Infiniti
Jul 10, 20233 min
Updated: Sep 19, 2023
Good Day Crafties!
You know, in the last 6 - 8 months, I've probably gotten a hundred comments regarding knitting the heels onto the socks I make on the Sentro. I know that 90% of my audience isn't subscribed to my channel so, they wouldn't know that I am a crocheter first. 😅
That means that most of the techniques I've been teaching on this machine over the last 3 years have been geared mostly toward crocheters. That being said, I DO knit but I am not a sock knitter. I've always been intimidated by them despite designing entire sweaters. Nonetheless, I set out at the end of 2022, determined to be able to show you all the process of how to knit heels onto your
Sentro socks for a better feel and fit.
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So without further adieu, let's dive into this process. First and foremost, you will want to have your Sentro Knitting Machine. For a narrow/ regular foot size, you can use the 22 needle machine. For a larger foot, the 32 needle machine would be better suited.
You will also want a cable needle that will hold half your stitches. This will be key for when we get around to making the heel opening.
You will also want your darning needle and some waste yarn and a pair of knitting needles.
In my tutorial, I used a pair of 9 inch 2.75mm circulars.
Sentro 22 or Sentro 32 Needle Knitting Machine
2 - 4 skeins of Sock yarn
1 skein of a contrasting color
2.75mm 9 inch circular knitting needles
waste yarn
How to Make Socks on the Sentro Knitting Machine with Hand Knit Heels
I did an exclusive video tutorial specifically for this occasion. I want to thank all of you who have subscribed to this program because you make it possible for me to do this kind of thing for a living. Let me know if I can be of more assistance here!
If the above video is not loading, please click here.
Knit about 6 inches from toe to heel, you'll want to measure your own foot for accuracy. I wear a size 11 in women's so from toe to heel, 6 inches or ~43 rows is adequate.
Once you get to the adequate length, cast off 11 sts and then crank 8 rows in panel knitting mode. Re-cast the 11 sts using waste yarn. Then continue to knit up as many rows as you'd like to go up the leg.
Once you cast off and possibly work on your cuff, then we can focus in on our heel. Looking at it, we have 11 sts on the bottom, 8 sts going up each side and 11 sts at the top with the waste yarn running through them. If you are using the 22 needle machine and have this exact stitch count, you will want to pick up all 38 sts on your needles.
The basic principle of knitting heels onto socks is that you want to have half the number of the total stitches you cast on. Considering that we knit this on the Sentro, we find that having only 11 sts is not only fickle to deal with but, the resulting heel would be considerably wonky. That's where the wider heel opening and the 16 sts up the sides come in here.
We will divide these stitches so that half the stitches rest on either needle. In this case, you should have 19 stitches on each needle of your circulars. In my video tutorial, I used the magic loop method.
Once I placed the needles by picking up the stitches on the sides and the live stitches on our waste yarn and cable needle.
Because I am knitting with such small needles, I knit 8 plain knit stitch rounds before starting the decreases. If you decided to use a bigger needle or have a smaller foot, I recommend knitting up about 4 rows.
Round 1: Needle 1: K1, SSK, K across to last 3 stitches, K2tog, K1
Needle 2: K1, SSK, K across to last 3 stitches, K2tog, K1
Round 2: K across Needle 1 & Needle 2.
Repeat around 1&2 until 13 stitches remain on each needle (26 stitches total)
You will then kitchner off the heels to close. I do the same at the toe of the sock after running my circulars through the stitches and removing the life line.
 How to Knit Increases & Decreases (2 Parts)
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