Women's slippers knitting pattern

Slippers knitting patternSIZE

To fit 20 1/2(23:25 1/2)cm/8(9:10)" foot circumference. Foot length is customized.

MATERIALS

Feltable worsted-weight wool yarn in three colours.

Approximately 60-80g of main colour (120-160 metres / 132-176 yards) of main colour, and 10g each (20 metres / 22 yards) of leaf colour and your chosen rose colour.

The pictured slippers were made with 'Cascade 220' in 'Robin Egg Blue', 'White', and 'Lime Heather'.

NEEDLES AND NOTIONS

4mm/US 6 needles (or size required to achieve the specified tension) for your preferred method of small diameter circular knitting, and 3.75mm/US 5 needles.

2 stitch markers.

Darning/yarn needle.

TENSION/GAUGE

22 sts and 32 rounds per 10cm/4" in stocking stitch/stockinette knitted in the round on the larger needle(s).

A specific gauge for the leaves and roses is not required. Use the smaller needle(s), then felt them to an appropriate size.

Instructions

ROSES (make 1 for each slipper)

With your chosen rose colour and the smaller needle(s), cast on 45 sts. Work 7 rows of st-st, beginning and ending with a purl row. Then decrease as follows:

Rows 8: s2kp x 15. (15 sts)

Rows 9 & 11: purl.

Row 10: s2kp x 5. (5 sts)

Row 12: s4kp. (1 st)

Leaving a short tail for weaving in, break the yarn and pull it through the last st. Weave in all ends, then twist into the rose shape.

LEAVES (make 2 for each slipper)

With the smaller needle and your leaf coloured yarn, cast on 3 sts.

Row 1: k1, m3, k1. (5 sts)

Row 2 and all even-numbered rows: purl.

Rows 3 & 5: k to centre st, m3, k to end. (7, 9 sts)

Rows 7, 9, and 11: skp, k to last 2 sts, k2tog. (7, 5, 3 sts)

Row 13: sk2p. (1 st)

Leaving a short tail for weaving in, break the yarn and pull it through the last st.

Felt the roses and the leaves according to your preferred method. The roses in the sample were felted in a front-loader washing machine with eco washing balls.

Meanwhile, knit the slippers, following the instructions twice to make a pair.

TOE

With MC and the larger needle(s) cast on 12(16:18) sts using either the 'Turkish' method or 'Judy’s magic cast-on'. You should have 6(8:9) sts on each of two needles.

Working in rounds continue as follows:

Round 1: [k6(8:9), pm] x 2.

Round 2: k1, lia, k to 1 st before marker, lib, k1, sm, k to 1 st before marker, lib, k1, sm.

Round 3: k to marker, sm, k1, lia, k to marker, sm.

Repeat Rounds 2 and 3 until you have increased the total st count to 40(44:50) sts

Continue in st-st without any further increasing until the toe measures 10cm/4" from the cast-on. Remove the markers in the final round.

FOOT OPENING

Row 1: k5(5:6), place the next 10(12:13) sts onto waste yarn, turn.

Row 2: p30(32:37), turn.

Continue working in st-st rows until the slipper measures 2 1/2cm/1" less than the total desired foot length, ending with a purl row.

HEEL TURN

Row 1: k19(21:24), turn.

Row 2: sl1 purlwise, p7(9:10), turn.

Row 3: sl1 purlwise, k6(8:9), skp, turn.

Row 4: sl1 purlwise, p6(8:9), p2tog, turn.

Repeat Rows 3 & 4 until all the side sts have been decreased away, leaving just the 8(10:11) heel sts.

ICORD EDGING

Cable cast on 3 sts immediately next to the last st worked. Then, with RS facing, work an applied icord edging on the heel sts as follows: *k2, skp, return 3 sts to the passive needle; rep from * until all the heel sts have been worked.

Continue working applied icord around the foot opening, picking up 1 st for every 2 rows at the slipper edge as follows: *k2, sl1 knitwise, pick up and knit 1 st from the edge of the slipper, psso, return 3 sts to the passive needle; rep from * until you reach the removed toe sts.

To close any holes at the corner before the removed sts, pick up 1 or 2 extra sts there and apply icord to them as previously instructed .

Place the removed toe sts onto a needle with the 3 icord sts before them, then apply icord to these as for the heel. Apply icord to the second side of the slipper as you did to the first.

On reaching the heel break off the yarn, leaving a 20cm/8" tail for grafting. Graft the 3 icord sts to the cast-on sts at the start of the icord.

FINISHING

Weave in all ends on the inside of each slipper. When the roses and leaves have dried, carefully position them on the slipper toes and sew them in place using your leaf-coloured yarn.

Design by Ann Kingstone

Abbreviations

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