Easy Machine Knit Pillow Project

 Too much time on the computer, too many movies, and too much political stuff makes for an odd existence these days.  Can't seem to concentrate on anything too complicated, so I decided to use up some of my nice Brown Sheep wool and make some pillows for one of my couches.  I hadn't used too many of the built-in patterns on my 970, usually preferring to do my own thing. Can't erase them from the CB1 so why not give some of them a try?  So here goes my easy project:

The picture makes them look like they are different sizes.  They really are all the same.  It's the angle I took the picture from, I guess.  The 3 in the middle are from the 970 (maybe also other Brother models ?) and the 2 end ones were downloaded from an old DAK file I had.  I wanted to make them approximately 17" x 17" so at T 10 I cast on 120 stitches and knit 300 rows.  My gauge was 7 stitches and 9 rows to the inch. If you want to make some to your specifications, you'll want to figure out your gauge with the yarn you plan to use.  Close is probably good enough for this project.

 I also sewed a cotton fabric lining for each and used the lining to stuff  with the poly fiber fill.  Didn't want the filling to work its way out of the knitting.  After sewing the lining shut I folded the knitting over it and seamed the sides and bottom.  Couldn't be much easier.  Hope they won't ever need to be laundered in my lifetime...

Baby Elf Hat on the standard gauge machine

 

I wanted to give this hat pattern a Norwegian name.  So, I tried the Google translation service  for English to Norwegian and here are some suggestions.  Not sure which would be most true.

Maybe a Norwegian speaking person could help me out.

Anyway, here’s my first attempt at a 3-6 month hat.  Pretty cute. The size seems ok, but I don’t have a baby to try it on. So this is my best guess. Will be donated, so size isn’t crucial right now. Finished dimensions (including ribs) are width at tip 6”, width above ribbing 5”, top to bottom of the neck 6”.

Yarn: from my stash, acrylic. Use something that gets close to this gauge. Mine had no label.

Machine:  standard gauge with ribber

Gauge for stockinette:  31 st = 4” and 37 rows = 4”  @T 7.  Kinda weird, I know but close is ok I would think. 

Directions:

Overview… (knit from front of face to back of head)

1.     75 needles 1 x 1 rib.  Do Susan Gualiumi’s nifty cast on for rib.  My new bestie because it lies perfectly flat, no flare, but is still stretchy.

 Use the manual’s cast on with waste yarn, (zig zag row) insert rib comb, add one barrel weight in the middle,  do 3 rows circular, cancel circular and knit about 1” of rib with this waste yarn.  Tension doesn’t matter so much here. Change back to circular and k the last 2 rows with ravel cord.  Snip waste yarn and ravel cord. It’s ok if you forget to switch to ravel cord, but it’s harder to remove at the end than it is when you use ravel cord. 

2.     Main part.  With main yarn, T6/6 do the manual’s cast on again and knit  12 rows ribbing.

3.    Change to regular sinker plate and transfer rib stitches to main bed.  Knit stockinette at T7 to RC 38, which should be about  5”.

4.    Begin short rowing so that you get the elvish point at the back of the head. Important to weight the knitting so the stitches don't pop off.  Set machine to hold.   *CAR put 7 N in hold at the left of the knitting. Knit across, wrap the end st so you don’t get a hole.  Put 7 needles on right in hold.  Knit across to the right and wrap the end st.* Continue from * to * until you have 5 stitches left in work.  Put 2 in hold, knit across and wrap, put two on right in hold, knit to the right. 

5.    Put all stitches back in work (or just undo the hold setting) and knit 2 rows.  Bind off.

6.     Stitch the back of the head seam by hand.

7.    Bottom neck ribbing.  With the wrong side of the knitting facing you, stretch out the bottom of the hat to pick up 70 stitches.  Try to pick up in the ditch between stitches at the same place across.  Knit 2 rows stockinette at T 10.

8.    Change sinker plate to rib, transfer every other stitch to ribber.  At T 6/6, rib 12 rows.  Transfer rib stitches to main bed and bind off with your favorite bind off technique.  On this one I did around the gate pegs. 

9.    I cord Straps:  I know some object to ties, but many babies do live after having had their hats tied under their chins, so I’m going with it.  If you have another method, have at it.

