Margaret Slippers by Kristin Drysdale

Margaret Slippers

Knitting
July 2019
DK (11 wpi) ?
24 stitches and 24 rows = 4 inches
in colorwork and single color. Optional Gauge 16 st and 24 rows = 4 inches
US 3 - 3.25 mm
US 4 - 3.5 mm
130 - 145 yards (119 - 133 m)
Woman's Medium 6-9
English
This pattern is available for $6.00 USD buy it now

Margaret Slippers have a midsummer flower feel and are a quick knit. These slippers were named after my great great grandmother, who immigrated from Wales. She brought with her a spinning wheel to spin flax.

If you are new to colorwork, they are a fabulous intro to knitting with two colors and will build your colorwork skills. The Slippers are knit from the heel to the toe. At first the heel is worked flat, with decreases and then increases to make an hourglass shaped heel that will be sewn together on the sides. All the increases and decreases happen on the knit side. I know that purling in colorwork is a bit of a chore, but there are only 16 rows of it and there are so few stitches that it’s a great way to learn how to purl in colorwork or improve your purling in colorwork. . It’s a super valuable skill . Next stitches are cast on for the instep, and then the slipper is worked in the round. The top of the slipper is worked like a traditional Selbu mitten. Loads of colorwork skills here, so then you can move on to a colorwork sweater like Marit and have all the skills to knit her, and have a pair of cute slippers to wear or gift.
Whenever I give a pair of slippers as a gift, I don’t wrap them, I just time a colorful ribbon around them. They make a cheerful gift.

Sizes
Women’s medium size 6-8
Unfelted slipper: 9.33” x 5.16” Felted slipper: 9.2” x 4.42”
This is the size of the slipper when it’s knitted at 24 st= 4 inches.

Using a worsted weight yarn like Quince and Co’s Owl will make a much larger slipper and will fit size US women’s 9-13. Use a US 4 (3.5) when working with worsted yarn. If you would like to use Owl because it’s soft, but need a smaller size, just felt the slippers longer to shrink them.

Yarn
Rauma 3 tr. Strikkegarn
Main Color: 50 g off white 101 (or 105 meters of equivalent DK-weight)
Contrasting Color: 50 g Blue 144 (or 105 meters of equivalent DK-weight)

Or for a larger slipper use worsted weight like
Quince and Co Owl . You will need 50-g skein of each Elf and Cielo.

Needles
Double-pointed needles 3.25 mm, 3 mm crochet hook (or another size double-point needles to obtain the correct gauge)
For larger slippers 3.5 mm, and 3mm crochet hook

Gauge and Swatch
Swatch in colorwork. 24 stitches/24 rows = 4 inches or 10 centimeters
Worsted gauge: 22-23 stitches = 4 inches or 10 centimeters

If you are working with Rauma Strikkegarn and 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. Lightly felted to 28 stitches/24.4 rows = 4 inches or 10 centimeters.

Skills used in knitting my Margaret Slippers

Long-tail cast on
Knitting in colorwork
Purling in colorwork
Catching floats
SSK
K2tog
Backward loop
Knitting flat
Knitting in the round
Crochet edge (single crochet, UK double)
Chart reading