I finished the first Pocket Book Slipper last night. The pattern is free, and from here and I used the strap mods from here.
Isn't it cute? (Ignore the non-woven-in ends). I know, you can't even tell its a slipper. They are so small and compact...I'm not sure if they're called "Pocket Book" slippers because they look like little purses, or because they are small enough to always have a pair stashed in your purse.
 Here's how it looks on the foot. Cute, no?
 Actually...cute...no. They don't fit me. That, above, is Yannick's ginormeous foot. This photo, below, shows how they look on me.
 MUCH too big. I like a slipper that fits at least as tight as a sock. If I have to keep worrying about it slipping off then it is most likely to make ME slip and isn't something I'll want to wear.
 If I stretch it out to a comfortable fit, this is how much extra I would have to remove.
I thought about this a lot last night. It didn't make sense...I was using the needle size called for. I knit the pattern as written. After the triangle/button band part, you immediately jump from 22 sts to 44 sts before working the ribbing. If I subtracted the extra ribbing I had to get a tighter fit...I would have had to work the ribbing at the 22 sts and never increase. That just didn't seem right. Why would I be SO far off when a ton of others (76 alone on Ravelry) have knit these and they fit just fine?
Ahem.
It's simple. THEY used the proper weight of yarn. I'd ignored that little point. When I found my grandmother's purple yarn it looked like a worsted weight. My brain didn't process that worsted usually uses 4mm-5mm needles, and this yarn was calling for 6mm. I also managed to ignore the discrepancy that occurred when I first pulled out some worsted Patons Decor to pair with it. I found immediately that the Decor was too thin (but it WAS a worsted!) and stash-dove for the gray yarn I used...the Patons Shetland Chunky. Yeah, it's right there in the name. Chunky. Also calling for 6mm. I was so happy I'd found 2 oddballs from my stash to work together that I never picked up on the fact that they were both too big.
Le sigh.
While cute, the gray/mauve combo is a wee bit too girly for Yannick, so while they did fit him quite nicely, they were promptly ripped back into little balls. (I'm glad I had the foresight to try them on BEFORE weaving in all the ends). I will knit them again but with the proper yarn this time. Luckily I have a ton of Decor in my stash in lovely neutrals so I can make a little basket of these socklets to keep by the door for guests.
I have since cast on for these which DO call for a thicker yarn.
 Mother Nature decided to dump almost 8" (20cm) of snow on us last night and they're calling for another 4" (10cm) today (full story here) so Jakob and I are staying inside, in our pjs, for the day. I'm hoping to have a pair of slippers (that fit) by tonight.Labels: Anne's Slippers, Pocket Book Slippers, WIP |
Too bad about the slippers (can sou say swatch?). I really liked the button band.