Pick up 4 stitches at the bottom corner of one front.  Set carriage to slip one way, knit the other.  (Brother, one part button.) At T 9 knit 150 rows and bind off.  Same for other side.  Hide yarn ends and tie a knot at the ends of the ties.

Remove the waste yarn.  There are a few yarn ends to hide. I did not steam the hat to block it, but you may want to.

Notes: You may also want to add a tassel or a pompom to the point of the hat and to the I cord ends.  A fairisle pattern would be nice too.  Because the seam at the back of the head can be bulky, next time I will take the top off on waste yarn and kitchener stitch the seam shut. This is an easy knit and a good way to practice short rowing if you are not used to doing that technique.  I wouldn't say this is a fast knit because of the transfers between beds, but worth it, I think. If you don't have a ribber, a hung hem would do.

Educats and Edudogs

 Thank you for the interest in the Educat and Edudog blanket patterns.  They are available for purchase using PayPal for $10.00 each.  My label there is marsmachineknitting.  You need to have DAK (any version) and an electronic machine to download to.  I do also have a hand knitting version.

The blanket is lined as you go and the edges are bound with multi-color Icord. I have made mine with acrylic so they would be easily washable.  Any yarn that works with your machine is ok as long as the different colors are the same weight.  I think the blanket would be ok to do on a garter carriage for the front, although I personally don't have the patience.  The idea is like an "I spy" quilt where you have the child find the cat who is sad or the dog that looks like Harry Potter, etc.

If you wish to purchase, just email me with the address you'd like the pattern to be emailed to and I will send you an invoice.

Thanks again.  If questions, just email me.

Super warm hat for winter

Having a hard time motivating myself to knit these days.  Ironic since I do have all the time in the world staying home, hiding from the pandemic.  But, thought I would try a hat for my son.  Winter is coming, for sure. If you want to follow this pattern, you'll need to use a ribber.  Maybe you could do a mock rib for the cuff, but I don't know how that would look, haven't tried it.

This one is extra super warm because it's doubled.  Measurements are about 21" around and 9" tall with the rib folded.  If a person wanted a slouch-look, you wouldn't have to fold the cuff.  This is an adult sized hat, so if you need a different size, you'll have to adjust stitches and rows.

 My gauge with Tamm Sport was 7 stitches and 9 rows to one inch.

*I started with waste yarn, every other needle, over 148 needles. Knit about an inch then changed to the main yarn.  (No need to cast on, just knit right over the waste yarn.) 

*Knit one row with the eon arrangement then bring all needles to work.  

*Knit 100 rows of the stockinette, then transfer to 1 x 1 rib.  

*Knit 60 rows rib, then transfer back to stockinette. 

* Knit 99 rows so that the carriage ends up on the left.  

*Transfer to every other needle, knit one row left to right. Leave a long tail of the main yarn.  

*Take off on about an inch of waste yarn, still in the eon arrangement.

* Fold the hat in half so the two ends meet and hand sew the stitches together.  Remove waste yarn and cinch the stitches as tight as you can.  

*Then seam the side with a mattress stitch outside and inside.

I made two I cords for the top, not a pom pom, because my son doesn't like pom poms.  They are 5 stitches wide and 80 rows long.  (With I cord, the knitting is really only 40 rows long.) I stuffed the two ends into the hole at the top, which conveniently closes it up.  secured the ends on the inside.  Then I tied a knot on the outside top. (You can kind of see it in the picture.) Both ends also have a knot.  Actually I do like pom poms.  One would cover the top hole nicely too.

I would not say this is a quick-to-knit hat because of the transferring of stitches.  However, some acrylic yarns if used single layer are not warm enough in our climate, so the doubled ones are better.  If you wanted, you could put a fairisle pattern on the top half. 

Beautiful rib cast on

 

I’ve been using Susan Guagliumi’s nifty cast on for rib for my projects.  I love this cast on because it lies perfectly flat, no flare, but is still stretchy. Can’t believe I didn’t know or use this before. This would work with any machine that uses a ribber, but you will need to also consult your manual.

