Reinforcing sock heels and toes // Technique Tuesday

[@beckyphillips4127]

I came here today to report back on this technique. It works! I had experimented on some socks I made 18 months ago. They have been worn in slippers but also alone on our rough (in dire need of refinishing) wood floors, and today I noticed that the yarn is wearing thin in the usual places. EXCEPT where I experimented with this technique. Those areas is still quite solid. I'm very impressed!

[@RoxanneRichardson]

I'm so happy to hear that! :-)

[@nicolelafontaine1720]

I love the idea of reinforcing before there is a hole instead of darning later. Thanks for this tuto.

[@TheSuzberry]

Thank you for this. I’m going to state the obvious here: this is Much Easier than darning.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

An ounce of prevention... :-)

[@hannahbley1274]

Roxanne how do you keep answering exactly all those questions that I am struggling with?? It must be magic 😊

[@christinevalentine3373]

Great idea! Much easier than darning. As a preemptive move when knitting the sock I like to add cotton yarn to the heel and under the ball of the foot. Join the yarn by holding double in the places which are unfortunately known to wear out quickly. Cotton is hard wearing and compostable, at the end of the sock life it goes back in to our compost.

[@beckyphillips4127]

The first thing I want to say is, you are a marvelous communicator! Of all the knitting videos I watch (many), yours are the very best. I have recently started knitting socks, and I'm watching all your sock videos now. This one was especially interesting because I had never heard of this idea. One reason I have hesitated to make socks before is the wear issue. I will be watching for further ideas, and probably trying them all out at one time or another. Roxanne - you rock! (Yes, I am a subscriber, and I also follow you on Ravelry. Thank you so much!)

[@x1435]

Thank you for showing all three versions! I'm never sure which is "the right way" but I see they all will work and it's up to personal preference!

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Also -- if you accidentally wander off into an adjacent column (which I did a couple of times), it won't matter!

[@veronicazimmerman5704]

Great info. I usually just hold the sock yarn double when knitting the heel turn, as that’s where I wear out my socks first. Great to have other options. Thanks!

[@sandclove]

This is great way to add reinforcement yarn if I forget to add it while knitting. Thank you.

[@knitgirl.7676]

Thanks for this. I can also see other uses for this technique-maybe elbows of sweaters, palms of mittens, etc.

[@Titesoline75]

Thanks for that tips. Since I've discovered your channel, they are for me a real toolbox.especially for socks when I was struggling to understand the way to knit them.

[@cindyyeager8627]

I learned to use serger thread to reinforce sock toes and heels etc.... It can be knitted in and now that I've seen this video, I will try this technique. Thank you.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Yep, wooly nylon can be used as knitted-in reinforcement yarn. It can sometimes be a pain in the rear to work with, so it's always good to have options, and then select the method that works best for you.

[@nadiak9099]

This is great Rox! Thanks for this video. I love socks made with « rustic » yarn which has no nylon. Super tip!

[@elaineenstone6834]

Reminds me of the darning lessons in school but easier to do because there is no hole. Thank you.

[@MorganaDevina80]

Oh I always love your content. You describe things so well. And this video is wonderful since I prefer natural wool without plastic.

[@jimmersgal]

This is going to help me so much fixing my hubs socks in future. He wore out new socks in less than 2 months of wearing them!😢.

[@MrGoatflakes]

I was thinking of overstitching with hemp or nylon to add soles. Uncanny you just released this :P

[@ruth8756]

Excellent tutorials, you are a wonderful teacher!!!!

[@Chrisesparkle]

Thank you Roxanne - I will do this for my sons’ socks from now on😀

[@moniquerobinson7691]

Excelllent tutorial! I will give this a try. Thanks very much.

[@bonniewerner4121]

Well, here I am trying to get tips on how to mend and further reinforce my many pairs of hand knitted socks that have holes in them. That’s going to be my project for Finish (Fix) It February 2024 ! Thanks

[@lynbeck2359]

I learned to knit hats last winter__ this winter__socks 🧦 thank you 🙏

[@kittenkorleone2918]

Thanks for this info. This opens up lots of other yarn options for socks. I'd like to try a yarn with a small amount of cashmere or alpaca for softness sake to wear around house.

