Heels & Toes

This is my way of making heels/toes  there are many other ways, and I encourage you to learn from many people to find the method that you like.  I use 4 heel forks always when making heels and toes.

Click to Purchase Heel Forks

After you have mastered making tubes with no dropped stitches it is time to move onto making the heels and the toes.  These are made on the Front of the machine, the front is going to be the end closest to you.  You will first being doing the decrease rows and then the increase which will form the heels/toes.  You should have 4 marks on your machine, there will be 2 at the half way point on both side of the machine these are where you will start your heel, and then 2 more closer to the front of the machine these marks are where you stop the decrease rows and start the increase.  If you have hand knit sock this is your short rows.

If your cylinder is not marked with hash marks click here

Stop with your Yarn Carrier in the Front of the machine

The Red Hash marks on the cylinder are the start and stop points for the heels and toes   the marks at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions are the Start of your Decrease rows, the marks at the 5 and 7 o'clock positions are the start of the Increase rows.

Locate the start of the Decrease rows  ( 3 & 9 o-clock)  to ensure you do not have holes in the start of the heel and toes you always count 2 needles behind the red marks for the Heel start.  Locate these needles and Raise the rear needles

You want to ensure the needles are all the way up,  the Butts of the needles should be touching the Cylinder Spring

There are a couple important things that need to always be done prior to starting to knit the heel or the toe.

On your Yarn Mast you have a Heel Spring  the Heel Spring is used during the heel/toe process  Move the Heel Spring down, and then take your yarn and set it in the hook or loop on the Spring  (do not change any of the threading on the mast)

Next you will insert the Heel Forks  all forks are placed near the top of the cylinders maybe 2 to 3 rows down

Insert the Heel Forks as follows

The first fork will be placed at the 3 o'clock position right where the gap is between the raised needles and the lowered needles The second fork will be placed at the 9 o'clock position again where the needles are raised and lowered These 2 positions above are the 2 most important positions,  if you are going to drop stitches any where these are your 2 most likely spots. The third and forth forks go in the 5 and 7 o'clock positions Click here for details for how to use 4 heel forks

Now turn the Crank Wheel Clockwise and Stop with the Yarn Carrier at the rear of the machine At the 3 o'clock position Raise the first 2 needles  for the start of your decrease rows Always turn the Crank Wheel Slowly during the heels and toes Always watch the first needle to ensure it is going to catch the yarn.  This first needle is prone to missing so watch it very close.

Now you are going to bring the Yarn Carrier back around to the front of the machine by turning the Crank Wheel Counter Clockwise Slowly   bring it all the way around the front of the machine and Stop again with the Yarn Carrier at the Rear of the machine

At the 9 o'clock position Raise the first 2 needles

Now bring the Yarn Carrier around the front of the machine Slowly again by turning the Crank Wheel Clockwise and Stop again with the Yarn Carrier at the rear of the machine

From now on you will be raising only 1 needle on each side

At the 3 o'clock position raise the first needle  and turn the Crank Wheel Counter Clockwise and stop with the Yarn Carrier at the rear

At the 9 o'clock position raise the first needles and turn the Crank Wheel Clockwise and stop with the Yarn Carrier at the rear

Move the heel forks up again  so they are closer to the top of the cylinder,  and the forks at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions keep these 2 forks always where the raised and lowered needles are.

Continue doing this until you reach the red marks at the 5 & 7 o'clock positions  You should have all the needles inside the red marks at 5 & 7 in the lowered position and have your Yarn Carrier on the Right hand side when you are done with the Decrease rows

Always moving the heel forks up after 2 or 3 rows  you want to keep the weight near the top of the cylinders to ensure you do not drop any stitches while forming the heels and toes.

If you see the stitches starting to ride up on the needles it is a Warning sign that there is not enough weight in that spot and you need to move the Heel Fork Weights up or locate them into the spot that is riding up.

You are now ready to start on the Increase rows

At the 5 o'clock position lower the first 2 needles, you do not want to lower them all the way down   leave them just a little higher

Now take your yarn and move it Behind the first needle,  ensure both Latches are Open   if they are closed you will drop the stitch

And bring your Yarn Carrier around the front and again stop at the rear

At the 9 o'clock position again lower the first 2 needles, move the yarn behind the first needle, ensure both Latches are Open

Bring the Yarn Carrier around the front and stop with it at the rear

Now at the 3 o'clock position lower 1 needle,  move the yarn behind the needle   ensure the latch is open  and bring the yarn carrier around and stop at the rear At 9 o'clock lower one needle, move the yarn behind the needle, ensure the latch is open and bring the yarn carrier around and stop at the rear

Continue lowering 1 needle on each side  till you reach the Red marks   and don't forget the raise the heel for weights

When you reach the red mark  you are going to be at the spot you started with the 2 needles and you will see your yarn with a larger stitch covering the 2 stitches past the red mark   this is going to be where you stop.

At the 3 o'clock position you should see the larger 2 stitch loop,  bring your yarn carrier around to the rear of the machine, lower the needle  move the yarn behind it  and come back around to the 9 o'clock position where you should now see the larger 2 stitch on this side.  Again lower the needle  bring the yarn behind it and this time Stop in the front of the machine with the Yarn Carrier.

Now you are going to put the needles at the rear of the machine back into Work position by lowering them down.  After the are all lowered  check to ensure ALL the latches are Open,  now Double check to make sure all the latches are Open.  If they are closed you will drop stitches.

Now your ready to knit the foot of your sock

Remove the yarn from the Heel Spring on your Yarn Mast to reduce the tension on the yarn

Turn the Crank Wheel Clockwise to continue with your sock

Leave the Heel Fork Weights in place  you do not need to move them up any more but they need to stay in place until you get ready to make the toe   or practice another heel.

Toes

Toes are made exactly the same way as heels are,  the only difference is where you start the toes.  When you make the heels you leave 2 needles down past the Hash/Red marks at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions.  When you make the toes you start at the Hash/Red marks  so you will raise all the needles behind the red marks for toes.

Follow the directions for making the heels   starting with lowering the first 2 stitches