Knitting Tutorial: Yarn Over Short Row Heels

Yarn over short row heels are fast and easy to work, even though they are not usually one of  the first methods sock knitters learn.

There are five main styles of short row heels - wrap and turn, yarn over, shadow wrapped, German and Japanese or pinned. Each has a slightly different looking diagonal "seam" at the sides of the heel. The yarn over method creates a very smooth, flat join on the inside of the sock making them comfortable for even the most sensitive feet.

Short Row Heel Overview

One of the best things about short row heels is that they are worked exactly the same whether you are knitting your sock from the toe up or from the leg down. Basically, the heel stitches are knit (in rows) over half of the sock stitches.

For the first half of the heel, each row is one stitch shorter than the row before it and ends with a special turning stitch. Shaping continues until approximately one third of the stitches at each side of the heel are turning stitches and one third of the stitches at the center of the heel are regular stockinette stitches.

The second half of the heel is then knit by making each row one stitch longer than the last and closing any sort of gaps created by the turning stitches in the first half of the heel.

Yarn Over Short Row Heel

Thanks to Skacel for providing the Zitron Trekking XXL yarn that was used in this tutorial. This yarn is available locally at many yarn shops and online at Makers' Mercantile.

Recommended Pattern

Give the yarn over short row heel a try in the "Azalea Socks" pattern that is available in my shop. These socks are worked from the top down and use the yarn over short row technique to shape both the heel and the toe.