Hans Christian Slippers

I’m very excited about this slipper. It’s the first slipper pattern that can be made to fit women or men. If I use Harrisville Designs Peace Fleece (or WATERshed) or Rauma Strikkegarn DK with a 3.25 mm/US 3 it will fit a women’s size 6-7 and if I use a 3.5/US 4 it will fit a women’s size 7.5-11 and if you use a 3.5 mm/US 4 needle and and Harrisville Designs Highland Worsted weight, the slipper will fit Men size 9-11.5. Plus, you can make a slightly smaller or larger slipper by adjusting the gauge up or down by one needle size.

I love this design. I love the Latvian Braid . I love the star on top of the foot and the star on the back of the heel, and the pattern on the bottom on the sole. It’s a happy slipper, named after my great uncle, who came alone to America, worked hard, saved all he could until the rest of his family could afford to immigrate and join him in America. I think of him often, and think how hard it would be to be alone in a new land, when communication with home took months. I know that he , like my Grandpa brought a bit of Norway with him to America. I like to think these slippers would remind him of home. The large star on the top of the foot represents the North Star and there are two compasses representing navigation. There is a different star on the heel, representing Norway and the family he left behind. The twisted braid around the cuff, has arrows, representing progression and faith in future.

If you are new to colorwork, these slippers are a great place to start. You can learn all about knitting and purling in colorwork, chart reading, a Latvian braid. It’s colorwork in a nutshell. Two skeins (grey and white) of Rauma Strikkegarn makes 3 single slippers. You will use only 6 yards of the accent color.

P.S. When I gift these slippers, I don’t wrap them, I just tie ribbon around them.
Sizes
Women’s medium size 6-8
Unfelted slipper: 9 1/3” x 5½” / Felted slipper: 9¼” x 4½”
Men’s medium size 8-11
Unfelted slipper: 12¾ “x 6½”/ Felted slipper: 10” x 5½”

Yarn
Women’s size
Yarn: Harrisville Designs Peace Fleece DK
Main Color: 100 g 701 Artic White
Contrasting Color: 100 g 703 Rabbit Grey
Accent Color for Braid: Sakhalin Salmon
OR
Raumagarn 3 tr. Strikkegarn
Main Color: 50 g off white 101 (or 105 meters of equivalent DK-weight)
Contrasting Color: 50 g grey 105 (or 105 meters of equivalent DK-weight)
Accent Color for Braid: 50 g red 128 (or 105 meters of equivalent DK-weight)

Men’s size
Harrisville Designs Highland Yarn
Main Color: 100 g White
Contrasting Color: 100 g 49 Charcoal
Accent Color for Braid: 100 g Poppy

Needles
Double-pointed needles 3.5mm/US 4 (for women’s slippers) or 4 mm/ US 6 (for men’s slippers) or size needed to obtain gauge.

Gauge and Swatch
Swatch in colorwork.
Women’s Slipper 24 stitches/24 rows = 4 inches or 10 cm
Men’s Slipper 19 stitches /19 rows = 4 inches or 10 cm

If you need a larger size, determine gauge, then move up a needle size for a roomier slipper. If you need a smaller size, go down a needle size (from gauge) or shrink them a bit by extra felting in hot water.

Skills used in making this slipper
Knit
Purl
Long tail cast on
Knitting in colorwork
Purling in colorwork
Knitting flat
Knitting in the round
Catching floats
Ssk
K2tog
Latvian braid
Picking up and knitting stitches
Psso
A bit of hand sewing
BInding off
Chart reading
Felting