Purlbed

Socks · Intermediate

Socks with short-row heel

The way single-bed machine knitters have long made socks: the needles hold half the sock's circumference. Knit the back cuff and the back of the leg, a short-row cup for the heel, the sole, a second short-row cup for the toe, then the top of the foot and the front of the leg back up to a second cuff. Fold at the toe and sew both sides (or join them as you go). Needs a machine with hold position (any Brother or Silver Reed single bed, with or without ribber), so not a hand flat.

Suits these machines

Techniques used

Your size, machine and gauge

Size
Gauge (stocking stitch, after steaming)
Typical starting points
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Virtual test knit

✓ Virtual test knit passed

Every row of every piece on this page has just been knitted on a model of your machine, for the size, machine and gauge you chose. The model follows each needle's loops through transfers, held needles, hems and cast-offs, then measures the finished pieces.

710 rows and 18,584 stitches knitted, 0 stitches transferred, 1296 held-needle passes: no dropped stitch, no hole, no lost loop, every stitch cast off or secured at the end.

Measured on the simulated pieces
MeasurementShould beSimulated
Sock circumference (two layers)17.8–20.4 cm✓ 18.7 cm
Foot length, back of heel to toe tip23–25 cm✓ 24 cm
Leg height above the heel, with cuff16–18 cm✓ 17 cm
Heel and toe cups: needles left knitting in the middle25–45 %✓ 35.7 %
Rows to ease into each side seam0–3 rows✓ 2 rows

The simulation checks the instructions and the arithmetic. Yarn, tension and blocking still differ from knitter to knitter, so knit the gauge swatch first and type in your own numbers. Knitted one? We would love a photo: support@purlbed.com.

Women M / Men S (EU 38–41) · Single bed, punch card · Gauge (stocking stitch, after steaming): 30 sts × 40 rows

Sizes

MeasurementBaby 6–12 monthsChild 4–8 yearsWomen S (EU 35–37)Women M / Men S (EU 38–41)Men L (EU 42–45)
Foot length11.5 cm17 cm22.5 cm24.5 cm27 cm
Foot circumference (round the ball of the foot)11.5 cm16 cm19.5 cm21 cm23.5 cm
Leg above the heel5 cm9 cm13 cm14 cm15 cm

You will need

Yarn: Sock yarn with some nylon (4-ply / fingering, about 75 % wool, 25 % nylon) on a standard 4.5 mm machine, at a fairly tight tension: sock fabric should be firmer than a sweater.

About 55 g in total for this size (an estimate from the area of the pieces; buy a little more).

Also: Tapestry needle, Waste yarn (single bed), Hold levers or buttons set on the carriage

Gauge swatch first

  1. Cast on 40 needles with waste yarn and knit a few rows. Change to the main yarn and choose a tension that gives a fabric you like (see the starting points below).
  2. Knit 60 rows. Tie a contrast thread to the 11th needle from each side at row 10 and row 50, so the marks are 20 needles and 40 rows apart.
  3. Knit a few rows of waste yarn and take the swatch off. Steam or wash it the way you will treat the finished piece, and let it rest flat for a few hours.
  4. Measure between the marks: stitches in 10 cm = 20 ÷ width in cm × 10, rows in 10 cm = 40 ÷ height in cm × 10. Type the two numbers into the gauge boxes above; that tension is your main tension (MT).

Pieces

Sock (knit 2)

Cast on 28 sts, 355 rows. Flat size about 9.3 × 82.3 cm.

Row by row

  1. Bring 28 needles into work (L14 to R14). Cast on with waste yarn, knit about 10 rows, 1 row of ravel cord, then change to the main yarn. Set RC to 000.
  2. Turned hem: knit 12 rows at MT−1, 1 row at MT+2 (the fold line) and 12 rows at MT−1. Hang the loops of the first main-yarn row (just above the waste yarn) back on the needles, then knit 1 row at MT (RC 026). Remove the waste yarn later.
  3. Knit 56 rows at MT (RC 082).
  4. Short rows over all 28 needles (L14 to R14): set the carriage to hold. Before each row, push 1 needle on the side away from the carriage into hold, until 10 needles still knit in the middle (18 rows). Then, before each row, bring 1 held needle on the side away from the carriage back to work, until all 28 knit again (18 rows). Take the yarn under the end needle at each turn so no holes form. Release the hold (RC 118).
  5. The heel is done; now knit the sole. Knit 60 rows at MT (RC 178).
  6. Short rows over all 28 needles (L14 to R14): set the carriage to hold. Before each row, push 1 needle on the side away from the carriage into hold, until 10 needles still knit in the middle (18 rows). Then, before each row, bring 1 held needle on the side away from the carriage back to work, until all 28 knit again (18 rows). Take the yarn under the end needle at each turn so no holes form. Release the hold (RC 214).
  7. The toe is done; now knit the top of the foot back towards the cuff. Knit 60 rows at MT (RC 274).
  8. Knit 56 rows at MT (RC 330).
  9. Closing hem: knit 12 rows at MT−1, 1 row at MT+2 and 12 rows at MT−1 (RC 355), then a few rows of waste yarn, and release. Fold the hem inside along the loose row and sew the open loops to the first hem row.
Bed chart
Row 1 is at the bottom. Arrows mark the transfers; the key under the chart names each colour.
Needle notation

Step 1 at the bottom; only the needles around the changes are shown.

