Afterthought Heels Made Easier and Neater

[@LiLiJughead]

I've watched several videos on how to do this and yours is the best. Nice and clear and just the right pace without babbling. ❤️

[@sharynmaclean7354]

I had stopped making afterthought heel socks because I could not find totally tidy method for preventing any hole, even the tiniest hole bothered me.was You have solved the problem brilliantly. I had one pair of socks that still need afterthought heel but I could not face it. Until yesterday! I went to KZbin and took one last chance of finding something and there you were. I finished the socks last night and they are perfect. Bless you, I can make afterthought socks again.

[@clairec1154]

A comprehensive tutorial. Unlike other tutorials the visual is clear because solid, contrasting colors are used versus variegated yarn. Camera angles excellent showing stitches clearly. Thank you so much for your willingness to share your skills.

[@karachickering6769]

I am "experienced enough" in afterthought heels, I wasn't expecting to learn something new. Surprise, surprise! Never thought to use cable needles for those extra corner stitches. You are very clever, Ellen!

[@akelley.73]

Thank you for the idea about the dental floss guideline. The floss pulls out so easy compared to another piece of yarn.

[@hisalone7166]

You have revealed to me the “mystery” of this technique in one short video! I’ve watched numerous others but they were not as clearly explained for whatever reason. BRAVA and a zillion thanks! I’m going to start a new pair of socks for hubby this weekend and I’ll be using your technique. Beverly

[@katherinef7249]

Great tutorial. Thanks for such a clear and thoughtful explanation.

[@karenboehlert7862]

I love afterthought heels. If you get a hole in your sock heel, you can do another and have them look like new again! Your tutorials are excellent and I look forward to them. Thank you. :)

[@thechillydog]

I guess I had never thought about that before! An afterthought heel would be the easiest style to replace when holes happen. You're clever!

[@Paudeli1]

What you mean by saying "If you get a hole in your sock heel, you can do another and have them look like new again". What "another" you're referring? Another hole...NO. Another heel... MAYBE. Could you please clarify this. Thank you!

[@sashaestyl7272]

@@Paudeli1 another heel

[@maggiepatterson7949]

I never thought of that...so easy! love it! plus you don't HAVE to match the yarn! WOW!

[@cynthiawillard8502]

My kitten loves watching this tutorial. Wish I had a picture to share but he's 3 feet from the tv set and mesmerized! Until you pulled the lifeline out.

[@thechillydog]

This totally makes me smile. Helping knitters and entertaining kitties. I love my job!

[@crystalwarelk]

Thank you! I found a pattern that I liked and want to make but it literally just said “do an after thought heel setup with waste yarn” and then later had very vague instructions for actually doing the after thought heel. So I was very confused. This made it easy to understand!

[@All.things.grandish]

ANY time I need to know how to do something, I come straight to you. And once again, you have provided the ultimate solution. Thank you so much…I had sworn off afterthought heels but got seduced by a pattern 😂.

[@betrug6837]

this is an awesome video. Well explained + fantastic video. Thank you so much!

[@corgikat21]

This is a great tutorial. I love that you clearly explain how and why you do things. Light colors help us see the thin strands of yarn you are talking about. Super camera work!

[@maritzapoza-grise2345]

I was able to do this following your video and not elevate my blood pressure fretting about runaway stitches and holes. Yay. Your patient and clear explanations are greatly appreciated!

[@TexasTwins]

👏🏻👏🏻🤩💯🏆😍🎶💐🎵 GREAT pattern for neat & successful outcomes! FABULOUS video with sharp closeups and clear concise instructions and explanations!! You’re AWESOME teacher!!! Thank you Sooo Much !!!

[@sherikoehler732]

thisseems to be the most understandable method as i can actually see the stitches and was slow enough to make somre sense of it.

[@AnneGoggansQHHT]

Clear and simplified. Thank you. Love the lifelines and waste yarn. I just couldn’t cut like other methods. I knit a stocking with an afterthought heel over the holidays and LOVED it! I’m knitting a pair of socks and was doing a short row heel, and hated it, I thought, “Why am I doing this? I love the afterthought, and it would look great with this self striping yarn!”

[@krisvanallen]

This is probably the very best explanation I’ve seen. And thank you for the brevity and fast forwarding through the repetitive parts!

