Boomerang heel

The time has come... now I really need some help.
I’m actually a very good knitter, but for days now I’ve been struggling with the boomerang heel.
I can knit it—no problem—but no matter how tight I pull the yarn or how hard I try to knit evenly, one side looks great and the other is terribly uneven.
Unfortunately, I haven’t found any good tips online.
I just like this heel so much better than the classic one... :-(

Hi,

I had the same problem a few years ago. It’s because it’s easy to knit too loosely at this point.

I think it might sound a bit complicated when you read it through, but it’s actually not that hard.

When you knit the heel using the 4th and 1st needles, move a few stitches onto the 1st and 4th needles a few rows before you start the heel. To do this, simply transfer the first 3 stitches or so from the 2nd needle to the 1st needle, and the last 3 stitches from the 3rd needle to the 4th needle. This prevents you from stretching the ends of the heel even more, since the stretch is then a few stitches further along.
I try to knit the two points where the heel ends very tightly.
You could knit the last round before the heel with a needle one size smaller; that will make it even tighter.
For the heel itself, I always knit the wrong side rows—that is, the purl rows—the first 4–5 stitches from left to right, so I don’t turn the work for now. (Knitting like a left-hander) This makes the stitches tighter. Note: The stitches will then be mounted the wrong way on the needle. So instead of inserting the needle from the left, insert it from the right. This video helped me a lot back then:
http://www.google.de/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FELHIE7Zj1BA%2Fhqdefault.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nadelspiel.com%2F2009%2F06%2F28%2Fluckenlose-bumerangferse-a-la-elizzza-teil-1%2F&h=360&w=480&tbnid=-OQAq_FkDSkFAM%3A&docid=blFHYKdR4OlviM&ei=inKvVdThPIWT-wGvm56IBA&tbm=isch&iact=rc&uact=3&dur=0&page=1&start=0&ndsp=19&ved=0CDAQrQMwBWoVChMI1M6l7MXuxgIVhck-Ch2vjQdB
However, it’s enough to knit just the first 4–5 stitches this way. I knit the right-side rows as usual. Pull the double stitches (after you’ve slipped the stitches and pulled the yarn to the back) very tightly.
Once the heel is finished, you can leave the stitches on the needles for a few more rounds. After that, redistribute them as they were originally.

I hope this helps. After a sock or two, I got the hang of it and got used to it; I only knit them this way now, since I personally find this heel both prettier and more comfortable to wear.

Best regards
Christiane

Here’s a quick addition: Especially if it’s only on one side (I think it’s the left), it’s because of the purl rows. Purl stitches tend to be worked more loosely. In that case, the method described above will definitely help you.

That sounds good—the tip about the 4–5 stitches on the other needles is definitely very helpful.
I already knew about elizzza’s video; I watched it yesterday and gave it a try.
I’m having a really hard time with the left-to-right method, but if it really
does look better, I’ll give it another shot.

Thank you so much for the quick help ;-)

Basically, you just need to knit the first four stitches that way—and only on the purl rows—that’s definitely enough. If you’d like, I can take a few photos and send them to you… I think it’s easier to explain with photos…

Check out Regia—they have a good tutorial (sock-knitting course) that I always follow.
I’ve saved it. If you get in touch, I’ll send you the link.

I’d be happy to take a look at the link.
Thank you very much.
@kreatives-stricken I think I understand it, but pictures would of course be great.
Thank you very much.

Feel free to send me your email address via private message, and I’ll get right to work tonight and take a few pictures of it...

Check this out at Regia:
http://de.schachenmayr.com/pattern-finder/41,187

Thanks so much, Hilde — I'll read it right away...

@kreatives-stricken I've sent you a PM; thanks so much again.

Have a lovely sunny afternoon, everyone.
Marion

@kreatives-stricken
Once again, thank you so much for your help!

You’re welcome. I’m glad I could help...