[FONT=Century Gothic]Which do you like better? Pros and Cons of each?
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I prefer a flap heel, but
FLAP HEEL:
[I]Pros:[/I]
-No measuring, just knit until your flap is a square.
-Turning is a breeze
-You don’t have to place markers where you wrap and turn the heel.
[I]Cons:[/I]
-Can sometimes take longer to work.
-You have to pick up stitches, which some find difficult.
-Sometimes to keep the decreases even.
SHORT-ROW HEEL:
[I]Pros:[/I]
[I]-[/I]Doesn’t take as long to work.
-You can work it in any stitch you chose.
[I]Cons:[/I]
-You have to place markers where you turn the rows.
-Can sometimes be harder to see in a dark yarn.
Hope that helps!
I love short row heels much more than flap heels. I don’t place markers when I turn the row, but I also don’t have holes when I’m done with the sock. I still haven’t managed to make a heel flap without holes.
I really like the short row heel. I like the look of it better and its what I learned first.
The second half where you are knitting all the left behind stitches can be a little tricky the first time.
I don’t have to use stitch markers for it and if you decide on the size of the heel before hand you just knit until you have the planned number of stitches left then start back knitting the short rows.
The heel is just half the total stitches and once you start the short row stitches have that little yarn over right by them.
What a great thread. I’ve never seen this question posed before.
I prefer a heel flap. Maybe because I have big feet, but short row heels always seem to be stretched too thin around the heel. Also, I don’t like the look of it as much as a heel flap.
I love the short row heels. I like the look of them better. I don’t need stitch markers, I’ve just learned to recognize where I am. I don’t even count anymore. When I first started I’d keep a little chart next to me and mark off every row I did, but I’ve learned to tell where I am just by looking now. I can turn a heel in about half an hour to forty minutes. Don’t know if that’s fast or not (compared to others), but I feel pretty accomplished after turning a heel. It’s like a sock knitting miracle. :teehee:
I remember reading somewhere (probably on this board!) that short row heels wear out faster, and heel flaps knitted with K alternating with slip stitch wear longer.
Debi
I like the feel of short row heels better for my feet. And I like knitting them better too. It definitely helps to recognize what the stitches look like when wrapped so you don’t have to use markers. I don’t wear my handknit socks enough to wear them out, but I have heard that about short row heels.
Neither. I like the afterthought heel. :teehee:
Flap! I just like the way it looks, and I think it’s super easy to do. I like that you can easily make the heel thicker doing K1 S1 and purling back. I kind of like picking up the stitches for the gusset.
Also, I’m clearly impaired when it comes to knitting short rows. I always end up with big honkin’ gaps. I try and try to get them to turn out, but I’m just not getting it. Plus, if I’m going to work that long, I want people to know my socks are hand knit. Short rows, done properly, could pass for store bought socks.
Joe
I short row my heels, and I don’t use markers, you just have to learn to recognise which are the wrapped stitches. I’m a little embarassed to say, with all my knitting experience to date, I’m still a little scared of doing a heel flap - and I’m sure I’ve done much harder things than that, but oh well… they intimidate me a little.
I personally prefer short row heels WAY more than heel flap heels. I don’t use markers either, and never have.
I think they are more cohesive with sock designs, for example, you can integrate them into an intricate fair isle pattern without altering the pattern at all. Like this.
They look FABULOUS when knit in a contrasting yarn, like this.
They’re just easier all around to do.
You can easily knit them with an additional nylon yarn for extra strength or in any knit pattern you want.
Both sides have a more symmetrical look than heel flap heels.
They look more like the way toes are worked.
They’re exactly the same knit cuff down or toe up.
I short row heels!
I’ve found that if I do a heel flap, I have small gaps where I pick up my stitches, which- since I’m an utter perfectionist- drives me nuts!! Therefore, I prefer short rows since I don’t notice them nearly as much 
if I picked up stitches and knit short rows, what’s that called?
:??
Anyone have a link to the short row heel technique?
I’ve only used the flap technique, but I really like the look of the sr hell. However, I am nothing if not practical, so I would probably lean towards the hell flap if it wears longer.
WOW!!! These socks look FABULOUS! I’ve never tried socks, and this topic is making me itch to try them! I just got my first sock yarn in an order from LittleKnits. Do I dare??? What’s a GREAT (read easy-to-follow, CLEAR instructions) sock pattern to start with?
I think hell flap may have been a Freudian slip. Anyway, Amy has a video for short rows here and Silver has an excellent tutorial for both here
Here is the [COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana]Universal Toe Up Sock Formula from Knitty. It uses short rows. [/FONT][/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]
Wow! Silver’s tutorial looks great! I see she does NOT have socks on two circulars (the way I usually knit circular) and she does NOT recommend the two socks on one circular for inexperienced sock knitters. What do y’all recommend?