neuro-mm8in Good question. I'd wondered that, too. :-)
Believe it or not my diagonal heel circumference is the same as yours. I do like top down socks with a heel flap too. Fit me very well. But I am trying out a toe up with the opposite shaping to achieve the heel turn. Does this work on your foot or will it give me problems?
It should work equally well in both directions.
Hi! Thank you so much for this! I'm knitting socks for someone with a narrow foot and large heel diagonal. Can I ask why you are instructing a 0.8x multiplier for the negative ease instead of 0.9? does it matter?
It's based on observation of "average" measurements and use of the standard formula with these types of heels. If you prefer a different amount of negative ease for your socks, there's no reason why you can't use it. Compare the fit to what I'm suggesting here, and see which you like best. You might find that you want to tweak it a bit more here and there, as well.
@@RoxanneRichardson thanks.
Thank you for all these detailed information. However, I am confused by what you say at 3:53. For every two sts you add to heel base... What are you adding to heel base? You figure out the stitches you need for the heel base but I don't get what you are adding.
If you want to use more of the sts for the heel base so that it's wider.
On a sock with 60 sts,.30 are used for the heel and 30 left.for the instep. Ie you would leave half the stitches behind as you work the heel .
If you were.to add 2 to the heel base, you would then have 32 sts for the heel and 28 left on the instep.
Stricktly.speaking , youre not adding stitches, but rather youre moving stitches .
I have thick ankles and socks have always been difficult to fit over my ankle. In this video, the only thing I'm struggling with is (at 2:19) how is the 1.2 multiplier is derived? I'm a 'why' person, and I just don't understand that segment. Would you please elaborate on that? I love your in-depth approach to all of your videos that I've watched. You are my go to person for knitting issues. Thank you for being you and sharing your depth of knowledge with us!
That's based on an observation about what the actual circumference around a sock typically is for a given sock ankle circumference, using the formulas used for sock heel instructions. The issue is that many people aren't proportioned for those formulas, so their socks don't fit. You can identify what the formulas expect your other proportions to be, and then compare against what yours actually are, in order to plan for fit adjustment. I have a written sock tutorial that goes through all the measurements, how to determine where your fit issues likely are, and then how to apply various mods to whatever sort of heel and toe you would like, as well as how to adjust for differences between ankle and foot circumference. August Sock KAL tutorial: www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/august-sock-kal
Thank you, O goddess of knitting! I will check it out.
And curiously, the 1.2 multiplier times my 90% sock circumference was exactly equal to my actual ankle diagonal measurement, no doubt because I have very wide feet.
New listener. Can you share what yarn and needle size used in these tutorials?
I think I was using some old Opal 4-ply fingering weight yarn from my stash. I have no idea what needle size I was using. Normally, I use a needle that gives me a gauge 1 or 2 sts firmer than the ball band suggests (so if it suggests 7.5 sts/in, I will knit at 9 sts/in). The ball band recommendation is the gauge you'd want for a stockinette sweater, which has nice drape. For socks, you want something firmer. I may have been working at 8 sts/in for the purposes of the video, because that's a gauge many sock patterns are written for, which means I was probably using a US 1/2.25mm or US 1.5/2.5mm. Again, the needle size I use to get a particular gauge isn't necessarily the needle someone else will need to get the same gauge.
Thanks so much for the info. I neglected to post how much I appreciated your thoughts and experience. Thanks again.
I prefer the sweet tomato heel. Easy and adaptable.
What method decrease did you use on the edges that shaped the diagonal on your heel? I don't like the afterthought heel that makes a thicker join like the toe, although I like the idea of doing the heel afterwards especially for traveling.
I placed the decreases side-by-side, rather than putting two knits between them, and I have them pointing at each other, rather than away from each other. (ssk at the end of one round, k2tog at the start of the next (side-by-side), then work to the mid-round, ssk before the midround,k2tog after. The ssk I use for this heel is a variation. sl 1 as if to k, sl 1 as if to purl through the back, then work them together through the back. This puts some additional twist into the bottom st that helps prevent a gap between the two decs, as well as minimizes the ssk enlarging. I should probably do a video on this. I really like the result better than replicating the toe decs as well.
@@RoxanneRichardson you should make a sock pattern with this method, or do you already have one?
No, my sock videos tend to be on techniques to improve sock fit and finishing. You aren't the first to suggest a sock pattern!
@@RoxanneRichardson Hi Roxanne, whilst on techniques, would you care to add the short row method you used? (wrap and turn, German short rows, etc.). They are very neat and tidy in your demo pieces.
@@published1789 In this video, all three heels were knit using a peasant heel, as describe above. (I did a video on this technique, which you can find here: ua-cam.com/video/SYOO7IIb6AA/v-deo.html ) When I knit short row heels, I use German short rows. I have a video on three ways to knit German short row heels, which you might find helpful. ua-cam.com/video/zywKS3jj0rg/v-deo.html (for my heels, I usually use the method where on the second half of the heel, I slip the stitch after the turn instead of making a double stitch; sometimes I use the version where I work two rows between each half; I rarely use the version where I work two rounds between each half.)
So you have a written set of these directions? The video goes too fast for me to take it all in and too time consuming to have to keep going backwards on the video.
What exactly do you mean by "heel base", please? You said you need 12 sts for your heel base. I do Fleegle heels. I'm at the point I need to turn my heel. I'll knit to 2 sts past the center marker, decrease 1 st, K one more, Turn, repeat for Purl side, so 4 sts on each side of the center marker. Is this an 8-st heel base? Or is it something else?
This video is demonstrating (hourglass) short row heels and peasant heels, so the heel base would be the row that lands at the floor, where the leg turns 90 degrees to become the foot (or vice versa). These types of heels are symmetrical, with the leg half of the heel a mirror of the sole half. The Fleegle Heel is an entirely different type of heel.
@@RoxanneRichardson OK so it's where you begin turning the heel, which is what I thought it was, I'd just not heard it referred to as heel base. And I mistakenly thought that since the fleegle heel is a variant of a short row heel that it would work with this method of calculating heel length. Thank you!
I don't understand where you get your 7" measurement (at 2:19 of video)..... before you were talking about 9.8
I'm guessing that's the circumference of her foot around the ball.
On my cell phone this video: ua-cam.com/video/ah9wAEeFiyE/v-deo.html, the "link to the entire series of heel modifications" doesn't come up. Please, fix. Thank you.
The link to the playlist for the videos related to peasant heels and short row heels works. The link to the playlist of all sock videos doesn't work because UA-cam deleted the playlist in September and hasn't yet responded to my appeal. You'll have to look at the three different playlists on my channel that are related to socks, instead.
Thanks your work. Nice and understandable.
(Only note: at the time of 4:53 ind the last row .40" at 9 sts/in will be better than .40 at 9 sts/in.)
You repeated the same thing
What would you do if the Sock Heel Diagonal you found by measuring your foot was less than the Sock Heel Diagonal your size sock will produce?
I have a friend with measurements like this. She is short, so her heel isn't very tall, but she has a large ankle, and more average ball of foot. This results in a heel diagonal that is more in line with her foot circumference than her ankle circumference. I haven't knit her a SR/peasant heel sock, but I have done the calculations to see how that would work. I calculated the heel she would need if I was working toe up, and using the stitch count appropriate for her ball of foot, and that worked out right, so my strategy would be to work the heel over that number of sts, and then decrease sts with a gusset after the SR heel or after placing waste yarn for a peasant heel. Another option would be to decrease several sts across the first row of the heel (the way you can increase across that first row).
Rox, thanks so much. I love the math!