Date: Tue, 11 Mar 1997 01:25:40 -0500 To: emily@mysterydate.com From: Carole Nichole Subject: Fulled Slipper boots - pattern SWEDISH-STYLE KNIT 'N FULLED SLIPPER BOOTS: I am so enthusiastic about the results I got in making some slipper boots for my father's birthday. I was after a particular kind of slipper-boot, the kind you might see on a Swedish elf (tomte) or perhaps like the Lapplanders wear --kind of a boiled-wool effect and stiff enough for Dad to wear outside toget the mail. These are good outside because you don't slip on the ice(which is one reason they are popular in Northern Sweden, I suppose. The folks on the Shetland Isles have a version of this too and wear them outside all winter.) I wore some just like this while I lived in Sweden but they must have gotten lost on one of our moves, and I've longed for a pair ever since. Now I can make myself some. Can you picture these slipper-boots? So-o-o practical. I considered felting them (as in feltmaking from fleece batts -- "true felt" as opposed to "knit felt," as I've learned from the folks on the Feltmakers List) to get the effect I wanted, but I'm still struggling with beginner's lack of self- confidence with felting three-dimensionally and have had a few mess-ups. I wanted these slippers to turn out well. Knitting and fulling seemed to be the way to go. And guess what -- this really worked out beautifully! BASIC DIRECTIONS: I took Fiber Trends' felted slipper pattern as the basic design but used Lamb's Pride Polarweight yarn, singly, of course. (For a man's large size it took just shy of 3 skeins, or about 200 yds total.) This is changing the end result quite a bit -- many of these "felting" patterns recommend double-strand knitting. This will allow the wool to expand and contract in the fulling process. With one thick strand instead there will be less intermingling -- the fabric is sort of "pulled together" and becomes dense, thick and stiff. It takes several wash cycles. Roll in a towel. Shape and then air dry. Make one size down from what the pattern recommends, and narrow the sole. I made the sole 2 sts narrower throughout, then picked up stitches around the whole sole and did st st upward in rounds (staying with my #13 needles and knitting seamlessl, following the decreases in the Fiber Trend's pattern, but doing one more than in the pattern.) When I fulled the slippers in the washer I got a really stiff fabric. The mohair content in Lamb's Pride is just enough to give a gentle fuzzy finish. And they came out so well that I'm ready now to knit up some for darling GD Gabriela and her sister Luisa out in California. You have to decide how high you want to knit these -- I went higher than the Fiber Trends design and got a short boot covering the ankles. But you could keep going up a bit higher and have higher boots. If anyone else is interested in trying these, I'd love to know what results you get (and what colors/yarn you used -- I am sure that super bulky Lopi would work just as well.) Now, knit yourself a pair of warm, winter socks and slip on your cozy slipper-boots! Carole Nichole Abrams carolea@antioch-college.edu @)-->-- May our hearts lead us, in all we say and do @)-->-- From: CAROLE NICHOLE To: emily@vex.net Subject: Addendum to Woolworks pattern [...] Swedish-Style Knit 'n Fulled Slipper Boots Addendum: Added 10/21/97 I have received countless emails from people all over the world about this pattern -- how gratifying. Below are the answers to the most often asked questions: I used the Fiber Trends Family Classic Slippers pattern. The address is: Fiber Trends, Beverly Galeskas, 304 36th Street, #173, Bellingham, WA 98225. No phone listed on the pattern, but I'm sure it's easy to get through information. The patterns cost $3 US and are copyrighted. Fiber Trends has a bunch of terrific patterns, easy to follow and well written, with photos. Most US yarn stores carry these patterns -- they are popular indeed. Additional notes: The slippers take several wash cycles. Do check regularly as it can go awhile without shrinking much, then suddenly shrink quite a bit. After it's the size you want, then take them out, form them (stick wadded up paper inside to help with the shaping, if needed), and air dry. One more thing. The thick yarn I used means you'll want to be conservative in the size you make. For a large man's foot, a man's size medium is probably just right. I hope you have as much fun with the slippers as I've had. Good luck to you! Joyous knitting - (when it feels like work, lay it aside), @)-->-- Carole carolea@antioch-college.edu ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "carolea" is: Carole Nichole, knitting in southwest OH ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ --- This pattern downloaded from Wool Works: the online knitting compendium http://www.woolworks.org/