[@claudiarose238]

Just great! Thank you so much! 👍

[@keepingourhome7271]

Excellent! Great, great slow movements with spot-on camera angles. Thank you!

[@AnnaKlura]

You are a great teacher! Thank you for making this video.

[@patriciaorourke7999]

This is fabulous! I was going to give up on afterthought heels until I saw this video. Thanks!

[@nancyjones3239]

You have made picking up the corner stitches very easy. Thank you

[@emilyd9790]

This is by far the best tutorial I've seen on closing the side gaps! Thank you so much!!!!

[@craftypinkcreates]

Thank you. A very helpful video. Nice and slow. Thank you

[@ewakraft5770]

❣️Thanks, is there a video for the heel?

[@lindaayala6541]

I agree with Emily D! After watching many videos on heel construction I now feel confident enough to knit my first pair of socks! Thank you! ❤️🙏🏼❤️

[@julieknitsandspins]

I’m at the point of just pulling out the lifelines and I GET IT! Thank you in advance 🥰

[@Grwmslays435]

Thanks for the video! It was a great help. Looking forward to using this method.

[@lajoye7]

Thank you . Very good tutorial.

[@rhodayazza8824]

Thank you for the video, you’ve made it look so easy; I’ll have to try it one of these days.

[@bonniebozec2400]

Wonderful video. Very clear and concise instructions. Thank you.

[@marypfeffer997]

OMG! This was wonderful!!! I knit Afterthought heels all the time and was making it a lot harder than I had to. I can't wait to try these techniques!

[@bekahjanthevintagedreamer]

Wow! This was incredibly helpful! Now i'm not scared to try an afterthought heel. Also, how you explained that the decrease needs to point toward the gap was super helpful and a light bulb moment for me. Thankyou so much!

[@thechillydog]

I love those "Aha!" moments!

[@laurakirk3481]

Great demo! Thanks.

[@katespin99]

Great tutorial as I email thinking of trying this heel. Thanks.

[@gfitz6001]

Excellent tutorial! Clear as s bell. I now have the confidence to try it. Thanks.

[@anastasiafink1532]

Great video!! I'm a new sock knitter and the patterns for afterthought heels have been confusing to understand. Your video clears up everything! I will use this over and over. Thank you so much!

[@nancyjohnson8939]

Adding a life line is brilliant!

[@feymreichmanostenrn8751]

Love it. Although this is a somewhat fidgety method, I was, ready to give up knitting socks, because the heel cost me my nerves - seriously. Now I have hope. Thanks!

[@mirtocomi]

Your explanations are brilliant! 🙌🏼 Thank you very much.

[@feymreichmanostenrn8751]

Thank you so much, truly helpful. I couldn't get a 'regular' heel done, no matter what I tried. I'm lefthanded. There are LH tutorials out there, but I can't get the hang of the convoluted counting, stitching etc - ie frustrating "brain warp" 🤪🤯 and making me feel like an idiot......Now: I can make socks for my friends 💙

[@thechillydog]

Left handers are awesome and you are certainly not an idiot! You may consider ditching the "left-handed", left to right, knitting. As you already know, it makes reading and understanding patterns nearly impossible. Knitting is a two handed activity like driving a car or rowing a boat. It frustrates me that knitting instructors continue to convince left handers they need to knit any differently than right handers because it's just not true and it makes learning a new skill much more difficult than it needs to be. If you'd ever like to chat about this or schedule a lesson, drop me an email. I'd love to help.💖

[@GiFtEoS]

Thank you so much for this tutorial! You're a fantastic teacher!

[@rubypickles1836]

I'm about a half inch away from placing my waste yarn so I decided to do a refresher on afterthought heels. Great timing for this video! I will absolutely try this on my current pair. My previous pair of afterthought heel socks turned out a bit messy with a small hole on the sides. This video gives me hope that this pair will be much improved! Thank you so much.

[@thechillydog]

Perfect timing, then! I hope your heels work out beautifully. Happy knitting!

[@missree1995]

I usually do a heel-flap-gusset sock (stitches on needles the entire time), but now I want to try an afterthought heel. Your video made it look easier and less scary. lol The dental floss. Yes!

[@lynnechinnock4020]

Oh this was just what I was looking for , thank you so much, I love your simple tutorial ❤️

[@clbedwell]

I have a couple of different afterthought heels I like to do but have always had the problem with the gap. This is a great video showing how to minimize that problem. Thank you very much!! I'm heading to the pharmacy tomorrow to get some floss!!

