Sock success – heels!
Part two of our sock masterclas...
There’s a certain amount of mystery to creating a sock heel; after all, knitting a perfect little cup of fabric for your heel to nestle into is a pretty amazing thing. So much so that many knitters feel socks and in particular, sock heels, are beyond them and never discover how rewarding, versatile and practical these single-ball knits can be. Well, we’re determined to change that and convince you that with just a little bit of practice you’ll have these ‘trickiest’ of things firmly under your belt. The second part of our sock success masterclass is all about heels, which ones to choose and how to knit them (last issue we concentrated on cuffs). With our help and guidance we will introduce you to three different heel types and we’re sure you’ll soon be wondering why you hadn’t started sock knitting sooner!
WHAT NEEDLES SHOULD I USE?
As we mentioned last issue, socks are worked in the round to avoid any uncomfortable seams: most knitters use double-pointed needles, a very short circular needle, or magic loop on a longer circular. When it comes to heels, although there are a variety of different ways these can be worked, straight double-pointed needles (DPNs) are the simplest to try these methods out. The type of material your needles are made from is a matter of personal choice. Knitters with a looser tension often prefer bamboo needles as they are ‘stickier’, whereas those with a tight tension do better with ‘slippery’ metal needles.