Row sequence (79)
RowsWhat the carriage knitsTension
1–12Stocking stitchMT−1
13Stocking stitchMT+2
14–25Stocking stitchMT−1
26–82Stocking stitchMT
83Stocking stitch · hold 1MT
84Stocking stitch · hold 2MT
85Stocking stitch · hold 3MT
86Stocking stitch · hold 4MT
87Stocking stitch · hold 5MT
88Stocking stitch · hold 6MT
89Stocking stitch · hold 7MT
90Stocking stitch · hold 8MT
91Stocking stitch · hold 9MT
92Stocking stitch · hold 10MT
93Stocking stitch · hold 11MT
94Stocking stitch · hold 12MT
95Stocking stitch · hold 13MT
96Stocking stitch · hold 14MT
97Stocking stitch · hold 15MT
98Stocking stitch · hold 16MT
99Stocking stitch · hold 17MT
100Stocking stitch · hold 18MT
101Stocking stitch · hold 17MT
102Stocking stitch · hold 16MT
103Stocking stitch · hold 15MT
104Stocking stitch · hold 14MT
105Stocking stitch · hold 13MT
106Stocking stitch · hold 12MT
107Stocking stitch · hold 11MT
108Stocking stitch · hold 10MT
109Stocking stitch · hold 9MT
110Stocking stitch · hold 8MT
111Stocking stitch · hold 7MT
112Stocking stitch · hold 6MT
113Stocking stitch · hold 5MT
114Stocking stitch · hold 4MT
115Stocking stitch · hold 3MT
116Stocking stitch · hold 2MT
117Stocking stitch · hold 1MT
118–178Stocking stitchMT
179Stocking stitch · hold 1MT
180Stocking stitch · hold 2MT
181Stocking stitch · hold 3MT
182Stocking stitch · hold 4MT
183Stocking stitch · hold 5MT
184Stocking stitch · hold 6MT
185Stocking stitch · hold 7MT
186Stocking stitch · hold 8MT
187Stocking stitch · hold 9MT
188Stocking stitch · hold 10MT
189Stocking stitch · hold 11MT
190Stocking stitch · hold 12MT
191Stocking stitch · hold 13MT
192Stocking stitch · hold 14MT
193Stocking stitch · hold 15MT
194Stocking stitch · hold 16MT
195Stocking stitch · hold 17MT
196Stocking stitch · hold 18MT
197Stocking stitch · hold 17MT
198Stocking stitch · hold 16MT
199Stocking stitch · hold 15MT
200Stocking stitch · hold 14MT
201Stocking stitch · hold 13MT
202Stocking stitch · hold 12MT
203Stocking stitch · hold 11MT
204Stocking stitch · hold 10MT
205Stocking stitch · hold 9MT
206Stocking stitch · hold 8MT
207Stocking stitch · hold 7MT
208Stocking stitch · hold 6MT
209Stocking stitch · hold 5MT
210Stocking stitch · hold 4MT
211Stocking stitch · hold 3MT
212Stocking stitch · hold 2MT
213Stocking stitch · hold 1MT
214–330Stocking stitchMT
331–342Stocking stitchMT−1
343Stocking stitchMT+2
344–355Stocking stitchMT−1
Opens a copy of this piece as an editable bed chart in your browser.

Finishing

  1. Weave in the ends and remove any waste yarn.
  2. Fold the sock in half at the toe (the middle of the second short-row cup), right sides out, so the cuffs meet.
  3. Sew both sides with mattress stitch from the toe to the cuffs, matching row for row: the sole joins the top of the foot, the back of the leg joins the front.
  4. Sew the ends of the cuffs together and steam lightly. The seams run along the sides of the foot, so nothing presses under the sole.

Notes and changes

  • Socks are knitted about 10 % smaller than the foot so they stay up. Measure round the ball of the foot.
  • If the heel shows holes, wrap more firmly at each turn or use the two-forward-one-back method when returning needles.
  • For longer socks, add the same rows to both leg sections; for a longer foot, add the same rows to the sole and the top of the foot.
  • Experienced knitters can join the sides as they go: on the way back up, hang the edge loop of the matching row on the end needle on the side away from the carriage each row.

Abbreviations

MT
main tension: the tension dial setting of your gauge swatch. MT−1 is one number tighter, MT+2 two numbers looser.
RC
row counter. Set it to 000 after the cast on; the steps give the reading at the end of each step.
sts
stitches. One working needle holds one stitch.
L10 / R10
needle numbers, counted outwards from the centre 0 of the needle bed.
Hold
a needle pushed fully forward keeps its stitch and does not knit while the carriage is set to hold.
Waste yarn
a contrast yarn knitted before or after the piece and unravelled later, so open loops can be hung or sewn.
Fully fashioned
decreasing or increasing 2 stitches in from the edge with a transfer tool, so the edge stays smooth for seaming.

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