south marysburgh slippers

{EDITED TO ADD: Finally - a printable PDF! You can find it on my new website here.}

It's been a long time since I posted a pattern, but after making three pairs of these slippers I think I finally have something worthy of sharing. And with both winter and the holidays looming there's enough reason to either keep your own feet warm or make a quick pair for someone you love. 

I first knit these in the summer on our cold cottage vacation in Prince Edward County. Even though our stays are short, I always feel very inspired, creative and relaxed when we're there. Named after our South Marysburgh location, these slippers are simple and tailored, and hopefully bring you comfort akin to the best of quiet vacations.

You will need:

1 ball worsted weight wool (I’ve used Quince & Co’s Owl, Lark and Naturally Drift)

4.5mm straight or circulars

4.5mm DPNs

5.5mm needle of any type (for optional seed stitch band)

1 stitch marker

Gauge 18 stitches over 27 rows = 4” square

Size is for an average women’s foot, but with a flexible length. Although I haven’t tested it, I think a thicker wool and/or larger needles would result in a size suitable for men. If anyone wants to try it I’d love to hear the outcome!

ABBREVIATIONS

P2tog: purl two stitches together

RS: right side

sl1: slip one stitch knitwise

skp: slip one stitch, knit one stitch, pass the slipped stitch over the knit stitch

ssk: slip one stitch, slip another stitch then bring left hand needle into the fronts of both slipped stitches, and knit them together

st st: stockinette stitch

WS: wrong side

CO 20.

Starting with a knit row, work 12 rows in st st, ending on a WS row.

TURN THE HEEL

On next RS row, K14, skp, and turn your work.

R1: (WS) sl1, P9, P2tog, turn your work.

R2: (RS) sl1, K9, skp, turn your work.

Repeat these two rows until you have 11 sts left on your needle, having just finished a RS row.

SLIPPER “BODY”

With the RS still facing you, pick up 8 sts along the st st edge to your left and place them on your needle.  Turn your work and purl across all 19 sts on the needle, then pick up 8 more sts on remaining st st side and place them on your needle too (27 stitches total). Starting with a K row, work 15 rows in st st.

At this point, transfer your stitches to DPNs.  Using the backward loop method, CO 9, place marker, and join in the round (36 stitches total). Work st st in the round until the slipper length measures 1.75” less than your foot length (or the length of a loved one’s foot!)

TOE DECREASES

Slip marker and K4.  To make the decreases more manageable, shift your stitches around a little: place the next 9 stitches on a DPN and think of this as your first needle.  Place the next 9 stitches on another needle, followed by 9 sts on another, and then another. Your stitches are now divided equally over 4 needles.  You can remove the marker at this point (which would be happily nestled between stitches on your fourth needle).  The following rows start at the first stitch on your first needle. 

R1: [K1, ssk, K12, K2tog, K1] 2 times. (32 stitches total)

R2: Knit.

R3: [K1, ssk, K10, K2tog, K1] 2 times. (28 stitches total)

R4: Knit.

R5: [K1, ssk, K8, K2tog, K1] 2 times. (24 stitches total)

R6: Knit.

R7: [K1, ssk, K6, K2tog, K1] 2 times. (20 stitches total)

R8: Knit.

R9: [K1, ssk, K4, K2tog, K1] 2 times. (16 stitches total)

R10: Knit.

R11: K2tog 8 times. (8 stitches total)

Cut yarn and thread through remaining stitches.  Tighten and weave in yarn end on the inside of the slipper.

SEED STITCH BAND (optional)

At this point the slipper is pretty cute and wearable, but if you’re anything like me, you might prefer a nice finished band.  Using DPNs, pick up 45 stitches evenly around the slipper opening (14 across the heel section, 11 along each side and 9 across the front) and place marker. 

R1: [K1, P1] to end.

R2: [P1, K1] to end.

R3: [K1, P1] to end.

Bind off using 5.5mm needle so that the opening is flexible.

