Afterthought Method: Thumbs, Heels + Pockets

Whether you’re knitting a mitten, sock, or sweater, the Afterthought Method is a simple way to create a dimensional element—like a thumb, heel, or pocket—without a seam, without a gusset, and without fuss! In sock knitting, this method is also known as an “easy heel,” and as that name suggests, it’s perhaps the easiest way to add a heel to a sock.

This technique is called the Afterthought Method because you knit the entire project as if you weren’t going to add that thumb, heel, or pocket, with just a quick stop along the way to knit a partial row or two with scrap yarn (okay, so a tiny bit of forethought needed!). At the very end of your project, you simply slip those live stitches off the scrap yarn and onto some needles, and you’re ready to knit your thumb, heel, or pocket in the round! Let’s learn how it’s done, using our free Color Tip Mittens pattern as an example…

Afterthought Method Tutorial: Step-By-Step Instructions

Well before you actually knit your thumb, heel, or pocket, you put the stitches you’ll need for them on hold by using scrap yarn to knit a partial row or two, then continue to knit your mitten or sock or sweater as normal. At the very end of your project, you’ll return to those stitches on scrap yarn and do the following…

Transfer the stitches in the row above the scrap yarn onto a double pointed needle (or onto one end of long circular needles for Magic Loop), slipping your needle under the right leg of each stitch or “V” (shown above left). Using another double pointed needle (or the other end of the circular needles), do the same with the stitches in the row below the scrap yarn (shown above right). Be sure to pick up the same number of stitches in each row.

Now remove the scrap yarn, using a tapestry needle or the point of a needle to unpick the yarn. You’ll be left with a hole in the middle of your work and all the live stitches above and below held securely on two needles (shown above).

Join your yarn and knit across the stitches on the lower needle, then locate the stitch between the needles at the left edge of the opening, indicated by the arrow above.

Pick up and knit the right leg of that stitch.

Now rotate your work 180 degrees, so the next needle is at the bottom, and knit across the stitches on that needle. When you reach the end, pick up and knit 1 stitch at the edge of the hole in the same way, locating the row between your needles and picking up the right leg of the stitch closest to the opening (shown above).

If you’re using double pointed needles, divide your stitches evenly on 3 or 4 needles so you’re ready to work in the round, or if using Magic Loop, you’re good to go. Either way, now just follow your pattern to shape your afterthought thumb, heel, or pocket!

Need help with the next step? Read our How To Knit With Double Pointed Needles Tutorial or our Magic Loop Tutorial for lots of great tips!

Practice The Afterthought Method

The Afterthought Method is a super easy, no-gusset way to add a thumb to mittens like our free Color Tip Mittens pattern. Since it’s just a small number of stitches that you put on hold, this is an easy way to learn the technique!

If you’d like to try knitting a sock with an afterthought heel, our Ruffle Socks pattern is the perfect project to try it out. The body of the sock is all stockinette, so it’s super easy to see what you’re doing and to try out this easy method of knitting a sock heel. As you can see, you end up with a beautifully dimensional but totally seamless heel… And the fit is wonderful, too!

Tutorial written by Andrea Lotz for Purl Soho.

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