Nothing like a massive power outage to reaffirm your love of wool. And I'm not being flippant - I honestly fell in love with wool all over again when our house got down to 43 degrees F. There is just no substitute for the warmth you get from wool garments. But with as many cowls, hats, sweaters and scarves that we wrapped ourselves in, I realized I didn't have any wool slippers. For real. So clearly I had to remedy that as soon as the power returned.
I've had the Nola's Knitted Slippers pattern saved forever, and I really wish I''d tried it sooner. It's easy to modify and I'm super happy with my slippers. I've been wearing them every day - over socks at night, with bare feet in the morning...they're becoming a part of me. I used stash wool, so most of the slipper is Berroco Vintage Chunky but because I didn't have enough of it I used Debbie Bliss Luxury Donegal Tweed, doubled, for the soles. It actually makes the soles stiffer and gives the slippers a permanent shape (the third photo says it all!). I did modify the pattern a bit: I knit these in the round 'cause that's just my preference, and I chose stockinette for the tops instead of all garter. And because my feet are on the small size and this is a men's pattern, I used smaller needles and shortened the foot overall. If you're looking for a new pair of slippers, I highly recommend making a pair for yourself. Your feet will swoon in squishy comfort.
When the lights came back on and the UPS truck arrived, I received - and immediately read - Alice Hoffman's Survival Lessons. It's so wee that I read it in one night, and although it's pleasant and there were some inspirational moments for sure, I was actually hoping for more. More knock me over my feet insight, perhaps a longer meditation on the healing power of knitting? But it's the perfect book to pass around for a quick dose of reality and grounding. Not to mention it has a lovely cover.
For more knitting and reading, visit today's Yarnalong.
How wonderfully coincidental, I just finished a pair of Nola's for my 10yo son and knit the first of a second pair yesterday and today for my 6yo son! I'm going to knit a pair for myself, too. And very likely my husband.
ReplyDeleteI knit them in the round as well and used two circ to pick and knit the foot. My tongue was garter stitch tho in order to maximise the heat retention. We didn't lose power but the last couple days of -20 and worse temps in S. Ontario have bested the furnace and we're averaging 15C in the house.
I'm going to pick up suede bottoms from Michaels and sew them on to make sure they last.
My Rav project page where you can see my versions are here: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/mamaloo
They look fantastic! I love how they stand up by themselves. A thick sole is a good idea to protect you from the cold floor as well.
ReplyDeleteOoh, cute slippers! They look extremely cozy, esp. during the polar vortex.
ReplyDeleteoh i love these! inspired to get out my needles (though it is a high of 22C today!)
ReplyDeleteI just started them and was about to start the tongue, but don't understand the instructions. Can you explain it? I tried to work it but had one side building up and 13 stitches at one end just sitting there...is that how it should go? Thanks
ReplyDelete@brian almaguer
ReplyDeleteI am having trouble understanding the tongue also. Patterns says it is worked on the 13 centre stitches then says to knit 26. Where are the additional 13 stitches coming from?
@Sheena Neil It's been a while since I knit these, but I'll try to explain it! You should have 39 stitches before you focus on those inner 13, so try to imagine that the 39 stitches are divided by 3 (13 to the left, 13 in the centre, 13 to the right). To get to those centre 13 stitches, you'll have to knit across 26 of the 39, then turn your work, and then only knit 13 stitches. Then you would turn again, K13, turn again, K13 and so on until the flap is long enough. This will create a long flap, and yes - you will have 13 stitches on either side of this flap just sitting on your needle. Because I worked in the round, these unworked stitches just sat on my DPNs while I worked the tongue.
ReplyDeleteI hope that helps! If not, let me know and I can try to explain in another way. Good luck!
@brian almaguer So sorry, clearly I missed your question from a while ago. I've just responded in the comments to Sheena's very similar question - if you're still knitting these slippers, take a peek and hopefully my explanation can help out!
ReplyDeleteWow. Yup that does make perfect sense. I don't know why I had trouble grasping that lol.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your quick response. I can't wait to try these on!!!