Chugging Along . . . .

Finished socks

So the socks are finished.  Yay for me!  Still pondering which version I prefer (the highly modified or the less modified) . . . . 

Left versus right:  who wins?

Seriously, which toes do you prefer?  The left (not modified much) or the right (highly modified)?  Both have their merits. I suppose with wear and time, I will find one more comfy than the other.

Finished "lady" slippers

Meanwhile I started these "man slippers" that turned out to be just the right "lady slippers".  Hee hee! I've made these slippers before for my husband--just less than a year ago in fact (wrote about it here in this post and here ).  Just as before I combined three yarns: Phentex Slipper & Craft yarn (for strength), Bernat Roving (for softness) and Briggs & Little Heritage (for durability).

Sloppy assembly but very squishy

Admittedly my seaming and overall assembly is a little sloppy, but these slippers are the most comfortable.  Ever!  I swear!  They feel so awesome 'cuz they're so squishy.  Love 'em!

Modifications: Using 9 mm straights, I cast on 20 stitches as written; however, I changed the pattern.
Row 1: Knit all stitches
Row 2: Purl 5, Knit 10, Purl 5 
This change creates a garter stitch sole which creates the "squish factor".  

What's on your needles?
 

FYI

Old Slippers-one pair inside another

These were my husband's old slippers.  Not bad looking--until you turn them over.

Lotta holes!

Yup, those slippers were in a bad way.

Cushiony man slippers

Now look at these new ones, all clean and pouffy--very comfortable and warm.  And no holes.

Clean. soft and new

Nice, huh?  'Nuff said. ;)

And Then There Was . . .

A slipper!  Not an ordinary slipper, but one made with love and care.  For someone special. ;)

First slipper--all finished!

My hubby tried on the first one and it fit--quite well, I might add.  So I proceeded with the second one and actually finished all the knitting.  I just need to seam it and weave in the ends.

Almost two slippers--almost . . . 

Sadly I have been unable to muster up the energy or the time to finish the last bits.  I'm swamped with school work--right up to the end.  I'm looking at April 22 with great joy--it's my official "end date".  Then I'll be free to  knit to my heart's content. Three more weeks . . . 

Keeping Busy . . .

When Mother Nature dances with Ol' Man Winter, you gotta keep busy, right?  So I've been a good little crafter: my mitts are done!  Aren't they cozy?

Finished Faux-Thrum Mittens

I started another project too: Simple Man Slippers for my man.  He's got big feet and his old ones are rather holey.  I had been meaning to make the fella new ones, but I kept putting it off while I played with other distractions.

With snow days and bad weather, I finally cast-on.  Here's my latest WIP:

In progress slipper with 3 yarns worked together

It's a fairly straight forward pattern from Melissa Mall (link to pattern on her blog).  The original called for 2 strands of bulky Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick.  I thought the Bernat Roving might work, but I didn't have enough of it.  So I used Phentex Craft & Slipper Yarn along with Briggs & Little Heritage as my third yarn.  The latter two should be strong and durable enough to keep the Bernat Roving from falling apart (it does tend to pill a bit).

And I tweaked the pattern a little too.  Instead of a plain stockinette middle, I decided to use garter.  I figured it would be more squishy.  And who doesn't enjoy a nice squishy and cozy slipper?

Stay warm.

Happy Feet

My son's feet are happy.  His new slippers fit very well (yay!).  And they feel smooshy.

My hubby's feet will soon be happy too!  One slipper is done.  The second is on the way . . . 

Have a great week!

Tink, Tink, Tink

That's the sound of my needles busy at work . . . 

First, the baby cardi (aka Avocado) is happily off the needles.  It needs some darning of ends and sewing of buttons . . . Ahhh, buttons!  Which ones to choose? They could all work, but I narrowed it down to two: the pearl ones and the wooden ones.

Truthfully I had always envisioned the finished item with wooden buttons for a casual, rustic feel, but the pearl ones look pretty . . . Decisions, decisions!

While I pondered my button choices, two requests came in from my family.  Everyone needs slippers!  The slippers of my youngest  fell apart.  Considering he got more than a year's use, I can't complain.  My own slippers lasted a few months before falling part--guess I'm hard on my feet.  Since I had lots of the same yarn leftover, I made the same style using the same yarn.  The Non-Felted Slippers by Yuko Nakamura  are a great design--easy to follow and quick to work (you may recall the pattern mods I posted here).

The slippers were completed over a few days (lunch and naptime are the best times to  squeeze in a few rounds of knitting).  They only need some seaming (of course my mind pondered the possibility of creating a solid sole by using Judy's Magic Cast-on--could it work for this many stitches?  I wonder . . . ).

And dear hubby requested slippers too.  His old ones were the traditional two-tone Phentex slippers--and they were dying.  For a change, he's willing to try the Non-Felted Slippers, mainly because these moccasin type slippers are a quick knit.  And if I use Phentex yarn, then they should still be quite durable (he's tough on his feet too).  Since hubby's feet are much bigger than mine, I've made mods.  I added extra stitches at cast-on, but am still working the same number of increases.  I'm hoping they will be sufficiently larger to accommodate hubby's man-sized feet . . . we'll shall see in a few days.

Now back to my reguarly scheduled studying (after this week's exam, I'm a free woman).  Have a good week! :)

Happy Canada Day

Finished Slippers

Enjoying my finished slippers. The fit is good, although I think I could go up a needle size next time.

Which one looks neater?

Notice the seaming?  The one on the left is messier, while the one on the right is much neater.  No matter.  These will fit the bill nicely.

Canadian Flag

I'll be sure to enjoy them on this Canada Day weekend (so I guess they are appropriately coloured).  Hope you are having a great Canada Day weekend!

Not Impressed

"Old" Slippers

With the yarn, that is.  Remember those lovely slippers I made?  Sure my slippers look a little worn.  That's to be expected.  

"Holey" Soles

But this is not acceptable!  They have holes in the soles!  Seriously!  The yarn I'd used had been something someone gifted me a few years ago for Christmas.  I had hoped to use the rest of it for more slippers for the family, but not if the darn thing can't stand up to normal wear and tear.

Beginnings of New Slippers

So I was forced to search through my stash for something more durable.  I decided to twin Bernat Chunky with indestructible Phentex Slipper Yarn (mainly because I had enough of each colour).  I cast on for new slippers using the same wonderful pattern (after all it wasn't the fault of the pattern if the yarn wasn't up to snuff).  Thankfully the pattern works up quickly.  The Chunky and Phentex made a wonderfully cushiony sole which will hopefully last the rest of the year. 

New Soles

I opted to work the tops using only only Bernat Chunky 'cuz working too strands would have made the slipper too big (and I honestly didn't have it in me to tweak numbers).  I suppose I could have opted to just use Phentex for the upper, but we'll see how the Chunky holds out (luckily Phentex is readily available locally).

Top of New Slipper

And nothing beats the cold dampness of winter better than warm, cozy slippers. Of course a warm fire helps too.

Finished Slippers

Now that my toes are once again toasty, I can focus on more interesting crafty endeavors.  Back to my WIPs.