RSSEasy House Slippers
Easy House Slippers
Do as the Norwegians do and make these super-simple slippers.
By Liecel Tverli Scully
There's a saying where I am from: "Don't just sit there with your hands in your lap — knit something!" I grew up in the far north of Norway, above the Arctic Circle in Saltdal, a small town on the edge of a fjord. Knitting was the perfect way to pass the time during the dark, cold winters. At school, knitting class was a requirement; when I was in the 5th grade, we had to make a pair of socks using five needles. It was a complicated project and I remember having a really hard time with it. But my poor friend Roger was so frustrated he threw his half-done sock into the fireplace at home, needles and all. That's right — at my elementary school the boys had to learn to knit as well!
This is a pattern that is really popular in my valley right now. It's an easy project that makes a fun, cozy slipper. If you know basic knitting, you'll knit these in no time.
Materials
U.S. size 9 knitting needles
Wool yarn in 3 different colors I used PT2 yarn from Norway, but you can use any wool yarn that will felt.
Gauge: 22 stitches equals 10cm on a size 9 (US) needle
Pattern adjustments for shoe sizes (U.S.)
Size 9: 20 stitches, 20 rows
Size 8: 19 stitches, 19 rows
Size 5: 16 stitches, 16 rows
Directions
Step 1: Knit the slipper.
Start by casting on 20 (or 19, 16, etc.) stitches, and work garter stitch until your square counts 40 rows. Switch to a new color and repeat, following the diagram. When finished with square 6, bind off and purl 20 stitches on the side of square 6. Knit the last 2 squares and bind off. You should end up with 8 squares in an L shape.
TIP: Always lift off the first stitch; it leaves a nicer edge.
Step 2: Fold and sew the slipper.
By folding the knit squares the right way, you'll end up with a slipper! Following the diagram above, fold along the dotted lines on the long branch of the L and sew points A, B, C, and D together as shown below.
Then fold along the last remaining dotted line and sew points E, F, and G together. The heel will curve around to accommodate, and there will be flaps to lie flat at the ankle like a collar. Repeat instructions for a second slipper.
TIP: Print or copy the illustration and cut the shape out with scissors; try folding in paper before trying to fold the knit project.
Watch the folding technique in action with this video.
Step 3: Felt the slippers.
The slipper will look big, but don't worry, it will shrink. After sewing both slippers, throw them in your washing machine and wash them on hot. If they still look big and are not felted enough, wash them again.
About the Author:
Liecel Tverli Scully is an aspiring printmaker who lives in San Francisco with her knitting needles, yarn, and husband. She may be the most northern-born Giants fan. Visit her on her blog, luckytravelsinc.blogspot.com.
About how big should the squares be after knitting but before felting for a given size? Then I could choose wool and needles without worrying too much about gauge :)
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Unfortunately you can't measure that way because of the various shoe sizes. It's best to go figure out your gauge first. I know it's a pain, but trust me, after knitting all these years, it's the best way to make sure what you are knitting fits.
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Just wondering what "Lift off the first edge" means. I'm relatively new to knitting.
Can't wait to make these.. I love your colour choices! Thanks for the instructions.
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Hi, Lift the first stitch means the same thing as slip as to knit. You just slip the first stitch to the right needle without knitting it.
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I'm just about to hit row 40, but my square looks like a rectangle.
20 stitches....40 rows? It's like 2 squares instead of one. Using the right size needles and patons classic wool. What am I missing here, if anything?
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Make sure you gauge is correct. It's 22 stitches equals 10cm on a size 9 (US) needle. If it's off, you may need to go up or down a needle size to obtain the right measurement.
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When I made my 2nd set of these, I rounded the heel. It's very simple to do,
Half way through block 2, K2tog at the beginning of each knit row so, at the end of the block you have 1/2 as many stitches on the needle.
Start block 3 with that many stitches but use your favourite increase at the beginning of each knit row until you have the proper number of stitches again (which will be 1/2 way through block 3).
Finish and join as with the pattern but also join these two angled edges. When the slipper has been finished and felted the heel will be straight across but will "round" with the first few wearings.
I love these things - much better than store-bought slippers.
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I'm really excited about this pattern. I bought a bunch of pastel wool on a whim and have been trying to think of something fun to felt. I know what my momma's getting for Christmas!!
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Here's a note from the author Liecel:
"I used the PT2 yarn, it is a thin worsted wool yarn, used with the needles in the pattern, it makes the squares loose and bigger, but felts really nice. The squares need to be completely square. You may also use Lambs Pride, the thin worsted wool, it can work as a substitute for PT2. If the slippers feel to big after felting, you can felt them again, and shape while still wet, lay flat to dry. The squares, when knitted with L.P. yarn, are not as large, but again, they will felt to smaller. As long as you use real wool it will felt (note, do not use superwash wool)
In the video on how to fold the slippers, I used the Lambs Pride yarn. It might give you an idea on how the finished knitted rows look before sewing and felting."
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PT2 yarn by Per Tryving, Norway is a DK (8 ply)weight yarn.
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I found an easy way to get it to print properly in firefox:
1 - grab your mouse and highlight the tutorial's text and images themselves only
2 - Click print (or ctrl-p or whatever) and then...
3 - Click on 'Selection' instead of All!
This is a beautiful pattern. I know how to felt similar slippers without knitting, but this seems like a great and simple project to work on on the go! I'll definitely give it a go. Thanks for sharing.
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I'd love to know what size yarn it uses. Worsted, or sport-weight?
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I've contacted Liecel and will let you know when I hear back.
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Thanks! Those are great - they look simple enough for a beginner to knit, too, which is a plus for me! :)
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They look great, but FYI, the illustration_Slipper.jpg does not show an illustration--it's showing a blank rectangle on the page where the illustration image should be. I'm using MS Internet Explorer & I tried it from home and work.
Rest of the photos & link to YouTube looks good--a nice project, but that illustration would be handy.
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I reuploaded the jpg so now you should be able to see it. It was set to CMYK which isn't viewable on Firefox. I am using Safari so I missed it. Enjoy this project!
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If you are on a mac you could print and save as a PDF. Then print from there. I think firefox has a problem with printing all the pages. It is working for me on Safari.
If you are doing 3 colors I am sure 3 skeins would be enough since you are just knitting squares.
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1) How much yarn does this pattern need?
2) When I tried to print this pattern out, it didn't print the whole thing.
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