How to:   

*Use the manual’s cast on with waste yarn, insert rib comb, add barrel weights as needed for your project. Knit about 1”.  (Tension doesn’t matter so much here but I used a tighter tension because my waste yarn was thinner than my main yarn. )

*Change to circular and k the last 2 rows with ravel cord. 

*Snip waste yarn and ravel cord. (It’s ok if you forget to switch to ravel cord, but it’s harder to remove the waste yarn at the end if you don’t use ravel cord.)

* With main yarn, do the manual’s cast on again using the recommended tension and knit the number of rows you want for your rib.

*When you are ready, remove waste yarn and ravel cord.

Thanks to Susan for this easy – to – remember rib cast on.  So smart and beautiful.

 

 

Tiny Ted #90

Have been using my embroidery machine to do some more charity stuff.  These tiny teds are intended for the local visiting nurses group at a metro hospital.  As mentioned before probably, they like to bring a little gift to the new mothers and babies.

This is a free design obtainable from https://www.kreativekiwiembroidery.co.nz/
The owner doesn't specify that your teds be for charity, but it would be nice if you made some for your local hospital.   I use the 5 x 7 hoop.  They go pretty fast and use up those little scraps of fabric you can't bear to toss.  I've made every color combo imaginable and most have an applique nose.  Goes faster if you don't do the applique, but it does add to the design.  I bought my polyester fiber fill (32 oz.) from Amazon for $10 and it has lasted through 5 throw pillows and most of my teds with lots to spare.  Ted's finished dimensions are 4.5" from tips of hands and 5.5" tall.  Good size for a baby's little hands. 

I always wash my fabric first with laundry detergent that has no perfume, because you know he'll inevitably end up in a baby's mouth.  Still, it's an incredibly easy and fast pattern.
PS, I did clip corners, but maybe I could have done more on this one.  O well, is still cute.

Diana Sullivan's Fingerless Mitts

This is one of my favorite patterns.  It's a free one on Diana's blog:
http://diananatters.blogspot.com/2013/12/decembers-video-fingerless-mitts.html
I'm surprised it was almost 7 years ago.

Because of the yarn I used (Mary Lue's Wintuck) I found I needed to loosen the tension and add 2 stitches in width of the cuff, hand and thumb. Otherwise, I followed the pattern for stitch type and row count.  They fit nicely. In the scan it looks like the thumb pooches out but actually when worn fits snug to the thumb.  The pattern is easy and I think clever.
I'm making items that can be used as Christmas presents in a group home.  
I'm making items that can be used as Christmas presents in a group home.  
I've sewn and embroidered 30 zip pouches, which I'll photograph one of these days.  Other than gardening, crafts are my main occupation.  Waiting for a vaccination like everyone else before venturing out too much.

Cute premie hat using dishcloth pattern

Just trying different things so I don't get totally bored.  This one turned out nice, I think.  I used the traditional dishcloth pattern, double high, on the main part of the hat.

After the hem (described below) I did two plain rows, the last to set up the tuck stitch.  It accidentally added a little decorative band.  Because tuck stitches are wider than tall I did 60 rows to get a decent height.  Can't judge the height while the piece is on the machine. 
This might look ok as an adult sized hat too.

That's the pattern in case you didn't know what I was talking about.

More MK Premie hats done with skinny yarn

I think I am up to 40 now.  They really do go fast and it's a nice project to seam while watching a movie.

These are done with a built-in pattern in the Brother 970, #47.  Any pattern will do.  I just like the Nordic look of this one.  The white cuffed one is 8" in circumference and 4" in height with the cuff turned up. The blue cuffed one is 9.5" in circumference and 5" including cuff in height with the cuff not turned up,  Funny how switching the main and contrast yarns give such a different look.  I'm really not too interested in the sizes because the nurses will figure out who fits which one.  Feel free to add or subtract stitches and rows.

A few years ago I purchased several cones of really skinny yarn.  I think I thought I was going to use it for double bed jacquard.  Sadly learning that technique is still on my bucket list.  So the size of the yarn is why the gauge is what it is.  These are done on a standard gauge machine.

Directions- in case you have some really skinny yarn too. For the blue main yarn version.

 Gauge 8 stitches and 10 rows = 1 inch on the patterned portion, not including cuff.

