When I was 11 or so, I rented a spinning wheel to live out an ultimately boring Sleeping Beauty fantasy. I spun just one chunky skein of yarn – light yellow and green twined together in a lemon-lime sugar rush. If my memory can be trusted – which it usually can’t – it took me the whole second season of Gilligan’s Island of DVD. The payoff vacillated between lace weight and super chunky worsted.

I never made anything with that yarn. 14 years later it’s still at the bottom of a basket. I tried a couple of times, but without a consistent gauge it wouldn’t have made anything good. I stuck with the color combination, though. It inspired a pair of slippers later that year. What I don’t remember is what inspired me to use cardboard box flaps covered in novelty yarn for the soles.

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Slipper Pattern

Size: 9.5

Materials:

Needles: US 10 – 6.0 mm double-pointed needles

Yarn:

MC – Plymouth Yarn Encore Worsted Solids & Heathers in Beige, 1 skein (200 yards/3.53 ounces)

CC1 – Plymouth Yarn Encore Worsted Solids & Heathers in Brown, 1 skein (200 yards/3.53 ounces)

CC2 – Plymouth Yarn Heaven in 9 (white), 2 skeins (110 yards/3.53 ounces)

Gauge:

15 stitches and 22 rows = 4 inches in ST (2 strands of worsted)

Abbreviations:

Kf&b – knit front and back

WS – wrong side/purl side

w&t – wrap and turn

Toe

With MC and CC1 together, CO4

Row 1: Kf&b 4 times, join in round

Row 2: *Kf&b, k2, kf&b; repeat from *

Row 3: *Kf&b, k4, kf&b; repeat from *

Row 4: *Kf&b, k6, kf&b; repeat from *

Row 5: *Kf&b, k8, kf&b; repeat from *

Row 6: Knit

Row 7: *Kf&b, k10, kf&b; repeat from *

Rows 8 and 9: Knit

Row 10: *Kf&b, k12, kf&b; repeat from *

32 stitches in play

Knit until slipper measures 5″ from tip of toe

Row 1: K8. Mark new end of row. Change to straight needles.

Row 2 (WS): Purl

Continue in ST stitch until slipper measures 9.5′, ending on WS row.

Heel

Short Row 1: K20, w&t

Short Row 2: Sl 1 into left needle, p2tog, p8, w&t

Short Row 3: Sl 1 onto left needle, k2tog, k10, w&t

Short Row 4: Sl 1 into left needle, p2tog, p12, w&t

Short Row 5: Sl 1 onto left needle, k2tog, k14, w&t

Short Row 6: Sl 1 into left needle, p2tog, p16, w&t

Short Row 7: Sl 1 onto left needle, k2tog, k18, w&t

Short Row 8: Sl 1 into left needle, p2tog, p20, w&t

Short Row 9: Sl 1 onto left needle, k2tog, k to end

Row 10: P7, p2tog, p6, p2tog, p7

Row 11: K7, k2tog, k4, k2tog, k7

Row 12: P7, p2tog, p2, p2tog, p7

Row 13: K7, k2tog, k2tog, k7

Divide 16 remaining stitches evenly between two needles. Hold needles parallel with purl side facing out. BO together (knit 1st stitch on front needle with 1st stitch on back needle, etc).

Lining

Repeat steps for Toe and Heel in CC2

Turn lining inside out and sew inside slipper.