[@SunflowerAV]

Game changer!! thank you so much

[@dianahuntsman1722]

Wow you are such a great teacher!! Thank you thank you!! ❤️

[@wheeltrish]

WOW this is the least scary afterthought heel tutorial I’ve come across so far. Thank you! I’ll be knitting advent calendar socks for the first time and I’ve been agonizing over what heel to do that would not interrupt my calendar sock knitting mojo. I think I’ve found the answer. Thanks so much.❤

[@irinanip8739]

Огромное спасибо за идею!!! Это просто Нобелевская премия:)))) Ирина Петровна Одесса

[@charlenes.1005]

Excellent tutorial!! Thank you so much for the excellent video quality and clear instructions.

[@teslaandhumanity7383]

What a fabulous tutorial thank you 🙏🏽

[@Alsatianx2]

Great turorial. Can you please tell me where you got your cable needles from or what brand and size they are so I could search for them. Many thanks.

[@GLAMTHATFACEWithLALAxoxo]

Thank you so much! this was so helpful

[@barbheggen7434]

Oh my goodness where have you ben . Wow 🤩

[@dyersremorse]

Just found your videos! I don't know how I've missed them!!

[@debbiesoileau7327]

Great video. All of your videos are so well explained!

[@juliemorley22]

Wow that is a great idea! Thanks

[@pattikubacki622]

Brillant! Thank you.

[@kimmiemamatomany6226]

Wow, so undetstandable! Thank you Ellen. Is this heel good for someone with a high arch? Appreciate your knitting lessons and sharing it through your teaching gift. God bless you in 2023!

[@thechillydog]

It's probably not the best for a high arch. You may be better off with a (flapless) gusset heel.

[@kimmiemamatomany6226]

I've never heard of a flapless gusset heel. Thank you!!

[@thechillydog]

@@kimmiemamatomany6226 depending on which direction your working from (top-down or toe-up) they are sometimes also known as Strong heels or Fleegle heels because knitters sometimes get their names attached to certain techniques.

[@kimmiemamatomany6226]

Thank you. I think I've done a fleegal heel once.

[@pollyfoofoo8703]

Super helpful thank u!

[@candacebex4370]

I’m so glad I found this video. I want to do Arne and Carlos Christmas stocking but it requires an afterthought heel.

[@inesalonsoruiz5523]

Que bien explicado💞💞💞👏👏👏

[@irisclark2901]

That was fantastic tutorial..I always end up with holes..and the dental floss life line is very clever.❤

[@kat1984]

This is a great video! I need to switch to afterthought heels because I wear through the section directly under my heel. Hopefully I'll be able to make it deep enough for my heel, I had issues with that when I tried afterthought heels a few years ago.

[@张鑫-y8t]

Your video is very helpful！thank you ❤️❤️

[@maria_knitknits8243]

Awesome video thanks! I will try this method for the afterthought heel on my 2nd sock that i’m currently doing

[@lyndabaillargeon4955]

Love the video so well explained thank you

[@maggiepatterson7949]

When picking up the live stitches, you could use a smaller size knitting needle...might be easier.

[@margaretmckechnie2958]

Loving your tutorial. Can you please tell me if you have a tutorial for the heel turn you used on this sock.

[@ainsleyhilliard]

Thanks so much! Super helpful! This would work with circular needles too, right? Just would take a bit more manipulating to make sure you have things in the right place?

[@thechillydog]

Yes, you could use circular needles as well.

[@vitalsparkmassage]

Thanks ever so much I really appreciate your help with this Tutorial. I have had my socks ready to do for weeks. Now I feel brave enough to give it a go x

[@Tripinfallz]

That is awesome!

[@phylliswessen431]

I was not able to find your sock pattern, I just love it. Found no shop icon. Help

[@markfw54]

How would you do a similar set up if knitting toe up two at a time?

[@amyharry3071]

Hi Ellen, I purchased your 1 sock, 2 sock pattern. I am confused. When I finish the first half of row 2, I am slipping the last stitch. So when I start the second half of round 2, my yarn in my back needle is 1 stitch in from the end. I don't know what to do to move to the second half of the round.