1.  Cast on 72 stitches with waste yarn every other needle by knitting one row.  Hang the cast on comb and some claw weights.

2.  Pull the other needles to work and knit about 5 more rows of waste yarn. (I like to use a loose tension for the waste yarn and for the first row of main yarn so that the stitches are easy to see and pick up.)

 3. Change to main yarn, Knit one row at a loose tension then change to tension 3 , knit as many rows as you want for half the cuff.  I did 14.  Change to Tension 5 and knit 14 rows.

4.  Remove the comb and  weights.  Hang the hem.  Put some claw weights on again.

6.  Set up the fairisle pattern.  Knit 40 rows at Tension 7 and cut a 12" yarn tail.

7.  Take the stitches off on this yarn tail.  Cinch up the stitches.  If you think the hole is too large, sew across a few times north- south and east- west.  Then mattress stitch the seam.

  I didn't put any pom pom or bow on the top of these.  I thought they looked fine as is.

Remove the waste yarn and you're done.  Aren't they cute?  Somehow little tiny knit things make you smile.

Notes:  By drastically changing tension on the hem and also the main part of the hat you have a nice hem that lays flat,  I don't reduce the number of stitches on the last row to save time.  It looks ok to me.  If you want, you could decrease the stitches across.  Although I like wool yarn, acrylic seems a better choice for laundering and softness.

Here is the stitch pattern.It would work with a 24 st punch card as well,

Are you a machine embroiderer?

I always say, you could be embroidering for 100 years with free machine embroidery designs downloaded from the internet.  Some freebies are better than others, of course.  Can't stop collecting them.  And I confess I purchase more than I probably should.  It is an addictive hobby like collecting yarn. 😊

This is one of the cutest freebies.  You can download it here:

https://omlembroidery.com/product-category/ith-in-the-hoop-bookmarks/

This husband and wife team also do Youtube videos teaching digitizing and giving instructions on how to stitch their projects.

I did this bookmark for my grandson.  Putting together a bunch of little things for his Easter basket.  Not in the directions, but I stuck in some stiffener (left over stabilizer) on both front  and back between fabric layers  to give it some body.  This is the back side:

My only complaint is that sometimes the satin stitching isn't wide enough and you have to get dangerously close to the stitches when you trim the fabric.  But, should I complain about a free design?  Probably not.  If you have an embroidery machine, give this site a try.  Gotta think of things to keep oneself busy inside these days!

Twisted Headbands for Babies

With this self-imposed quarantine, I have been getting a lot of sewing and knitting done.  I do wonder what people who have no hobbies are doing to keep themselves occupied.  I confess I also have watched a ton of movies and Youtube tutorials.
Since I am doing baby things for charity this year, I wanted to do some twisted headbands.  Cute or what!

These are all 1 x 1 rib on the standard gauge machine.  I started small (30 st x 70 rows) and for the succeeding ones added a few stitches and rows each time.  This is really skinny yarn, so I had to use T 4/3.   The smallest is 9" in circumference and the largest is 12" in circumference.  Probably premie to newborn.  They are nice and stretchy.

(The scanner let in some light on the left side---no variation in color in real life.)

These go sooooooooo fast.  I made these 4 in about an hour and then sewed the ends together while watching MONK.  (Must have not been aware of the series when it first came out on tv.)  I get a kick out of that actor.  He does a great job.  Wonder how many people can relate on some level.  I think we all have our oddities.

Anyway, if you do some charity knitting, I recommend doing these twisted headbands.  Very cute on babies.

Twisted Headband

I don't think I look that great in headbands, but I just had to try this one.  Check out Itmakesyousmile on Ravelry.  She has good directions and some examples.  I used my Brother 970 standard with ribber, but you could design your own==stockinette, tuck, fairisle, slip, etc.  I just didn't want to bother with a seam up the back.
Here's the skinny on the one I made:
(I made the smaller one, but next will make the larger.)

It knits up really fast and a little longer to twist and seam.  But, not too bad.  (That's a scan.  Looks much nicer in person, of course.)  If you have trouble with the twist, there are videos on Youtube.

