Actually finishing something cheers me up immensely! I keep thinking I never get anything done but obviously that’s an illusion on my part. This project didn’t exactly turn out perfectly but it will do until I can improve upon the design. At least my feet are warm.
My Purple Elephant Slipper-Socks
Begun: July 20, 2007
Completed: August 22, 2007
Yarn: Briggs & Little Heritage, 100% wool, 215 yds = 4 oz (113g) skein, purple tweed colour, used double throughout. 2 skeins (less than 2 oz left over).
Accent yarn: Paton’s ChaCha, 100% nylon novelty, 77 yds = 50g, colour “Jazz” (purple, turquoise, olive, brown). Part ball.
Needles: Crystal Palace bamboo dpns, US 11/8mm.
Pattern: Family of Slippers by Chris de Longpré from Knitting at KNoon Designs, size adult. Free pattern online.
Modifications and Comments:
It took me a while to get used to knitting what essentially is a sock using broom handles…er, size 8mm dpns. See the difference from my usual 2mm sock needles?
I started with the 44 sts the pattern called for but that was much too large and I had trouble getting the specified gauge. Went down to 40 sts but really should have gone much narrower, perhaps 36 or even 32 sts. I guess I should have swatched but I wasn’t sure how much yarn it would take and whether I had enough. They were really huge but I was still holding out hope they would eventually fit:
It took 4 runs through the longest wash cycle to felt the finished slipper-socks and because they were still too big, I ran them through the dryer for 20 or 30 minutes on hot. Didn’t help. They’re the right length but too wide. So I got out my marudai and did a kumihimo braid for ties:
I used kumihimo instead of i-cord because it’s much less stretchy. This is Maru Yotsu (Round of Four) and such a simple 4-strand braid that you could do it on a piece of cardboard or one of those foamy disks, either square or round if you don’t have a marudai. I used 2 strands of the wool per bobbin. When the cord was braided I washed it and fulled it a little by hand in the sink. After everything was dry, I poked holes in the slippers using my big dpns, creating an inch-deep tuck on either side of the instep. Then I threaded the ties through before making little tassels on either end of them. Now they stay on but I think they still need some thick felt innersoles for comfort. They do rather look like adult-sized booties!
So now that I’ve finished a project, I started another pair of socks. Going back to normal-sized sock needles feels a bit weird! This one is the Crosshatch Lace socks for my DIL’s birthday in a few weeks. I may or may not get them done on time. We’ll see. I’ve got about an inch of one cuff so far. But all I want to do today is go back out on the sunny deck and spin some more — like I did yesterday. It was very relaxing. While I’m waiting for it to warm up out there, I think I’ll clean my computer desk. Navy blue shows the dust and lint really badly. Not to mention the food crumbs and tea drips. Yuck.
My Purple Elephant Slipper-Socks
Begun: July 20, 2007
Completed: August 22, 2007
Yarn: Briggs & Little Heritage, 100% wool, 215 yds = 4 oz (113g) skein, purple tweed colour, used double throughout. 2 skeins (less than 2 oz left over).
Accent yarn: Paton’s ChaCha, 100% nylon novelty, 77 yds = 50g, colour “Jazz” (purple, turquoise, olive, brown). Part ball.
Needles: Crystal Palace bamboo dpns, US 11/8mm.
Pattern: Family of Slippers by Chris de Longpré from Knitting at KNoon Designs, size adult. Free pattern online.
Modifications and Comments:
It took me a while to get used to knitting what essentially is a sock using broom handles…er, size 8mm dpns. See the difference from my usual 2mm sock needles?
I started with the 44 sts the pattern called for but that was much too large and I had trouble getting the specified gauge. Went down to 40 sts but really should have gone much narrower, perhaps 36 or even 32 sts. I guess I should have swatched but I wasn’t sure how much yarn it would take and whether I had enough. They were really huge but I was still holding out hope they would eventually fit:
It took 4 runs through the longest wash cycle to felt the finished slipper-socks and because they were still too big, I ran them through the dryer for 20 or 30 minutes on hot. Didn’t help. They’re the right length but too wide. So I got out my marudai and did a kumihimo braid for ties:
I used kumihimo instead of i-cord because it’s much less stretchy. This is Maru Yotsu (Round of Four) and such a simple 4-strand braid that you could do it on a piece of cardboard or one of those foamy disks, either square or round if you don’t have a marudai. I used 2 strands of the wool per bobbin. When the cord was braided I washed it and fulled it a little by hand in the sink. After everything was dry, I poked holes in the slippers using my big dpns, creating an inch-deep tuck on either side of the instep. Then I threaded the ties through before making little tassels on either end of them. Now they stay on but I think they still need some thick felt innersoles for comfort. They do rather look like adult-sized booties!So now that I’ve finished a project, I started another pair of socks. Going back to normal-sized sock needles feels a bit weird! This one is the Crosshatch Lace socks for my DIL’s birthday in a few weeks. I may or may not get them done on time. We’ll see. I’ve got about an inch of one cuff so far. But all I want to do today is go back out on the sunny deck and spin some more — like I did yesterday. It was very relaxing. While I’m waiting for it to warm up out there, I think I’ll clean my computer desk. Navy blue shows the dust and lint really badly. Not to mention the food crumbs and tea drips. Yuck.
2 comments:
Hi Louisa, I love the slippers. They look wide enough to fit my wide feet! I'll have to give that pattern a try.
They are so cute! You managed to improvise and make the slippers even cuter than the originals. How's that for creativity?
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