Knitted slippers with a cabled panel across the top, worked separately and sewn on. Designed by DROPS Design.
Sizes
US 5/6½, 7½/8½ and 9/10. EU 35/37, 38/39 and 40/42. Foot length 22, 24 and 26 cm (8 3/4, 9½ and 10 1/4 inches).
Use the foot length rather than the shoe size. Shoe sizing varies considerably between makers and between US and EU systems, but a foot measured heel to longest toe does not.
The cable panel
Working the cable separately and sewing it on is a sensible piece of design. It means you knit the slipper body as plain fabric without having to track a cable chart at the same time as the shaping, and the cable itself is a small flat piece you can concentrate on.
The pattern gives both a diagram and written instructions for the cabled section. If you have not worked from a cable chart before, this is a good place to start – it is small enough that a mistake costs a few rows rather than an evening.
Sewing it on
Pin the panel in place and try the slipper on before stitching anything. The panel’s position determines how the slipper sits on the foot, and a centimetre either way is noticeable when worn.
Sew with the same yarn, using a mattress stitch or a small whip stitch along the panel edges. Keep the seam flexible – a tight seam line across the top of the foot will be uncomfortable, and slippers are worn on bare feet.
Fit
Knitted slippers stretch with wear. Knit to the exact foot length rather than adding ease; a pair that fits snugly when new will be comfortable within a week and still on the foot in six months.
Soles
If they will be worn on hard floors, add non-slip fabric paint to the soles in a few lines across the ball and heel. Knitted soles on wood or tile are genuinely slippery.
