Intermediate
What the pattern's own author called it. Nothing here is graded again.
Wearables 11 Laid out for paper No account, no download
How to Crochet Thigh High Socks With a Turned Heel
Thigh-high crochet socks worked in rounds from a magic circle, turned heel, 5.5mm hook.
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Time
- 4-6 hours
- Yarn weight
- Worsted
- Hook
- 5.5 mm
- Rounds
- 11
Worsted
What the sample was worked in. Any weight works; the size moves with it.
11
Each one is typed out whole and gets its own line.
This sock starts at the toe with a magic circle and builds outward in half double crochet rounds, so the whole foot and leg grow from a single closed loop. The heel breaks from the round to work flat in short rows, then folds and seams shut before it tucks back inside the sock body. The leg continues upward in rounds until it reaches your desired length, finishing with a cuff, a shell stitch row, and two drawstrings. Have your yarn wound and your hook within reach before you close that first magic circle, since the opening rounds move fast.
Common mistakes and their fixes
- Forgetting the ch-2 counts as a stitch
- Every round and row opens with a ch-2 that stands in for the first hdc. Skip counting it and the stitch count drifts low by the next round.
- Seaming the heel fold on the wrong side
- Fold the heel so the right side faces out before you slip stitch through the first and last stitch of each row, then push it inward. A fold the wrong way leaves the seam showing once it is tucked inside.
- Threading the drawstring through the wrong round
- The drawstrings loop through the shell stitch round only, not the cuff rounds beneath it. Threading through the cuff instead leaves the shell stitch detail loose and unused.
The materials list
- 1.5 skeins of yarn (any weight or color)
- 5.5 mm crochet hook
- Yarn needle
- Scissors
Listed by the pattern's own author, in their words.
Key to this pattern, 7 short forms
Foot
Magic Circle: Make a loose slip knot; Ch 2 (this counts as the first st); Hdc 9 in the magic circle; Close the magic circle by pulling on the string and sl st in the ch 2.
Round 1
Ch 2 (this counts as the first st); Hdc 2 in each st around; Sl st in the second ch to finish the round.
Rounds 2–3
Ch 2 (this counts as the first st); Hdc in each st around; Sl st in the second ch to finish the round.
Rounds 4–20
Ch 2 (this counts as the first st); Hdc in each st around; Sl st in the second ch to finish the round.
Heel
Row 1
Ch 2 (this counts as the first st); Hdc 9; Ch 2, turn; Rep the last 2 rows 4 more times.Fold the heel in half and sl st through the first and last st of each row.Push the heel inside the sock.Sl st back up to the top of the sock.
Leg
Round 1
Ch 1; Hdc 6 on the side; Hdc 10 in the front; Hdc 6 on the other side.
Round 2
Ch 2, turn; Hdc 21; Rep the last 2 rows until the sock reaches your desired length.
Cuff
Round 1
Ch 2 (this counts as the first st); Inc on the 7th st.
Round 2
Hdc in each st around; Rep the last 2 rows 3 more times.
Round 3
Hdc in each st around until the sock reaches your thigh.
Shell Stitches
Round 1
Ch 2 (this counts as the first st); Hdc 7 in the next st; Hdc in the next st; Rep the last 2 sts until the end of the round; Sl st in the second ch to finish the round.
Drawstrings
Round 1
Ch 80-100.
Assembly, in order
Step 1Loop the drawstring through the shell stitches.
Step 2Make a second drawstring and loop it through the other side of the shell stitches.
Check these before you start
- The 5.5mm hook is sized to move quickly through worsted-weight rounds; swap it only if your yarn is noticeably thinner or thicker, and re-swatch if you do.
- Round 1 of the Foot doubles the stitch count through increases, so keep tension even here or the sole will flare unevenly compared to the rest of the foot.
- If you join a new skein partway through the Leg, plan the join at the back of the round so it sits under the cuff rather than across the front.
On one line
| Rounds | 11 |
|---|---|
| Parts | 6 |
| Level | Intermediate |
| Time | 4-6 hours |
| Hook | 5.5 mm |
| Yarn | Worsted |
Set-up
- Confirm you have close to 1.5 skeins on hand; thigh-high length uses more yardage than a standard sock.
- Work a small hdc swatch first to check that your stitches sit firm enough to hold sock shape without going stiff.
- Read through the Heel section before you reach it, since it works flat in rows and folds back into the sock rather than continuing in rounds.
- Place a marker at the first stitch of each round on the Foot; the ch-2 turn is easy to lose track of without one.
Finishing
- Weave in the yarn tails left at the magic circle, the heel fold, and the drawstring ends before shaping anything further.
- Thread both drawstrings through the shell stitch round on opposite sides of the cuff, pulling each snug.
- Block the finished sock flat so the hdc rounds relax into an even, uniform circumference from foot to cuff.
Construction
Round 1 of the Foot works an increase into every stitch of the magic circle, doubling the count in one pass and setting the circumference the rest of the foot holds steady.
The Heel is the only part worked flat rather than in the round; its folded, seamed rows form a pocket that gets pushed inside the sock, letting the Leg resume in rounds without a visible seam.
Time per section
| Foot | about 1 to 1.5 hours, because the magic circle and 4 rounds include an increase round that needs even tension |
|---|---|
| Heel | about 20 to 30 minutes, because the single row repeats 5 times before folding and seaming by hand |
| Leg, Cuff, and Shell Stitches | about 2 to 3 hours, because the leg repeats its 2-round pattern until it reaches your desired length before the cuff and shell rounds finish it off |
Photographs of this one
Every one was taken by whoever published the pattern, in the order the source listed them.
Common questions
These answers came from whoever first published the pattern, kept word for word.