Dog Peace

I guess I couldn't bear to throw away my "swatch" (my 200+ row failure from when I knit a scarf for a friend).  I'm usually a thrower, but this was too large to toss.  Had to come up with something, so Ollie is getting another sweater.
View from the top:

I tried to unravel back to a row I could work with but it was too frustrating.  The dark color didn't help any.  So I took it to my sewing machine and sewed two rows across, trying to stay on the same knitted row.  I cut off some extra and almost got it perfect, but this is a dog garment, right???  I just picked up stitches below the sewing machine stitches and knit a fold over neckband.  Then I knit an underpanel.
This is a view from the side.

You can't really see it, but there are holes for his front legs.
The floats in this design are pretty long, so I used some iron-on interfacing.  I wouldn't say I did such a great job cutting it, but it will be hidden on the inside.  It's a dog garment, right???

At least now his claws won't catch on the floats.
I think I'm done making dog clothes for a good long while now.  Especially since spring and warmer temps are right around the corner.

A friend said his doggie friends are going to be jealous of all his new clothes.  Made me chuckle!

Peace from Dale of Norway

A few years ago I downloaded this gorgeous pattern, free from Dale of Norway.

 I haven't yet knit the sweater, but I used the stitch designs to make a warm scarf.  I wore it to a club meeting and one of the gals asked if I would make it for her dad.  He's Norwegian American and proud of his heritage.  So, since I already had the scarf pattern in DAK, it was pretty easy to knit.  I confess I had a mishap about 200 rows in and had to start over.  No problem, really.  I didn't unravel the piece, which I now call my "swatch".  I will try to turn it into a dog sweater for my daughter's little mutt.

Anyway, I am totally in love with this design.  You too can get it here:  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/334-01-peace-jubileumsgenser
You will have to convert it to DAK or I will be willing to email you what I have. (It's a DAK file so you need the program.)

By request, I knit it with acrylic.  Here are some pictures:
This is the back which was originally the design up the sleeves.

This is the front

Because on our knitting machines one can't knit fairisle in the round, the scarf is knit flat then seamed up the back.  Takes some time, but I don't mind watching a movie and hand stitching.  Isn't the pattern yummy?  Took me about 3 hrs to knit (mainly because I had to start over) and 2 hrs to sew up.  Imagine how long it would take to knit by hand!

Sweater Vest for Preemies

I am in search of a project for charity for 2020.  I like to do multiples of the same pattern to make life easy on myself.  Last year it was hats, and I’m over that for a while, even though they were super fast.  This little vest took me an hour to knit and about a half hour to sew all together.  I’m hoping I get faster at it.

Came upon this pattern on the Long Buckby Machine Knitters website a while ago and thought it was such a good idea.  I do want to give credit since this is such an innovative idea.  Seems useful.  The body warmer/vest is for low birth weight babies or those with lines in their arms in the neonatal intensive care unit of the hospital.  Having no sleeves, the vest wouldn’t interfere with the medical intervention.

Of course, like most machine (and maybe hand) knitters, I had to change the pattern a bit. Specifically, I decreased more stitches at the shoulders. Also I didn’t add anything decorative to the body since I wanted this to be speedy.  This is my first draft of the revised pattern, the one I used to knit the vest in the picture.  I am contemplating making the armholes shorter/smaller, but maybe is ok the way it is since the baby would have a sleeper under it.

Machine- standard gauge

Yarn- basically any that works with your machine.  Size isn’t so critical, it will turn out to be a mini size.  Although wool would be warm, acrylic is probably the best choice for easy laundering.  Only takes a few ounces.

Gauge- At tension 7, I got about 7 stitches and 9 rows to the inch on the stockinette, resulting in the vest being about 6 inches wide after the bottom rib and about 6 inches long.  Notice I’m a tad vague here.  J

You will also need 3 small buttons and sewing thread

DIRECTIONS

This is knit in one piece up to the armholes.

RC 000  1 x 1 Rib over 83 stitches, end stitches on the main bed.  After cast on change to T 2/2, knit 10 rows for the rib,  then transfer stitches to the main bed. Attach main carriage. Increase one stitch to 84 stitches.  If you don’t have a ribber, you could do mock rib or a hung hem. Just a word about hung hems on such a small garment, though.  Tried it, even drastically changing the underside of the hem to be tighter---it tends to flip up.  You are certainly welcome to try other hems, though.

