Introduction: Easy Knitted Gramma Slippers

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This instructable was handed down to me from my husband's Gramma, and now I am handing it down to you. They are called "Gramma Slippers" becuase Gramma was the one to always make them. But anyone can make or wear them. The pattern makes a pair of slippers in a women's size 5-10 shoe, but on the last step I included tips for scaling up or down for larger on smaller sizes.

Warning- These slippers keep your feet magically warm and should be worn with caution during the summer.

I love making these slippers for multiple reason:

#1- So easy to make that even a beginner knitter like me can whiz through them. These are knit flat so you don't have to be able to knit in the round.

#2- You make 2 slippers at the same time (no more lonely slippers without their finished partner)

#3- They are magical in the amount of warmness they provide your feet

#4- They make great winter time gifts!

Hope you make a pair too!

Step 1: Gather and Prepare Supplies

#9 Long Knitting Needles (14" or longer work best)

Large Eyed Needle (plastic or metal)

Yarn- You need a total of about 300 yards either in one color or two colors (150 yards of each color)

Before you begin you need to prepare the yarn into balls. You two balls of yarn because you will be knitting two slippers at the same time, one ball of yarn per slipper. The slippers are also knitted with the yarn doubled so you need to pre-make your yarn ball. You can either use two strands of one color to make your slippers monotone, or two different colors like I have shown. If you are a beginning knitter, I would suggest using two different colors. Take two ends of yarn and just start wrapping them into a ball together. In the end you need two balls like this, each about the size of a softball.

Step 2: Cast On

Cast on 29 stitches onto one needle using one ball of yarn, and another 29 stitches onto the SAME needle using the OTHER ball of yarn. Remember that you are using the yarn doubled, so each stitch has two strands of yarn.

Tip: Leave about a foot of yarn at the end when you are casting on, this will be used at the very end of the project.

One set of stitches will be one slipper, and the other set of stitches is the other slipper. Everything you do to one, you will do to the other. I think that making them this way insures that they are more uniform and match. Plus, never end up with only one finished slipper if you make them together.

Step 3: Start Knitting

So you should have 2 sets of 29 stitches on the needle. Now we can start knitting. I have attached the pattern here for a quick reference, but I will also go step by step.

Start with the first set of stitches (slipper 1)

Knit 9 , Purl 1, Knit 9, Purl 1, Knit 9

Now you should have the set of stitches for slipper 1 on one needle and the stitches for slipper 2 on the other needle.

Repeat the above stitch pattern with slipper 2 and now both slippers should be on the same needle again

Now Knit all the way across slipper 2 and then repeat for slipper 1

Get the idea- whatever you do to one set of stitches, you will do to the next.

Attachments

Step 4: Repeat 23 More Times

Now you are going to repeat these two lines of stitches, 23 more times

Knit 9, Purl 1, Knit 9, Purl 1 Knit 9

then...

Knit the next Row all the way across

If you start to see a row of "V's" forming, you are doing in right. The middle section of stitches in between the "V's" is the bottom of the slipper

You will be forming ridges. If you loose count, you can count the ridges. 24 ridges means you are done and ready for the next step.

A few tricks with this step.

The Purl stitches will be forming a "V" pattern onto the front side of your work. Instead of counting stitches, just remember to Purl when you see the "V" stitch come up on line.

If you can't remember if you are suppose to be knitting all the way across or doing the purl stitches mixed in: Look for the indent or line of "V's". If you see the "V"'s on left facing up while you needle is facing up, then you need to purl every in this row. If on your work you just see an indented line, then knit all the way across.

Now the main part of the slipper is complete. It should be about 7" long.

Step 5: Forming the Toe

The next 8 rows of stitches form the toe

For the next row alternate knit, purl, knit, purl, (starting with a knit) the whole 29 stitches down for both slippers

Then alternate purl, knit, purl, knit (starting with a purl) all the way down. This means you will be knitting the knit stitches, and purling the purl stitches. This with make stripes of the "V" stitch.

Step 6: Finishing the Toe

You're almost done!

The last two rows of stitches need to take the total number of stitches per row from 29, down to 8.

Knit every two stitches together, the whole row down. Because there are an odd number of stitches, knit the last stitch on it's own. You should now have 15 stitches per slipper on your needle.

Now repeat, but Purl every twp stitches together all the way down. After you do this you should have 8 stitches per slipper on your needle.

Make sure to have your cat inspect this last step

Step 7: Sew 'em Up (Front)

This is basically the last step, and you are finished with the knitting part.

Trim the yarn coming off both slippers to about 2 feet.

Thread your large eyed needle onto the this yarn.

Very carefully pull off one of the slippers from your knitting needle. starting with the loops closest to where your excess yarn comes from, pull the yarn through all of the loops and pull tight. It will form a circle shape. While you are doing this, make sure the "V" ridges are on the outside, and the indented line is on the inside. Now do the whip stitch up your slipper bringing the two outside edges together. Stitch a length of about 5 inches from the start of the toe. Knot this and trim. Sometime I leave enough to make a little bow here.

Step 8: Sew 'em Up (Back)

Now sew up the back of the slipper using the extra yarn hanging off the slipper at the back (this was from when you first cast on)

Thread your needle onto this yarn

Whip stitch the back edge of the slipper. You can fold your work in half, matching up the two lines of "V's", and sew all the way down. Tie a knot at the base and trim.

Repeat to the other slipper

You should have two ready to wear slippers!

Step 9: Adapting the Pattern to Larger and Smaller Sizes

This pattern and set of instructions works best for a woman's size 5-10. But is easy to scale up to down depending on who will be wearing them.

For larger sizes try Knit 11, Purl 1, Knit 11, Purl 1, Knit 11 for 28 rows. And then finish off the toe with 10 rows

For kids sizes try Knit 7, Purl 1, Knit 7, Purl 1, Knit 7 for 18 rows, and then finish off the toe with 6 rows

These stretch a lot, so you don't have to be precise for them to still fit well.

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