FINISHING

Make a companion slipper following the same instructions. Weave in ends and immediately slip onto a pair of cold feet.

(Pattern is for personal use only. Please do not use for commercial purposes.)

In the new year I plan to convert all my patterns to pdfs so they are easier to reference (not to mention, a little less old-school), but for the time being I hope this pattern-in-a-post suffices. And since today is Ginny's Yarnalong, my small reading update is that I'm slowly working through Mira Bartok's The Memory Palace: A Memoir. It's a heavy, but impactful read. There's simply no way to rush through it.

Happy knitting!

fall is for...

...making new hats. For everyone, whether they already have a hat or not. Luckily Sadie and Milo are eager participants in my too-many-hats-for-one-household fall knitting extravaganza. They happily help design, choose yarn, and model the finished result. And since these were finished a couple weeks ago, I can also add "wear the new hat daily" to their supportive behaviours. I love these kids.

I also love these hats. Sadie's colour blocked version combines two great wools: Crestone by Classic Elite and the sumptuous Canopy Worsted by The Fibre Company. I meant to only knit a stripe of the ivory, but once I started I just didn't want to stop. The pompom is a rather decadent yarn choice, but Sadie and I agreed that this Acadia by The Fibre Company was THE purple the hat needed. We didn't agree on the pompom for Milo's hat though; Sadie felt that a mid-grey option was better. Milo was more easily influenced and agreed to ivory Purlsoho Merino (thank you Squam attendee bag!) to top off another Snappy Cable hat for him. I've made bulkier versions of this hat before, but this worsted version, in Debbie Bliss Rialto, is soft and a little more sophisticated for him. 

In contrast to knitting, a lot of late working nights has slowed down my fall reading quite a bit. Since September I've only managed to finish The Violets of March by Sarah Jio and Our Daily Bread by Lauren B. Davis. Jio's novel was light with a compelling level of mystery, perfect for a few pages every night. Davis' novel - only my second in this year's Canadian Book Challenge - was much more powerful, but also totally devastating. Set on the east coast, it reveals a stark and disturbing difference between those who live in a small town and those who live "on the mountain" near the town. Driven by poverty and affected by drug abuse, the children raised on the mountain endure unthinkable situations that slowly come to light throughout the story. At the same time a family in town gradually falls apart until a shocking climax which helps sets change in motion. Painful but profound, I'm eager to pick up another novel by Davis.

For more knitting and reading catch-ups visit today's Yarnalong hosted by Ginny at Small Things.

essex everywhere

I have bought more yards of Robert Kaufman's Essex Yarn Dyed fabric this year than I have written posts for my almost-10-year-old blog. I can easily explain the Essex love: it's the perfect fabric, a cotton-linen blend suitable for clothing, quilts and home decor, it washes beautifully and comes in the perfect colours (black being my favourite, hands-down). As for the post count, well, that's not so easy to explain. I'm too fond of Instagram these days? I've lost the work-life balance I once had? Making is paramount to writing about making? Without a clear conclusion on that front, I'll stick to writing when I can. Which will often involve writing about this amazing fabric.

This shirt is a case in point. I've been drafting a pattern that has this gently rounded collar that's partly sailor, partly prairie style. Using the black Essex, I made one for myself which I haven't taken any photos of (except with my phone, which is becoming a bad habit). Sadie loved it and asked that I make one for her in the denim blue for the first day of school. I missed that deadline and procrastinated until Picture Day and in classic Mom fashion, I was still sewing long after Sadie was in bed the night before. I didn't grade the pattern - I've never learned how - but by taking in the armholes it fit her fine. She's 10 now and her chest circumference isn't that far from mine (sadly). It's meant to be worn with a shirt underneath and we made it tunic length so she can wear it with leggings too. She loves it and wore it two days in a row that week, which may not be ideal hygienically but hard to argue when you've hand-sewed half a dozen snaps to a button band. 

Clean, shmean.