Body knit to RC 36.

Armhole and Shoulder  (Be sure to pass the carriage far enough to register the rows. ) Put machine on hold.  Put all stitches in hold except for the 17 stitches on the right end of the machine.  Very furthest stitches on the right end up to be the center of the vest.  Use a full fashioned decrease.  On RC 37 decrease one stitch on left and one stitch on the right.  Knit 2 rows.  RC  39  decrease one stitch on left and one stitch on the right.  Knit 2 rows.  Decrease one stitch on the right only now every 2 rows until you have 10 stitches left.  Knit to RC 64.  Take these stitches off on several rows of waste yarn.

Other armhole and shoulder:  Since your stitches and machine are in hold you can scoot your carriage to the other side of the bed with no dropping of stitches. Repeat what you did on the first shoulder, reversing the shaping.  Take these 10 stitches also off on several rows of waste yarn.

Back Turn the row counter back to 36.  Take the machine off hold.  Knit one row.  Bind off 8 stitches at the beginning of  each of the next 2 rows. Now you have 34 stitches for the back.

Knit plain to RC 64. Put machine on hold, stitches to hold except for the far right 10 stitches.  Take these stitches off on several rows of waste yarn.

Carriage to the other side of the bed.  Put 10 stitches in work and take these stitches off on several rows of waste yarn.

Bind off around the gate pegs these back neck stitches with main yarn.

Join the shoulders  With the right (stockinette ) side facing you, fold back the waste yarn of the shoulder so you can see the purl bumps.  Hang the 10 shoulder stitches, needles all the way out and stitches pushed back.  Fold garment so wrong side is facing you, with the matching shoulder, hang the 10 shoulder stitches in the hooks of the needles.  Close the latches and with a straight edge push the stitches in the hooks through the back stitches.  Use the latch tool to bind off around the gate pegs.  Repeat for the other shoulder.

Button band Do a 1 x 1 rib over 9 needles (5 on main bed and 4 on the ribber).  After the cast on, change to T 2/2 RC 000 and knit 4 rows.  (Super easy buttonhole) *Make a buttonhole by transferring the middle stitch on the main bed to an adjacent stitch on the ribber.  Leave the main bed needle in work.  Knit 12 rows.* Repeat two more times for 3 buttonholes total.  (Row 4, 16, and 28)  Knit to RC 140. Do a loop through loop bind off so the end looks sorta like the beginning.  To do this, transfer the rib stitches to the main bed.  Knit the last row right to left at T 6.  Pull the second stitch through the first across the bed using the larch tool. Fasten off the last loop.

BTW,  I purchased a rib comb that accommodates 60 stitches and it’s ideal for small ribs like this of only 9 stitches. Much lighter weight than the regular ribber comb. Well worth it.  Otherwise you have to use a big clunky ribber comb that came with your ribber, or devise some other method of holding down the stitches.

If you are making this without a ribber you could hang the front stitches all the way around.  Remember to add 3 button holes.

Finishing Sorry there are so many ends to work in.  Will see if I can minimize this.  Remove waste yarn at the shoulders. Find the middle of the rib strip  and the middle of the back neck. Depending on which side you put the buttonholes, you can indicate boy or girl, but this seems unimportant to me.   Pin the mid points together so the band sits evenly.  Mattress stitch the rib to the vest.   Work in the yarn ends.  Sew on 3 small buttons with sewing thread.

I didn’t steam this, but you could. It is recommended to wash without perfume in the detergent or dryer sheets. Put in a sandwich bag to keep clean when donating. 

Thanks to the Long Buckby machine knitters for inspiring me!  Let me know if you give this a try and any modifications you did.

Baby, it's cold outside. Need some footies??

