South Marysburgh Slippers

So... it looks like I have readership? Or maybe just trawling robots, who knows. I haven't figured out what's wrong with my comments section, and since no one really comments... I'ma go with trawling robots are reading my blog.

No matter.

Ravelry [which, if you haven't been or don't know about, you should go] isn't letting me update pictures to my project library. That said.

I made these slippers as an alternative to my shearling moccasins. I had just made slippers in a chunky weight yarn for Christmas, and was happy with the idea of the slippers, and the way the projects came out using the chunky weight yarn, but not happy with the particular pattern I used. I went back and searched Ravelry's free knitting patterns for slippers, and was attracted to this pattern.


What I didn't find attractive was knitting a heel flap in a worsted weight yarn. Frankly I don't like knitting heel flaps at all. With left over chunky weight yarn, I decided to do some tinkering, and I came up with a thicker version of the original worsted weight that more or less fit my feet.

For the stitch counters out there, the orange band around the top is a 1xKP rib over about 42 stitches, and it was a whopping three rounds before a stretchy bind off. 
I now have three other pairs in wool blend chunky weight yarn because they are so comfortable, and they wash easily. They look nice with two contrasting solid colors, or done with a variegated and a complimentary solid.

In case you are not on Ravelry, here are my notes on making these slippers with a chunky weight:

*Please note, this is not my original pattern, but an adaptation of a free, original pattern to suit an alternative yarn weight.*

Materials:

two skeins of chunky [6] weight yarn, or amounts to total 12 grams/ 240 yards
Set of US 7 DPNs 
stitch marker of preference; it's there to mark where the row begins. 
Tapestry needle or crochet hook to weave in ends.

Suitable yarns:
Easy care:
Buttercream Luxe Craft Alpaca [Joann's - 20% alpaca, 80% acrylic]
Wool Ease Thick and Quick [Lion Brand - 20% wool, 80% acrylic]

Malabrigo Rasta [malabrigo, 100% superwash Peruvian merino wool] - this one retails for  ~$22 a skein, but it is cloud soft and comes in multitudinous color varieties.Did I mention it's soft? I mean AMAZING soft?

*A skein each of the main color and contrasting color are sufficient to make two pairs. 

Method:

*I need to knit another one of these to make sure that these instructions are correct. Proceed with caution*

• C/O 9 sts using a long tail cast on.
  Slipping first stitch, knit 1x1 KP rib for eight rows.
• begin turning heel using short rows.
• Knit across 7sts, turn. 
• Slip working stitch, Purl across 4 sts, turn
• Slip working stitch, knit across 4 sts, K2Tog, turn
• Slip working stitch, p across 5 sts, turn
• Slip working st, k across 6 sts, K2tog, turn

Continue in this manner until all stitches have been worked and there is a tiny cup for the heel; end on a k/p side, it doesn't matter. You will have to pick up stitches along the side of the heel flap either way. Ending on a  K side is generally preferred.

• Pick up 8 sts along the side of the heel flap Knit wise
• Turn and, if sts picked up on purl side, knit down side of flap and across heel. 
• Pick up 8 sts on opposite side of heel flap. Turn.
• Work in garter stitch for 8-10 rows, depending on how deep you want the opening for your foot, ending on a K side.  
• C/O 10 sts at the end of the row to bridge the gap of the foot and create the top of the slipper. When joining to opposite side, slip first stitch of work and PSSO the 10th cast on stitch [this will help secure the join]. Place marker. 
• Continue knitting until slipper comes to the base of the intended wearer's big toe
  [mine go 14 rounds]
• BEGIN DECREASE 
• if you haven't already divided your stitches evenly between two dpns, now is the time to do it. Make certain that the slipper is oriented on the needles to that as the toe is decreased, it's decreasing in the right direction for a toe [Don't ask me how I know this...] You should have 28 stitches, so 14 on each needle
• Beginning at the start of a row, K1, K2Tog, K across to last 3 sts, SSK, K last stitch. 
• Repeat on opposite side. You now have 12 sts on each needle. 
• Continue decreasing in this manner until there are 4 total sts, 2 on each needle.
• Cut working yarn so that there is a 3 inch tail. Pull tail through last 4 sts to bind off. Flip slipper inside out and weave in ends

Huzzah! you now have ONE finished slipper! Do it all again to make a second!

For contrasting band

With contrasting color, pick up 42-44 sts around opening of the foot. If your opening is bigger, you will need to account for this, but make sure there are an even number of stitches. Once all sts have been picked up, place marker. Work in 1x1 rib for 3 rounds. Bind off with a stretchy cast off of choosing; I chose to knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches as I was PSSOing. There's a name for this cast off, and I don't remember what it is. 
It should go with out saying, but do this for both slippers. 
If you want a taller cuff, continue working the 1x1 rib until it reaches desired length; still use a stretchy c/o. 

Additional Notes:

This whole project [a finished pair of slippers with the tails woven in] knit up in the time it took to watch three Die Hard movies 1, 4, 2

Here was an additional note from my Ravelry project page regarding the toe decrease:

02-02-2019

So, no joke, I love these so much that I’ve made four pairs now. If I purchase two different colors, it’s usually enough for a pair of slippers in each color, plus a little bit left over from each to create the cuff for the opposite pair; I am a US size 8 1/2 wide.

I tend to forget that when knitting the body of the foot that I don’t need to decrease until the body of the foot comes to the base of my big toe, and even then as I haven’t used an all wool bulky yarn for this project yet, that I could probably go another round or two before the decrease, which I do every row, starting with the stitches split equally on two DPN’s, usually looking at the top of the foot, and begin a K2 decrease after knitting the first stitch, K across to last three sts, then SSK, K last stitch. Flip to bottom, repeat. The decrease goes fast.

a little progress update...

I have to share that last August I was hospitalized for a status migraine, and since then, I've been seeing a neurologist right regular for management of my brain's disorderly conduct. Best news I've had since I started getting migraines as a teen: in six months, I might be able to start backing off the daily treatment. As long as I keep not getting like I have been. If right now you'd clap your hands or hug your dog or something, and every once in awhile think happy no-headache thoughts, I'd appreciate it. Last year was kinda rough. 

In crafty sort of news, you can find me on Ravelry. I'm not sure if I've ever made that official or not - you know, like on Facebook, pics or it didn't happen. I've been working on a shawl I found on Ravelry called Nae, and since I just passed the halfway point, I thought maybe it was time for a status update. 

when I look at pictures of it, I'm not sure how I feel about the two color mix, but I'll just have to wait until the other end is on. The candombe is so much nicer in person - the pictures and swatches are, well, gross.

Someone told me about a yarn shop in Squirrel Hill called Knit One, and I stopped in today, and lo and behold, they had the yarn I would have needed to complete this project in one color. I was a little miffed. 

As a project goes, it's a great shawl; I'm sure it will be a super warm scarf-y thing, since this is merino wool and alpaca. 

And, just in case you're confused about what you're looking at, because I know I am a little, this project is knit so that it is begun at one tiny pointy end [the greenish blue side] and it gets bigger [the bit in the middle that's a bunch of different colors]. If you've got a high enough screen resolution, you should be able to tell that along one edge, there's a wide textured section done in seed stitch. That's the top of the shawl; it's been folded over itself because it's still on the needles, which are hidden on the right side of the picture. The exact center of the shawl is also worked in seed stitch, so if you look carefully, you can see the beginnings of a textured T - it's missing the right side of the cross bar. Its there, I promise. More than halfway done!