Simple, Sweet Toddler Slippers

I’ve had a pair of leather soles with holes around the edges for a long time. These soles are designed so you can knit a sock and sew it onto the sole for a sturdier, more slipper-like design.

I’ve had them for a long time because I just haven’t gotten around to knitting a pair of worsted-weight socks to fit on the base, but this may well be the year I do it. A little post-Christmas gift for me, if you will.

If you have a little one, you can find these soles in different sizes to fit wee feet (I once found boot-shaped ones sized for a baby and just added a knit cuff, so cute).

Georgia Bean cut out little leather soles to whip up quick bulky Garter Stitch slippers for her little guy, and you can, too. If you don’t know someone that particular size, a quick search online will likely find you basic patterns for all sorts of sizes. Find a bulky-weight pattern for ease and speed, then trace the bottom of the finished sock/slipper to make a leather piece that’s just the right size.

Have you ever added leather soles to socks or slippers? I’d love to hear about it.

[Photo: Georgia Bean.]

Looking for more Slipper patterns? Check these out on Etsy.

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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