[@MissHoyden]

This is perfect! I’m knitting a pair of socks for someone very hard on her socks.

[@maryannbergeron9531]

Thank you for such a great solution!!! ❤️🙂

[@alialldredge9688]

I always wear out the sock at the ball of my foot. I just finished 2 new pairs and absolutely going to do this! Thank you

[@Kreageek]

Great tip. It is kind of like pre darning. I am going to use this on my socks that are wearing thin but don't have holes yet

[@teresaharp]

Thanks Roxanne

[@teslaandhumanity7383]

Always remember people use to darn their socks 🧦 I found it weird but now Iam a sock knitter I totally get it .

[@lindac7146]

Another great tutorial. Thx.

[@anncarrigan]

Suggestion for a Technique Tuesday demonstration: I recently purchased a package of elastic yarn thread. I would like to know how to incorporate this thread into the ribbing of my socks, mittens and sleeve hems. Thank you.

[@lainieepstein7753]

In the last video you mentioned that you were going to reinforce your toe up socks and I wondered, how is she going to do that? I need to apply this to my socks having never done it. And then poof, you've made a video! Your videos are organized and thorough, so thank you SO much!

[@lindareid4546]

Fantastic! Thank you!

[@sherirae]

So its like pre-darning the sock before any damage is done? Many thanks for the tutorial. I wondered how you could do this if the wool had no nylon. ;)

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Yes, exactly! You *could* use a reinforcement yarn that contains nylon, if you like the strength of nylon but want to minimize your use of it (or if the yarn you fell in love with doesn't contain nylon).

[@marvellamatthisshelton7238]

Tech knitter🧕

[@bikihonko1468]

Hello! I stumbled across a method how to reinforce sock heels. I only knit toe up, and my pattern has a slip stitch for the heel area. My heels always looked new, so I tried slip stitching the heel area and it seems to work really well for me. I start the slip stitch when I begin increasing for the gusset. The trick is to not have the slips line up, it seems to last longer than if they line up.

[@theastewart6721]

Hi Roxanne. Great video! Thanks for showing us all of these techniques. I bought some sock yarn a couple of years ago that came with those spools of extra yarn for reinforcement. I only got as far as the cast on, lol. They are around here somewhere. So when using that extra yarn while actually knitting the socks, do you just pick it up and hold it with the other yarn? Maybe you could do a quick tutorial on that? Just a suggestion. Thanks for the suggestion of saving the spools for future reinforcement! Another great tutorial! Extremely helpful! Thanks again!🤗🤗

[@RoxanneRichardson]

You'd just wind off the spool to the point where you matched up with the sock yarn colorway, and knit the two together. You could do the same with one of those solid color reinforcement yarns.

[@theastewart6721]

Thank you! Makes perfect sense! Thanks Roxanne!🤗

[@bridgetchristianson8706]

If you’re using the Lang Jawoll yarn, the reinforcement yarn doesn’t match exactly to the yarn but it’s close. I found that it doesn’t include all the colors of the self stripping yarn. Maybe it’s different today. I knit with it a few years ago.

[@noreenwojtan2859]

Very helpful, thank you,

[@AnnieCappuccino]

Just noticed my Malabrigo Sock has no nylon, so this technique is a must.

[@sueboettcher]

Does anybody make leather soles you could see to the sole of a house sock for reinforcement and a sort of anti-slip factor? Off this topic, but does anybody make those little silicone dots you see on yoga socks that you could sew/?iron on the bottom? (Can you tell my balance is terrible?)

[@MrGoatflakes]

Yeah I was thinking the same thing before this video came out. I hate shoes and cold feet so I'm hard on socks. Was thinking over stitching with hemp, yarn, or synthetic, or even silicone rubber strings, to add grip and abrasion resistance. Another idea is a "finger" for the big toe and flip flops. I suspect just sewing a rubber sole to the bottom would mean the sock between the sewing and the foot and the sole would stretch, bunch up and become uncomfortable. Silicone dots or ridges seems like a goer though 🤔

[@Nesi-Rose]

You can add the silicone dots with something like Sock-Stop.