[@margewickins1056]

Hello Lady Knitter, I love your idea but I don't knit on DPN I use straight or prefer cir ndls. My question is what size needles & yarn should I start with. Your advise. Marge

[@suemccord9723]

Thank you for making this so clear. I'm wondering if you have a video on how to do the afterthought heel right at the heel, rather than waiting till the sock is finished? :)

[@thechillydog]

You might want to try a short row heel. The whole idea of an afterthought is to wait until the rest of the sock is knit before adding the heel.

[@suemccord9723]

@@thechillydog Yes but I think some knitters do the afterthought method without going back to do it, rather doing it as you are there at the heel somehow. I just can't wrap my head around how it's done. Your videos are so helpful and clear, I was just checking if this was something you had done, or thinking of doing? Thank you for sharing your expertise. :)

[@thechillydog]

@@suemccord9723 I think there is a way to do what you're saying, but I don't know if it's something I'll ever make a video about. It's even more fussy than a typical afterthought heel. You would need to provisionally cast on sts at that heel so that one side of the provisional sts would be part of the heel and the other side would be for the back of the leg or bottom of the foot, depending on which direction you are knitting your sock. Then you would knit the heel and graft it shut. Finally, pick up the provisional sts and continue the sock. There's a lot of potential for tension issues with the provisionally cast on sts and it wouldn't reduce the likelihood of getting gaps/holes at the sides of the heel . But, I will add the idea to my topic list because maybe I'll discover some clever way to reduce the fuss.

[@suemccord9723]

@@thechillydog I'm thinking that rather than do a provisional cast on, either using a life line on the front of sock sts , or leave you needle there but use a second needle to work the heel, which could eliminate tension issues later. This would be using magic loop method. I have been searching for a video to show this and there are none I can find. The nice thing about doing it while you are at the heel would be the ease of trying it on for proper length of foot with no risk of possible wrong placement for size. Glad to hear it's on your topic list. Thank you, all your videos are so much appreciated. :)

[@topcat5248]

Just checking-do you start knitting the heel with the toe down or the toe up? You are zoomed out a bit much for me to see. Thank you!

[@mrsvickigriffin]

I’d like to see a video on fish lip heels

[@sietievdw5404]

How do I know where to place the line for the heel?

[@ksisu1324]

Great tutorial! I always have issues with gaps at the heels no matter which way I knit heels. Do you do decreases ever round or do you knot a round between each decreasing round? TIA

[@thechillydog]

It depends. If I'm decreasing strictly at the sides of the heel (not spacing decreases evenly across a round) I usually decrease every other rnd until 1/2 of the heel sts remain and then every rnd until 8-12 sts remain, but occasionally I prefer to just decrease every other rnd until 8-12 sts remain.

[@ksisu1324]

@@thechillydog Thank You!!

[@slkendall85]

Could you just leave a chiaogoo mini cable threaded through instead of lifeline and attach some needles?

[@thechillydog]

Theoretically yes, you could use a cable instead of a thin string lifeline. However, I suspect using a cable would cause a noticeable tension irregularity because of the diameter. Still, it could be worth a try to see if it's easier and you like the results.

[@leighharris3458]

Confused that the placement of the SSK it seems like that should be a K2T?

[@MoominUmma]

I just use a spare cable from my knit pro interchangeables.

[@CatalinaPapadia]

:) Thank you for the tutorial!

[@sandracasagrande3825]

Hi. Thankyou for this tutorial. I am wondering why you couldnt use two extra/spare knitting needles instead of the dental floss. Then your ready to just remove the lifeline and start knitting. Your sts are already on another pair of needles. Is this possible?

[@thechillydog]

It's probably not possible. Using a thin waste yarn or dental floss is necessary so the stitches aren't distorted and stretched out of shape. Using spare knitting needles as the lifelines would force the held stitches to be 2 needle diameters tall.

[@sandracasagrande3825]

The Chilly Dog ??? Why???? only using one circular same size. Stitches would be held on the cord. The cord would act as your dental floss....

[@thechillydog]

@@sandracasagrande3825 Personally, I would still be very leery of that method. The cord has a lot more thickness and rigidity than a thin piece of waste yarn. Stitches are bound to get stressed and stretched in unusual ways. (The thinner your sock yarn, the greater the effect.) Also the cord would skew/twist your stitches while you knit the rest of your sock. A thin piece of waste yarn is flexible and allows the stitches being held to lay flat in their natural position.

[@sandracasagrande3825]

The Chilly Dog thankyou!

