Cat's Sweet Tomato Heel Socks - a Heel Tutorial

This heel, which gave birth to my new eBook, *Cat's Sweet Tomato Heel Socks*, emerged last winter after several days of sitting beside the wood stove with my mother while trying to fiddle my way towards a new short-row heel. I'd given up several times when almost unconsciously, I did a small thing—and just like that, the clean heel of my dreams existed. This small thing closes gaps without holes, wraps, or acrobatics. The heel is rhythmic to work and nearly perfectly smooth, like a tomato. Best of all, once the process is understood, a knitter needs no written instructions. For more information, visit CATBORDHI.COM
The yarn is Claudia's Handpaint 100% Merino 100 g/ 225 yds in Honey. For more info on the yarn: http://www.claudiaco.com/

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  Education

[emraldeyz1]

O.K. I know I'm a bit late to the game. But Cat Bordhi has done it again! This is the smoothest heel I've tried by far! People with speak her name with the same reverent tones as Elizabeth Zimmerman. CAT YOU ROCK!!!!!!!!!!

[semprelegato10]

Only yesterday......I found your sweet tomato heel...tried it....IT WORKS BEAUTIFULLY...don't have to remember any formulas....I can make it fit any foot....I was so giddy that I started a pair of socks with a Celtic knot pattern I've wanted to try for my first venture into stranded knitting.....I AM DONE! 2 socks, thank you very much. I have been released from the purgatory of sock patterns! I am a genius! (nooo......wait.....YOU are the genius). Seriously, a WONDERFUL tutorial, thanks!

[coconutshammaz]

This is brilliant! But i found the whole Mom Dad Horse thing a little silly...

[CoastKnits]

I am so excited to try this! But I'm a little confused with the directions. I'm knitting toe-up on two circulars... and have 40 stitches total. Do I keep them divided at 20 per needle and just work the back? Or do I divide them 20 (instep) - 10 - 10 (back)?

Cheers!

[Agnes Magillicudy]

This makes sense to me, and I have the same question!

[Reagan Conserv]

third time i have used your heel.. LOVE it.. will never use anything else.

Love it on one Circ or on DPNs.. esp love the toe up & sweet tom . heel with some great sock yarn , in no time at all TWO socks with no SSS :-)

Thanks !!

[Anna Kuzminsky]

I love this technique and especially closing the gaps only from the RS! Could be used for all short rows. However I tend to knit socks (toe-up) with "lacy" patterns so that half the pattern is on top of the foot and then after the heel, the pattern flows around so that it is on all the stitches around the leg part. So how would I compensate this when I have 2/3 of the stitches for the heel, which would interrupt the pattern? Am I just rambling or does this make sense?

Anna

[PinkCircleO8]

THANKS YOU!!!! I love this heel technique!!! It goes by so fast unlike the traditional heel flap/heel turn/gusset pick-up/gusset decrease! I mean like it's done in like no more than maybe and hour and a half! Ok, idk if that's actually how long but it went by FAST and was FUN!!!! It made socks less dreadful to knit! And it's PERFECT for doing socks 2-at-a-time!!!!

[Kelly Gunther]

Do you have to increase your stitch count before doing the heel, then decrease for the leg when doing a toe-up sock?

[Jaden Stollenwerk]

The double-stitch method is not the same as Cat's method. You create a double-stitch from one stitch, not build pairs from two stitches. Also you don't pick up the "mother" but knit the two parts of the double stitch together (like a k2tog).

The heel using double-stitches is also called "yo-yo heel" and has only two wedges. Tessknits (for example) explains how it is done. ^_~

[123Indigostar]

Thank you Cat. I just started my first pair of socks and had difficulty understanding the heel part of the sock pattern i was using. This tomato heel is so easy and looks so nice. Will be able to do loads of socks using this method.

[tollesonmcguffie]

I'm not sure about the three wedges part, but if I am not mistaken, this type of short row sock heel is what German sock-knitters use and call "double-stitch short rows," as they call making the pairs and picking up the mother a double-stitch.

I don't speak German myself, so I haven't been able to figure it out entirely, but this much I had figured out from looking at some German sock patterns on ravelry, and another pattern by someone using the "double stitch short rows."

were you aware?