Short Row Heel Tutorial

How to knit a short row heel or toe, without holes

For a while now I have wanted to do this tutorial, because I often get asked how I pick up and knit my wraps on my short row heel. Yahaira was nice enough to take these pictures for me, since I am " knit and photograph at the same time" challenged.  This is a double wrap short row, based of Wendy's Pattern for toe up socks.  In that pattern Wendy uses a short row toe and heel, the tutorial below works for both  the heels and the toes. I do all my heels this way. The secret is how you pick up the wraps. Instead of knitting the "wraps together" with the stitch; pick up the wraps, place them on the right needle, knit the stitch and the pass the slipped wraps over.

How about I show ya:)

 Once you have all your stitches wrapped (most people usually wrap 12/16 stitches on each side depending on your gauge and how deep you want your heel). You are ready to pick up the first wrap. Knit to the first wrap.

Pick up the wrap.  (The pictures show picking up the wrap from the bottom, I sometimes for a different look pick up the wraps from the top, either way works)**. The first row is the only time you will only have one wrap to pick up.

Now leave this wrap you picked up on the right needle and knit the wrapped stitch like normal.

You now have the knitted stitch, then the picked up wrap on your right needle.

Now take the slipped wrapped stitch, with you left needle and pass it over the knitted stitch. Kinda how you would do a psso. And tada, you have knitted your first wrap.

Here's where the double wraps come in. While still working knit side up, slip the next stitch which has been wrapped once and wrap it again.

Now you turn your work, you will have the purl side facing you.

Purl across this row till you reach the first wrapped stitch. This side is the exact same concept, except you will be picking up the wraps from the back side of your piece. So not the side where the purl bumps are, the "knit" side. Pick up this wrap from the bottom up and again hold it on your right needle.  (above is two views of the same "pick up")

Now you are going to do the same thing you did on the other side. Hold the wrap on the right needle and this time purl the wrapped stitch. Then pass the wrap over. Now do a second wrap on the next stitch and turn.

You are going to keep doing the same thing, row after row until all the wrapped stitches are incorporated. The only change you are going to make after the first two rows is you will be picking up two wraps on each stitch instead of one. 

This is what that will look like on the purl side:

Make sure you are picking up both wraps instead of just one... and continue on purling the wrapped stitch and passing the wraps over.

And that is how I pick up the wraps on my short row heel and have no holes!

Other side

"Look mom no holes!"

Thanks again to Yahaira for the great pictures. I couldn't have shared this without her. Please let me know if I am confusing or unclear (um as I tend to ramble:) or if you have any suggestions. I hope this helps you embrace the greatness that is the short row heel. Don't fear the short row any longer! You can have a short row with out holes and without knitting 3 together...

** Remember you can pick up the wraps from the bottom, as if to knit (shown above) or from the top, as if to purl. If you pick them up from the top your heel will look like this:

Just make sure you are doing the same thing on both the knit and purl side so your heels look the same on both sides.

Comments

[BethC]

Wow... thanks for the great tips, no more holes for me!

[Lisa]

I've never done a short row heel that's come out as perfectly as the one I did for my Anastasia socks using your technique. It was easy as pie and I very much appreciate you taking the time to post the pics showing exactly how to pick up the wraps. Now I don't have to be afraid of short row heels anymore! :) Woop!

[col]

i think i'm going to havta step up to socks now... this is EXCELLENT! thank you very much for taking the time to explain this so well!

[Jane]

Thank you, thank you. Excellent. I am currently knitting socks, first time ever, and have just completed a heel. Alough it wasn't that difficult it is nowhere as good looking or as simple as yours. WONDERFUL and thank you for your time and effort.
Jane

[di]

Hey there- fantastic tutorial.
I've been doing something similar, but your trick with passing the wraps over sounds like it will make it much easier!!
Thanks to you and Yahira for taking the time to do this.

[Quill]

This is wonderful! And well-timed-- I was just struggling with all those holes, and I found this. It works like a charm!

Thanks!

[Aimee]

Awesome! Great tutorial!

[Hilda]

WOW. Just thank you so much. After just finishing my first pair of socks, I am excited to do the next pair all better.

[susan]

I just finished a heel, and it has holes. I'm going to try again using this method. Thanks so much for sharing!

[yin]

Hiya... just read your tutorial....were those Knitty's Monkey Socks knitted toe up? If so...would you be be so kind as to let me know how you knitted them? many many thanks

[Michelle]

hi. i just knitted my first sock and using toe up method. i also used your short row heel and i love it. however, after picking up all the wraps and knitting the instep, i realised i've got holes between those stitches. do you pick up an extra stitch or two between the "live" stitches and the stitches that are left on a needle for the instep, to close up any holes there might be there??

[Darok]

Michelle - I don't know if you'll be checking but YES - you do pick up a few stitches between the kneedles to join the instep on either side. Reduce accordingly.

[Jes]

Thank you so much for this tutorial! I'm doing my first toe ups and my first magic loops, and this is the only short row heel that has worked for me. Third time is the charm I guess!
I wanted to ask, when you start your short rows, do you go and wrap the end stitches as well? I wrapped mine once at the end of the heel, but the hole there was pretty bad. I picked up some stitches to cover it, but it seemed like maybe if I had wrapped the last stitch before starting the short rows, that would have helped?
Either way, I'm very proud of how this turned out. Thanks again!

[Synnøve]

I love your tutorial. I might fancy knitting socks after this. :-)

[Monique]

omg, thank you thank you thank you for this. I've tried short row heels before and always got the holes no matter how tight or knitting through the back loop. these turned out perfect!
Thank you!

[Mango]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I LOVE short row toes - the way they look + the ability to use every last scrap of yarn by knitting toe up but I despise P3tbl on size 1 needles. This is so much easier. xoxoxox

[lizardsmells]

Oh holy jeebus, you have just solved my last, big, annoying obstacle to happy, happy sock knitting. Thank you, from the bottom of my stockinette heart, thank you.

[mariss]

Thank you so much for posting this. I know how to do it, but now I will know how to pick up the stitches correctly! The picking up is always so much harder that the wrapping part. I appreciate this so much :)

[Jeannette]

Thank you Thank you thank you! Gonna try this on the very next pair!

[D]

You should put this on video... I would love to see it in action. The look is fabulous!

Thanks for putting this up!