[@FNordstal]

Does the floss need to be unwaxed and/or unflavoured or does it matter?

[@thechillydog]

Unwaxed is probably best, but I have a tough time finding it at the store. I often use waxed mint and without problems. I don't think there's enough wax in the floss to cause any sort of damage to your fiber, but I also wouldn't leave a project with waxed floss in your car on a hot day or leave it in UFOs for extended periods.

[@marciaparker4576]

Could you add a spare cable needle into those STS?

[@thechillydog]

I don't think so, but I have never tried. The problem with using a spare cord instead of a thin lifeline is that your stitches in those "held" rows would be elongated because of the cord diameter. I think the stitches would be noticeably larger.

[@katprice]

Uh-oh, help! I made a real bozo mistake! I thought I followed the steps exactly (lifeline, waste yarn, lifeline), knit the ENTIRE long leg, the cuff, and found a very stretchy bind off that I liked. When I went to cut the waste yarn, I found that I had put the waste yarn across the ENTIRE round, rather than just the heel half. Now I have NO IDEA what to do. Do you have a magic fix for this problem? Just living with it and securing the ends of the waste yarn is not really an ideal option as it is a very bright contrasting color to the rest of the sock. I am completely at a loss and would appreciate any suggestion. Thank you!

[@thechillydog]

Ooo... that's a tricky one! One possible option would be to duplicate stitch over the waste yarn with the real yarn. (That's basically tracing over the path of the waste yarn with a yarn needle and your new yarn.) Another option would be to completely remove the waste yarn and graft the sock back together (aka Kitchener stitch). If you have lifelines all the way around, I would probably opt for the second solution.

[@katprice]

I do have lifelines all the way around- I will try the Kitchener stitch. Thank u so much!

[@louisalurati7975]

Ellen, do you have a fave heel and knitting needles?

[@thechillydog]

Hi, Louisa. It completely depends on my mood. If I am just knitting for fun (instead of developing a design or lesson) I enjoy knitting short row heels the most and usually favor either the Japanese/pinned method or the shadow wrapped method. As far as knitting needles for socks, it also depends on my mood. I learned to knit socks on bamboo dpns so they feel like going home to me. But I was pretty excited to start using the addi FlexiFlips when they came out a few years ago. However, lately I find myself knitting socks on 2 circs and really enjoy it.

[@louisalurati7975]

Thank you

[@carlajewett1091]

Is there a reason why you don’t simply slip the two gap stitches directly on the appropriate needle instead of using a cable needle?

[@thechillydog]

I'm really just using the cable needle so my stitches don't get scrunched up and you can clearly see what's happening and what landmarks to look for. In real life knitting, that's not being filmed for a knitting lesson, I would skip the cabe needle.

[@carlajewett1091]

Thanks, Ellen, for the quick reply.

[@Golden.5555]

Canbyou dobthis with dpns?

[@thechillydog]

Of course! You can use whatever type of needle is your favorite for small circumference knitting.

[@crochetingaroundnewzealand]

Omgosh great tutorial but then you stopped 😭😭😭

[@maggiepatterson7949]

tie loose knots of the 2 life lines together with the waste yarn on both sides so you don't accidentally pull them out while knitting the rest of the sock. then when pulling out the waste yarn, untie the knot, an re-tie the lifelines loosely so you don't pull them out accidentally. I don't like to "play chicken" !

[@pamelasherrod5968]

I liked and understood everything the tutorial says, which is how to set up to knit the heel, but doesn't say is how to actually do it. I found it incomplete. What do you do once you've set up?

[@FeyM.Reichman-Osten]

Its a good tutorial. The descriptive adjectives and terms used are NOT entirely clear however. You have viewers from EVERYWHERE! I think it would help to call it what it actually IS: - ie 'on top' not 'over' - 'floss line' not 'lifeline' - contrasting yarn not 'waste yarn' etc

[@QueenBaha]

💗💗💗🤗🤗🤗💗💗💗

[@satsumamoon]

Can people tell me the point of knitting the heel after making the rest of the sock please. TIA

[@thechillydog]

It's usually just a matter of preference. Some knitters prefer knitting socks completely in the round and not fussing with flaps, short rows, turn heels, etc.

[@rosepaul9681]

It can also be if you want contrast heels or to preserve the color striping. I like to use scrap yarn for heels when I don't have enough of the main skein.