Necessity is the mother of two-tone

Another pair of sleeping booties - this time using bits of long ago leftover Lion Brand Wool-Ease.

As I approached the cuff of the first one I began to fear I wouldn't have enough of the darker (Rose Heather-140) for a full pair, so I stopped and started from the other end on slipper #2.

Sure enough I ran out before getting as far along as the first one. So I tinked back slipper #1 to make them even and grabbed a bit of the lighter (Blush Heather-104) and continued them both up through the turn-down cuff.

These were knit with size 4 dpns with a 84-st cast on and fit snuggly. The nice thing about a snug fit is that the sole really molds to the foot.

Got to love knitting!

Ariel, Judy, Sleeping Beauty *

Sleeping Booties

Pattern: 1189/56 Slipper Socks
Anna magazine / November 1989
a Burda Knitting and Needlecrafts publication

Yarn: Plymouth Encore
75% acrylic / 25% wool - 200 yds/100 gr
color 00517 - royal blue

Needles: Clover bamboo dpns - size 6 (4.25 mm)

Easy and quick to knit, soft and warm to wear, and can be tossed in the machine to wash and dry with the regular laundry. The perfect slipper may have, at last, been found. In the future, I may find a more elegant yarn, a 100% wool superwash maybe, and perhaps even tweak the pattern a bit to cast on a few less stitches and increase at toe and heel to make it more rounded, but if not this will still serve the purpose.

These are sleeping booties in our house. Worn only to bed, knit slippers are great to get your feet warm, and loose enough that, just before falling asleep, you can use just your feet to nudge them off. You can see these fold up nice and flat, too, which would make them great travel slippers. They are like a Snuggie - for feet!

* Ariel, Judy, Sleeping Beauty a triumvirate that ruled our house about 22 years ago. (Oh, my how time flies!) There is a small bridge on the road near our house. Somehow it became our family custom to hold our arms in the air as we crossed the bridge while repeating the magic mantra "Ariel, Judy, Sleeping Beauty". The bridge is still there, of course, and I still often think the phrase silently as I cross. Alas there is no sparkling toddler to conjure the magic with me.

Slipper pattern verdict

Slipper pattern verdict:

1. Pattern is genius.
2. Knitter is not.
3. Gauge is off.
4. Size chosen too small.
5. Yarn is suitable.
6. Immediately joining into a round not an issue.

I will certainly try this pattern again.

My gauge was too tight, but I like the fabric produced.

I chose Continental size 34, the largest of the children's sizes, mainly as a test run. Why knit more stitches than absolutely necessary just to try out the pattern?

The pattern has you cast on and knit in garter stitch to form the bottom and start up the sides of the foot. Then you switch to stockinette and begin decreasing at the toe box, on either side of 2 or 4 stitches at the center. I chose 4 for a wider toe area. You decrease up the foot to the ankle and then divide the stitches at the front center, knitting back and forth again in garter for the turn back cuff. Seam the cast on stitches at the center bottom of foot and you're done. Pretty slick, huh?

I can't wait to get more yarn! Any suggestions as to what yarn would make the best slippers?