Thoughts on Afterthought Heels

This was my first experience knitting heels after completing the rest of the sock. I don’t know if I’m 100% converted, but I definitely see the appeal of afterthought heels. If I am working with self striping or a patterned yarn, I will most likely be using this or a similar heel technique from now on, because it doesn’t interrupt the color pattern. This pattern also makes it very easy to add a contrasting heel. Both of these socks are Frankenstein socks, meaning I took bits and pieces from multiple patterns for the toes, body, and cuffs. 

I was surprised by the simplicity of the Afterthought Heel Socks pattern. I guess I thought it would be more complicated, which I probably why it took me so long to try it out. The heels don’t fit perfectly, but they look surprisingly good for how simple they are. I knit the recommended 3 rows before shaping the heel, and I think I should have knit less than that because they are a little long and saggy. The good news is they will be very easy to reknit, which is what I intend to do eventually. For now, these are my lounging around the house socks. 

The Afterthought Heel Revisited pattern is essentially the same, but with a mini gusset constructed using Japanese short rows. I had never tried this short row method, I need more practice but I like the way it turned out. These heels fit significantly better and if I decide to knit an afterthought heel again I will be using this method. I knit this sock toe up and used the broken rib pattern from Virginia Rose-Jeanes’ Vanilla Latte Socks.

This isn’t a perfect comparison because I used different yarns and I have a feeling that is contributing to the sagging in the Afterthought Heel Socks. These were the first socks I had knit for myself in a while and they ended up larger than I would have liked. (Confession time: I didn’t check my gauge.) With the Revisited socks, I used a yarn with a higher twist and made specifically for socks. However, I think the short row gusset is still worth it, and a great way to practice Japanese short rows. 

Do you knit afterthought heels or are you thinking of trying one of these patterns? Do you have a favorite heel pattern? Let me know in the comments!