If you've followed me on social media for any length of time you will certainly know that I am a huge fan of self stripe sock yarn. Toe up socks, knitted in plain stocking stitch with a fun stripey yarn are my go to project of choice. There is something about watching the stripes neatly line up as you knit which is immensely satisfying. The problem can come at the heels though, when the extra yarn needed to cover the back of the heel can interrupt the smooth flow of stripes along the front of the sock.

Sock tip #7: to preserve your sock stripes wind off 10g sock yarn before you cast on and use this to knit the heels. 

You can of course use a contrast yarn for your heels too but if you want your heels to roughly match the rest of your sock then simply wind off 5-10g sock yarn before you cast on. Whether you are working a short row heel (such as the fish lips kiss heel) or a traditional heel flap, most heel constructions require you to work back and forth (flat). When you reach this section of the sock simply join your spare 10g sock yarn and work the heel, before re-starting with the original yarn when you come back to working in the round.

This keeps the stripe sequence consistent along the front of the sock and will bring pleasure to your stripe-loving knitterly heart.