[@Sandreline]

Fiber Trends has two different types of suede soles for slippers. They're not as anti-slip as silicone dots, but they do help a lot.

[@m.taylor]

How do you tie off the ends of the reinforcement yarn after weaving it in?

[@katgore99]

Thank you

[@xxxxxx-sv8mj]

Thanks!

[@rosemariezanfardino3769]

If a wool does have nylon in it, instead of reinforcing after the sock is made, can one knit with a strand of nylon held together with the wool? I’ve been knitting a long time, but new to sock knitting?

[@kat1984]

Thank you for this video! I keep wearing through my socks right under my heel. They don't even last 2 years

[@ArDeeMee]

Less than one for my husband. Then again, I didn‘t make several, so three pairs in constant rotation = condensed wear and tear. I‘m rectifying that atm

[@missmaria165]

Would it be a good idea to use embroidery thread? It's thin and strong and comes in a variety of colors. I'm just wondering.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

If you can trust the thread to behave the same as the sock yarn when it's washed, it might work just fine. The only way to know for sure would be to try it!

[@missmaria165]

@@RoxanneRichardson Thanks. With that... it may be too slippery.

[@ahmetkemalgurel5730]

Is this reinforcing technique suitable for cardigan arms? I don't really like over stretching at elbows and those areas usually need some reinforcement

[@RoxanneRichardson]

I don't see why it wouldn't work. It's certainly worth a try.

[@brendapaulsel3708]

Do you find that your sock is not as stretchy when you reinforced where needed?

[@RoxanneRichardson]

The yarn is being run vertically, so it shouldn't impede the sock's ability to stretch wide. My socks tend to have 15% neg ease around the ball of foot, which is smaller than the 10% that is typical, and I didn't feel the sock was tighter at all.

[@TheSuzberry]

It is possible to make the area you are re-enforcing tighter if you make the work tight. If you pull the area a little after each row you can make sure the re-enforcement is looser.

[@RedDrought]

May I ask what type of yarn/brand you are using for the demonstration (blue and orange(?)) it looks gorgeous and has a very subtle sheen to it.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Yarn and needle information is down in the video description.

[@RedDrought]

Thank you! I usually check the description but I may have glossed over it this time, oops. Haha!

[@karineberhart2496]

Thank you Roxanne. So if you pick up and knit the reinforcement yarn at the same time, then it goes around the whole circumference of the sock, right? Or is there a way to just use it for the sole while knitting? Thanks!

[@RoxanneRichardson]

You could join at the start of the sole, and then cut the reinforcement yarn at the start of the instep, leaving a tail. Depending on the type of reinforcement yarn you use, those tails might not be noticeable on the interior of the sock while it's worn, and it's unlikely to ravel.

[@karineberhart2496]

@@RoxanneRichardson thank you!

[@bonniebilak6026]

How do you bind the ends off?

[@RoxanneRichardson]

You could either just cut them, or you could weave them in on the back as you would any yarn tail. The whole process is basically weaving in an extremely long tail, so it's not essential that you do anything special with the tails.

[@dcantu-paez4308]

How do you keep the yarn from unknitting in those areas? Knots?

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Are you asking how to anchor the yarn tails used to create the reinforcement? You can weave them in the same way you'd weave in any other yarn tail.

[@enacrt]

@@RoxanneRichardson I wonder if this technique can be uses to weave in ends in general 🤔

[@dcantu-paez4308]

Thank you

[@alenemazzuca5118]

Roxanne to add an darning egg or something flat underneath when you’re doing this reinforcement.

[@CM-xn6xc]

I have been hoping someone would come up with a pattern with replacable sock soles :)

[@RoxanneRichardson]

That was invented centuries ago! :-)

[@CM-xn6xc]

@@RoxanneRichardson please tell me more!

[@beckyphillips4127]

I know of two patterns where the sole could be replaced. One is the Moccasin Sock by Elizabeth Zimmerman, and the other is the Seamed Socks pattern by Purl Soho.