Slipper Pattern--Knit and Felted

This is a pattern for knitting slippers that are very easy.  They are knit large and then washed in hot water in the washing machine so that they felt.
It is a variation on a slipper pattern that I made before. It is similar to the French Press Felted Slippers, but made entirely differently, so I hope that it is not too close!

 So without any more ado, this is what you do:
A Periwinkle Pattern by Michelle Harris, 2010

Size:  women’s foot size medium, about 9-1/2" long.  If it is too big, you can wash it again to shrink it more.
Size will vary according to how much your yarn felts up when washed, and even whether you wash it once, or twice.

Yarn:    Swedish Matt-Garn,  2 skeins, 100 g (110 m per skein) or any number of colors that total 160 grams, Similar yarns include Cascade 220 or other DK weights in 100% wool do not get super-wash wool, it will not felt.
    If your yarn is a bit thinner, you will get a finer gauge, and the slippers will be a bit smaller.
    You’ll also need 2 large buttons (for decoration)

Needles: 6mm or 6.5mm straight knitting needles
Gauge:  11-½ st =4 inches with Matt-Garn, 12 st = 4 inches using finer yarn, makes a smaller slipper

The project is worked using 2 strands of yarn held together. You can choose 2 threads of the same color, 2 different colors, or you can keep one color constant while shifting colors on the second thread.
  How to add new threads:   To prevent lumps when adding new colors, and so that you don‘t have lots of ends to weave in later, you can splice the old and new threads. This is easiest if the end of the thread has been pulled off rather than cut .   When you have about 2 inches (5 cm) of yarn left on one of the pieces, take your new thread, and twist the wispy pieces together, twining them to make a single thread and then try to twist them together with your ongoing thread.  This is simpler than it sounds, just try it!

---Slipper is worked back and forth on 2 straight needles.
--- “knit 2 into the same stitch” is an increase. Knit into the front of the stitch, but don’t pull it off, knit into the back of the stitch and then pull it off,
---knit both slippers the same, but when sewing together, just make sure the straps face different directions.

Knitting
Cast on 20 stitches
 Knit one row.
Row 2: Knit to the last 5 stitches, knit into the front and back of these 5 stitches so that you now have 25 stitches.  This will round the end, it is the TOE end.
Knit 4 rows in garter stitch
Increase Row:  From the heel end, Knit 2, *Purl 2, K2 in next stitch,* until 6 stitches remain.  Place marker, Knit the last 6 stitches.
      The 2 stitches at the heel end of the row, and the 6 at the toe end will be knit in garter stitch (knit on every row) while the stitches between are a knit2, purl2 rib.
     Continue in pattern until the piece measures 18 cm.








With the toe end facing, knit 6 stitches, *K2, P2 together*, repeat from * to * until 2 stitches remain,  k2
Knit all stitches for 4 rows
 From the toe end, decrease 5 stitches by K2 together on the first 10 stitches, then finish knitting the row Loosely bind off all stitches.  Cut yarn, leaving a 12” tail to sew seam with.
Fold each slipper in half and sew together the ends.

these are the pieces you will have before sewing together

this is what it looks like when you sew the end seams.  the toe end is shown at the right side.

Make 2 straps:  these are both knit the same way.
Cast on 9 stitches
Knit 7 rows in stockinette stitch (Knit on front, purl on back)
Row 8, P2 together, purl until the last 2 stitches, purl 2 together.
continue in stockinette stitch.
Row 15: K2 together, K3, K2 together
Row 16, purl
Row 17 K2 together, K1, K2 together
Bind Off.

Place slippers side by side and make sure that the straps point in opposite directions. Place the strap over the  slipper and determine where you want it to fasten down.  Stitch through both layers to hold it in place on the wide side.  Leave the small end which points to the outside of the foot loose, but weave in the tail end of the thread. 

Felt the slipper
Before felting, the slippers will look something like this:

To felt them, just put them through a hot/cold cycle in the washing machine with some detergent and other stuff to make up a full load.  I use a front loader, so I can't stop it to check what's happening.  Front loaders usually don't felt as completely as top loaders because they have less agitation, so I usually have to put them through 2 wash loads.
When you remove them after the spin cycle, they should feel a lot tighter.  You can do some shaping by pushing or pulling, or just putting them on your foot to get them to mold to the right shape.  (Take them off) and let them dry.
Find 2 nice buttons that look nice with the color of wool you have used.  Sew the buttons to the straps, going through all layers to hold the strap in place.  You might want to put the slipper on your foot to determine the placement.

You can see that one of mine might need to be resewn, since it went a bit wonky,
It is easy to make the slipper bigger or smaller by adding/removing stitches, or using a different size of needles or yarn.  The good thing is that they are quite quick to make, you could easily knit a slipper in an evening or less.
Keep those toes warm!

Book Sale on now

If you are in the Saskatoon area, you might be interested to know that we have a book sale on at Periwinkle until the end of the year.  It is buy one book and get a second one of equal or lesser value at half-price. 

 because who doesn't love books?!!!
as you can see, from my little shelf here, you can never have too many books.
also, because we seem to have a LOT of books in stock at the shop, and it would be nice to have fewer to count for year-end inventory.

 I am happy to have finished the crocheted mesh/woven blanket, it turned out well, I think.  it is pretty thick for an afghan, but that is nice in its way.  I ended up washing it in cold water, on delicate cycle, and it didn't shrink or felt at all.  it also didn't get that halo of little fuzzy fibers that I was hoping for.

 This is a little flower that just started blooming on a bush outside.  I don't know what it is.
I've been doing more knitting than sewing!  I guess I'm just thinking about what I want to sew next.  It seems hard lately to just jump into new projects, or to "play".  Lately I've been thinking about that whole concept.  Why is it harder to sit down and work on something without having a particular end object as a goal?

Anyway, this lacy rectangle you see here is going to be sewn up at the ends to make a tube.  It is a sort of neck cowl to wear like a scarf.  It is wide enough to pull up over your head like a hat.  The yarn is half silk and half mohair, i think, so it is pretty supple.  Also it seemed to stretch quite a bit when I washed it and laid it out to dry, so it will be interesting to see how it works,,,, the holes got quite a bit bigger in the lace pattern.

Now I am currently knitting a pair of slippers, since my feet get a bit chilly.  I am using the felted slipper pattern that I've used so many times before! the instructions are  here

Hope that you keep toasty warm today! 

New Slippers

 I have been working on felting slippers with Matt-Garn and another wool called "Quebecois" which is a bit lighter. The two pairs shown above are both the same number of stitches, both on size 6mm needles with 2 strands of yarn, but the Matt-Garn ones are definitely larger.  They all still need buttons sewn on to the straps for decoration. 
This is the evolution of a slipper:
1. Knit them big

 2. sew up the ends

 3. tack down the straps

 4. wash with hot water in the machine

5. put on your feet