Felted Sailor Style Slippers Review – A Cozy Free Knitting Pattern Worth Trying

If you love practical knitting projects, this free Felted Sailor Style Slippers pattern is a fun one to try. It has that classic striped look, and the real magic happens after felting, when the oversized knitted slippers shrink down into cozy, sturdy house slippers.

What I like about this pattern is that it is useful without being boring. The stripes give it that sweet sailor-style charm, and it is the kind of project that feels very giftable. You could go classic with navy and cream, or have fun with brighter colour combos from your stash.

The pattern itself is fairly straightforward if you already know the basics. You knit the slippers in the round, do a bit of shaping, then finish them off and felt them in the washing machine. It is not the hardest project in the world, but I would not call it a first-ever knitting project either.

One of the nicest things about this pattern is that it includes felting guidance too, which is handy because felting can feel a bit like crossing your fingers and hoping for the best the first time around.

Overall, this is a lovely free pattern for anyone wanting to make warm, handmade slippers with a neat striped finish. Cozy, practical, and just a little bit clever — always a good combo.

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time.

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring.

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn.

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row.

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves.

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body.

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy.

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

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