Keep Away Slippers
By Karen Harper for Knit Front and Back
Felted slippers with needle felted thrums

Gauge 4 st/inch with 6mm needles (pre felting)
Patons SWS 2 skeins
1 6 mm needle 32 inches long.
Approx 30-50 grams of roving.
Needle felting needles.
Foam to needle felt on.

Cast On:

CO 9 st with Turkish cast on
R1 -Knit 1 round even.
R2- Kfb into the first and last stitch of each needle

This pattern is assuming you are using either the 2 circ or magic loop method. I like these methods, they are simple and make turning your heel easy. No picking up of stitches either!

Repeat rows 1 &2 until you have 27 st on each needle. Knit even until piece measures approx 7.5 inches (for ladies medium (7-9) slipper. If you have bigger feet (9-11) knit until 8.5.

Turn heel.

Purl across the back to the last stitch, wrap and turn.
Knit to last stitch, wrap and turn.

Continue until you have 6 stitches (or approximately 20% of whatever number you end up with on each needle) left unwrapped.

Purl across to first wrapped stitch. Pick up wrap and stitch and purl together through the back loop. Wrap and turn the following stitch like you did before. Stitches will now have 2 wraps when you pick them up. Turn work.

Knit to first wrapped stitch. Pick up stitch and wrap, slip to RH needle, and knit through the back of the stitch. Wrap and turn next stitch (stitches will be double wrapped). Repeat until all stitches have been worked, picking up both wraps with the stitch and either p tbl or k tbl.

You may need to pick up a stitch or two between heel and top of foot. If you do, knit them together with the first stitch of the row. It will hide any small holes and make it a sturdier join.

Knit 3 rounds even or as desired. BO with EZ’s sewn cast off.

Hand or machine felt checking every few minutes for size. I recommend going slightly smaller then your foot as these will stretch out a bit.

Needle felting thrums:
Cut roving into approx 2 inch pieces. Pinch off small amounts of roving and needle felt onto interior bottom of slipper. Make sure you use at least 2 inch foam underneath or you will have a terrible time poking into your leg. NOT FUN, trust me. See pictures for more details. Thrum to your hearts content. They will felt up into a lovely soft cushion for your cosy slippers and prolong the life of them too!

(pdf available soon)

Karen says:

So I being late to this game (the sockitude) and also being lazy by nature, I am wondering how everyone else out there looks after these knitted little treasures? I know Morgans philosophy is to jam them into the washer and dryer and fuggedaboudit. Not sure about Dana, I’ll have to check. I am on the fence about some of this. See, I really was not all that whacked about the feel of Socks that Rock at first. (GASP sacrilegious no?) but after a trip through the washing machine, OMG. Softest most lovely ever so slightly felted gorgeousness. Really slight felt. Less than 1% so don’t get your knickers in a twist. But it was the MACHINE that did it see? I don’t have the ovaries to put those in the dryer though, or the Cadenza ones either. Colinette says they are *easy care* but doesn’t recommend the dryer so I am listening. However.. the Knitpicks Tweed? RIGHT IN BOTH MACHINES! And I even tossed my Shibui socks in the dryer about 5 minutes ago. which is what sparked this post. We’ll just see how they turn out huh?

I think superwash is the bomb. How about you?

Karen: Anyone who knows us knows we love socks. Some of us caught on later than others (ok ok you were ALL RIGHT ALEADY!), but are doing our best to catch up. We thought Socktoberfest was the perfect time to launch our first free pattern. Its a super snuggly ankle warmer that will keep your toes toasty as it gets chiller. Wear it and enjoy!

Morgan: Its a celebration of Karen’s conversion to the dark side. Its her first sock pattern!

You can download the pattern in PDF form HERE.