How to Knit the Heel

If you have never knit a sock before, the part you’re dreading most is probably the heel! But I’m here to tell you not to worry, because I am going to show you step by step how to knit a heel. First off, it is easiest to start with a simple sock pattern. Even though I LOVE colourwork socks, I would recommend starting with a plain no-fuss sock pattern. I highly recommend my Classic New Leaf Socks, it is a free pattern right here on my blog. In the video below, you can knit the heel along with me. It is a German Shortrow Heel which is one of the easiest heel methods to memorize and therefore my favourite.

It is worth noting that this sock pattern does not include a gusset on the sides of the sock. If you are following along with one of the patterns from my book Colorwork Knitting from Head to Toe, you will see a striped triangle on each side of the sock. This is a gusset, designed to give you more wearing comfort. If you’re knitting a sock with gussets, you can still follow along with the video above. Just be aware that in order to knit the heel, for the very first row you have to knit across the stitches of the first gusset before you arrive at the actual ‘heel stitches’. I’m always looking to improve my tutorials so if something about this is unclear, please do let me know in the comments and I will do my best to help you out.

Looking for the full step-by-step cast on to cast off sock tutorial? Not to worry, I’ve got that one as well: