You know when you knit something, and once it’s finished, you find yourself wondering ‘how in the world did I do that?’ When the finished project looks so orderly and tidy and seamless that it feels like it must have grown on its own, rather than been made through some mechanical process?

Yeah. That’s one of my very favorite things. And slippers are one of the best ways to make it happen. Because really, slippers, more than just about any other piece of knitting, are tiny little engineering marvels. And that’s very much true here.

These start with a double sided cast on at the back of the heel. Then they grow, making room under your foot for your heel as they do, until they’re big enough to wrap around your ankle. Then the sides join up and they zoom on down your foot to your toes. They’re all one piece (so you don’t have to assemble anything at the end, just graft a handful of stitches at your toes), they’re easy to make (especially if you’ve ever knit top down socks), and they look astonishingly tidy when you’re done.

Plus they’re lovely and warm and cozy of course. But really, most slippers are. While these? These are all that and clever too. And that’s a much rarer combination!

General information

This 22-page pattern is tremendously detailed and holds your hand every step of the way. There are pages and pages of step-by-step photos to show you exactly what to expect as you work. It walks you through everything from casting on to checking your fit to playing with cables to blocking your slippers.

The pattern is almost absurdly detailed, but it really does mean you can totally make these, even if they look a bit like magic!

Skills & scope

These are surprisingly quick, especially if you use a thick, cozy yarn. You’ll start out working flat, then transition to working in the round. And much of the process will feel familiar if you’ve ever worked top down socks.

The pattern uses charts, so you will need to know how to follow a knitting chart.

Yarn, gauge & sizing

The slippers come in three sizes (42 to 58 stitches around the ball of your foot) and is written for five gauges (from 4.5 to 6.5 stitches per inch in half stitch increments).

That means you can use any weight of yarn from worsted up through bulky, and there will be a size to fit pretty much anyone’s foot. The thicker the yarn, the sturdier and more slipper-like they’ll feel, the thinner the yarn, the more sock-like they’ll feel.

The slippers in the picture used about 200 yards of an aran weight yarn held alongside the same amount of a fuzzy, laceweight yarn. I recommend having about 225 yards of bulky weight yarn or 250 yards of aran or worsted weight yarn, just to be safe.

Tools & supplies

You’ll need needles that let you work in the round (circulars or DPNs) in whatever size lets you get a fabric you like with your chosen yarn plus the general knitting tools you need for most projects (scissors to cut your yarn, a darning needle to weave in ends, the occasional stitch marker or bit of scrap yarn to hold stitches). You’ll work part of your fabric flat, and part in the round. Some people get a different gauge working flat versus in the round, so if that’s you, be sure you change needles as needed to keep the same gauge throughout.