This is a collection of links to useful tips and techniques that I have come across in the last couple of years. Some are patterns, some are YouTube videos, and some are blog posts. I have tried to organise them into some kind of order. This page is a work in progress. All links will open in a new window.

Basic Socks
Heel Techniques
Miscellaneous Sock Tips
Cast On
Knitting Tips

Basic Socks

Cuff Down

• Winwick Mum’s Sockalong Tutorials (Free) Heel flap and gusset construction
• Mina’s Vanilla Sock Recipe Short row heel, optional mini gusset, toe-up instructions also included

Toe Up

• Sockmatician’s Toe-Ups Heel flap and gusset construction
• Louise Tilbrook’s ‘Have Fun Socks’ (Free) Heel flap and gusset construction

Heel Techniques

• Fish Lips Kiss Heel Can be worked cuff down or toe-up.
• Step Up Socks, Toe Up I haven’t tried this one, but it’s on my ‘to do’ list
• Step Up Socks, Top Down I haven’t tried this one.
• Fleegle’s Toe-Up No-Flap, No-Hassle Sock Pattern  (Free) Another one on my ‘to do’ list. The link goes to a blog page. There is a pattern page on Ravelry (with a link to the blog) here, if you want to add it to your queue or look at projects.
• New Depths Heel A variation on the short row heel. “The New Depths Heel supplies extra stitches for a deeper heel bed for your quick and easy short-row heel.” It’s not stated, but I think this one will work both cuff down and toe up.
• Heels for High Insteps There are two patterns: High Instep Short Row Heel and Pocket Heel. They can be purchased individually, or together, for a small discount.

Miscellaneous Sock Tips

• Toe Increases – Louise Tilbrook A look at different ways of working toe increases
• Alternate way to make the TSP The TSP stitch is used in the FLK heel. This post explains a different way of working them than given in the pattern, and it has become my preferred way of working them; I find it easier to remember. This a Ravelry post, so you will need to be a member of Ravelry to view it, although you don’t need to be a member of the group.
• Using the FLK heel to construct a toe. This nearly made my head explode when I first read it, but it does work. I’ve only ever done it with a FLK heel construction, but I don’t see why any short row heel method wouldn’t work, eg, German Short Rows, wrap & turn.  It isn’t necessary to work a knit round first; you can just cast on your total number of stitches and start working the FLK heel. I found it a bit tricky to make the first twin stitches into the cast on stitch, so I usually work a plain knit round, then start to work the toe. This a Ravelry post, so you will need to be a member of Ravelry to view it, although you don’t need to be a member of the group.

Cast On

• Woolly Wormhead’s Cast On Tutorials – tutorials for several different methods of casting on, with downloadable PDFs and some demonstration videos.
• Alternate Cable cast-on for 2×2 ribbing – Woolly Wormhead’s tutorial for adapting the Alternate cast on for 2×2 rib.

Knitting Tips

• Eastern Purl – eradicating sloppy knit stitches in ribbing and cables