Midgauge Slipper Footies

Knitting Notes and tips:

These are knit on the main bed only, on any midgauge or bulky machine.  Yes, I hid the seam that goes up the side of the instep in the picture, but honestly the seam is not bothersome.   I used two strands of Jaegerspun acrylic yarn which was labeled 3/8.     Use any yarn that achieves the tension indicated in the pattern.  It seems you have to do a bit of experimentation to fit a specific person in which case you'd need to change the stitches and rows. If you are knitting these for charity, they will fit someone.  One strand of navy and one of black made the slipper appear to be knit from variegated yarn.  I strung them through their own eyelets and joined them at the carriage.  To prevent a hole forming on the heel, take the purl bump of the adjacent stitch at the inside of the end of short rowing and exchange it with the adjacent needle. Also try exchanging the stitches to see if you like the look of this better.   

 Because of the rolled hem, it is best to use the stockinette side as the right side.  If you don’t like the rolled hem, you could knit rib either by hand or knit the cuff by latching up the stitches, then proceed with the pattern. Or, if you have a machine with a ribber, have at it.  Since these work up so fast, they’d be a good project for Operation Toasty Toes or other charity that takes slippers.   If you are knitting these with cotton, it’s really important to swatch and wash since cotton is notorious for shrinking.  Call me weird, but I like to knit a big rectangle, wash it and put it in the dryer, then rewind the yarn.  That way it is preshrunk and the gauge is pretty much accurate.

Machine:  Any midgauge; bulky would work achieving the same gauge

Yarn: Any yarn to achieve the same tension if you want to follow the pattern. I used yarn that was slightly thinner than sport and doubled it.  Do a swatch with your chosen yarn to get the same gauge.

Tension:  at T 5, 4 st x 7 rows = 1” with yarn doubled

Finished size of large = man’s shoe size 10-11 

 Sizes medium and (large).  If one number, it applies to both sizes.  You’ll have to experiment if the first try doesn’t fit.

Directions:

With waste yarn, cast on over 46 (48) N, knit a few rows, one row ravel cord.  With main yarn ewrap on, leaving a 12” tail for seaming.  Knit at T 3 for 12 R for roll hem.  Change to T 5 Knit 8 rows (7 rows for second footie to end on left side of bed).  Note:  if you want these to rise higher on the ankle, knit more rows here.

Heel – Set carriage to hold position.  Pull all needles left of zero to hold.  Short row down to 8 working needles by pulling the working N closest to the carriage to hold before each row. Reverse short row by putting the needle opposite the carriage into working position, knit the row, until all N are in work again.  Remember to close up the hole before you begin doing the reverse short rowing.

Put carriage on N. All needles knit.

Foot-  RC 000.  Knit 42 (48) rows. (Use an odd number to end up at the left side for the second footie’s heel.)

Toe – Knit exactly as you did the heel.   (Another option is to do ff decreases for the toe.  Some people like the look of this better.)

Knit one row overall with main yarn and then remove on several rows of waste yarn.  

Fold the waste yarn back and kitchener stitch the toe seam.  I find it is easier to graft from the purl side.  Remove waste yarn.  Do a flat seam for the side. Hide yarn tails.  Knit the second footie putting the heel and toe on the other side of the bed. 

Using the same basic design, you can make women’s footies.  You’ll need to experiment to find out how many stitches and rows to do.  My stitches and rows for a size 6 shoe with  Bernat Baby Boucle was 6 st and 8 rows to 1”  I cast on 42 stitches, did 10 rows for the hem and did 38 rows for the foot.   I’m not even sure this yarn is made anymore so you will really have to calculate your own with your chosen yarn! 

The fluffiness of the boucle made it ideal to use the purl side as the right side.  When you do this it totally hides seams so that the slipper looks like it is knit in the round.  The only difference from the above pattern is that, rather than making a rolled hem, this hem is hung from the first row.  You would begin with waste yarn, knit a few rows, then change to main yarn and knit the number of rows you want for the depth of the hem x 2.  (Don’t do a permanent cast on with the main yarn, just knit.) To make the hem, pick up the first row and hang it on top of the stitches in work.  It naturally rolls to the outside.  On the picture you can see that the hem is stockinette on the outside but the body of the footie is purl stitches.

Be sure to write down your gauge, number of stitches to use, number of rows for the hem, rows for the foot and anything else.  I have been known to knit merrily away and forgot to write down the vital info so had to take a wild guess for slipper #2.  Sometimes successfully!  Sometimes not.