Okay, so, I was trying to knit a sock, and you know how there are different parts to a sock, right? I decided to tackle the heel, and I went with something called a “Dutch heel.” I heard it’s also known as a “square heel” because, well, it looks like a square. I picked up my needles and yarn and got started.
First, I had to knit the leg part of the sock. After I was happy with the length, it was time to start shaping the heel. Now, this is where it got a little tricky. I had to use this technique called “short rows.” Basically, I didn’t knit all the way across each row. I’d knit most of the stitches, then turn my work around and knit back in the other direction. It felt a bit weird at first, going back and forth like that, but I figured it was part of the process.
I kept doing these short rows, gradually decreasing the number of stitches I was knitting each time before I turned. It felt like I was making a little flap or something. And I was. Turns out this “flap” was going to be the heel cup, the part that actually cups your heel in the sock.
- Knit the leg of the sock to the desired length.
- Start the heel flap using short rows.
- Knit most of the stitches, then turn the work.
- Knit back in the other direction.
- Gradually decrease stitches before turning.
- Continue until the heel flap (cup) is formed.
After a while, I had this square-shaped piece of knitting, and I realized I had successfully made the heel turn! It took some patience, and I had to pay close attention to where I was turning my work, but I did it. I made a Dutch heel!
I know there are other ways to knit a heel, like the “French heel,” which is more V-shaped, or the “short-row heel,” which is apparently faster. There’s even something called an “afterthought heel,” but I heard that one leaves you with extra ends to weave in, and I don’t want to deal with more work, so I didn’t try it. Oh, and I read about a “fleegle heel” that’s shaped with increases, but that sounded a bit complicated for me at the moment.
My Final Thoughts
All in all, I think I’ll stick with the Dutch heel for now. It was a bit of a challenge, but I like how it turned out. It looks neat, and I think it’ll be pretty comfortable. Plus, now I can say I know how to knit a square heel! Who knew sock knitting could be so interesting? I might try those other heel types sometime later, but for now, I’m happy with my square Dutch heel.
