Slipper Thoughts

1. Those French Press slippers are as cute and easy as promised.  There is sort of a lot of sewing though, but at least it can be crappy sewing. (I specialize in crappy sewing.  I have so much practice.)

2. They really do take 90 minutes.  I think I could even pick up speed as I go.

3. Sewing on the straps and buttons takes about 15 minutes.  That should be added on too.

4. I felted them in my front loader – even though I know that people just about turn around three times and spit when you suggest it.  I figured that if it didn’t work and I destroyed 90 minute slippers I would probably be able to recover – but that if it worked that would be made of awesome.  I threw them in with a load of towels to see what would happen.

They felted almost all the way, but in some spots they got folded or bent and didn’t felt evenly.  I didn’t dare run them through a second time because I worried that they would felt too much or more in the wrong spots.  You can’t stop a front loader part way through to see how your mittens are doing either.

5. I felted them the rest of the way by hand, alternating agitating them in hot soapy water in the bathroom sink and shocking cold water in the bathtub. That fixed almost all the troubles and got them the rest of the way down to size – really pretty evenly too.

6. That took about 20 minutes.

7. Those 20 minutes sucked pretty hard.  I can now declare with absolute certainty that while felting in a front loader is possible,  I think a top loader is way better for felting and if it weren’t for the energy/water requirements I would go and get another one right away.  I miss Sir Washie.  (The holidays are the hardest.)

8. I think it’s funny looking at the difference between the unfelted and felted slippers. 

9. So does my cat. (Sorry. I don’t usually blog the cat but she just wouldn’t get out of the shot and I just didn’t care any more.  I’m to smart to argue with a cat. They always win and they fight dirty.)

10. The hole at the side of the house is filled in.  I know that’s unrelated, but really, I’m just so happy that I want to tell everyone.  If it wasn’t so cold I’d have a party out there. I feel a lot more Christmassy now.  Thinking about a tree. I’m going to need something to put over these slippers.

Gifts for knitters, Day 11: These really cool Knit Klips. I have a package of them and use them all the time.  They’re clips that have one spiky thing that can hold two pieces of knitting together better than pins and faster than basting.  I’m using them when I sew the tops of the slippers to the bottoms. I centre the seams at the back and front then clip in a few places to make sure that I sew it together evenly and that things stay aligned.   I’ve used them for sleeves too, and they’re handy as all get out.  I got the 10 pack, and it’s as many as I’ve ever needed. Pack of those in a stocking while you toss around the phrase "mattress stitch" and I bet your knitter will be seriously impressed.

223 thoughts on “Slipper Thoughts

  1. Those are beautiful! Wow. Now I want to go make a whole bunch of them. And I’m so glad to hear the hole is wholly gone at last.

  2. In my short knitting career, I have never had a problem felting in my front loader, thank you very much (to all those nay-sayers). Beautiful slippers…maybe it isn’t too late for some presents.

  3. Like the slippers, I may have to give in and give them a try…my 20ish goddaughter would like them I think.
    Are you going to put anything on the bottoms so they are not slippery? I also have the knit klips and they do make the pain of seaming less so.

  4. Mattress stitch, yo lo sabe. But I found myself jotting down “Bickford Seam” as well as bookmarking it and memorizing it. Who/what/where is/was Bickford?
    (Congratulations on your not-hole. Very Zen.)

  5. Thanks for the gratuitous cat photo. Just makes my day. Sheesh. We see more of your daughters than we do of that utterly gorgeous cat! The slippers are cute, too.

  6. Those are very cute! I am a die-hard felted clog fan which are not so much for cute but are sooo comfortable. These slippers look very low on the sides – do they stay on? Would love to see a pair actually on feet – must check Ravelry.

  7. I finished felting them last night – still have the buttons to do but am already planning my second pair. These may save Christmas. I’m just sayin.

  8. The slippers are adorable. I think I might have to make some, now. I’ve been eying the pattern for a while, but hearing about how little time it takes, including assembly and felting and seeing yours may just push me over the head.
    And congratulations on no longer having a hole in your house! That’s definitely cause to celebrate!

  9. Congratulation on:
    1. Having a whole house again instead of a hole house.
    2. Finding a killer-quick knitting project which is purely adorable for all the ladies on your Xmas list.
    Uh… what about the men?

  10. Congratulations on:
    1. Having a whole house instead of a hole house.
    2. Finding a killer-quick knitting project for the ladies who are on your Xmas list.
    Uh… what about the men?

  11. I have a front loader, and I’ve got a tip for you. Pre-wash them in the kitchen sink… fill the sink with hot hot water and dish soap. Let them soak in there for a few minutes, squish them to get them filled up with soap. Then toss them in the washing machine. One trip through, and they are felted perfectly!

  12. I felt in my front loader with no problem. I haven’t tried doing it with a few towels. I’ll try that next time. I love the photo with the cat. Your cat looks like he/she is posing for the photo. You’re smart for not argueing with a cat.

  13. I love the slippers! We have a pair on display at our LYS that is magenta with zebra-stripe buttons. They’re SO SASSY! I’m hoping to make myself a pair after I get through Christmas-knitting.

  14. I knitted a pair over US Thanksgiving. While I was making them, I thought to myself that this was just the sort of project The Yarn Harlot would be obsessed over. I was right. 🙂

  15. I felt everything in my front loader. I am able to stop the cycle midway through and peer through the glass front. Then if they are done, drain the water out.
    Lots and lots of people (pretty much everyone in the UK) have front loader washing machines. Believe me when I tell you there are plenty of knitters in the UK who use their front loaders to felt.
    A lot of the time its just getting to know your machine (via the manual) that makes it easier.

  16. Nice slippers!! Is that the Cascade 220 that you mentioned? Wouldn’t it be even quicker if you felted both (or more?) pairs at the same time? Just saying……..unless that was your test pair of course, in which case well done for being so organized!

  17. Giggle: Did you know you typed:
    ‘You can’t stop a front loader part way through to see how your mittens are doing either’.
    If slippers turned into mittens in a Front Loader I don’t think I would want to stop it and look. Maybe if the cycle finishes it will turn into a sweater!
    Cute slippers. So are the unfelted ones Slipper Pair #2? or pair #7? or pair #12?

  18. You’re going to put a tree on over your slippers? I may have misunderstood.
    You could knit up a whole bunch of them, and take the whole batch to a laundromat (or whatever they’re called in Canada) or your mom-in-law’s house to felt.
    I need slippers. Those are sure cute. That’s not a hint.

  19. Wow! So cute! You mean to say that big ugly curled-up whack of jumbo-knitting turns into actual SHOES?!?! No lie, my daughter would wear those right out of the house. And so would I! Are you going to put leather soles on or anything?

  20. Sure. Bury the really good news at the end of the post. 🙂 Hooray for no more hole in the house!!! What a lovely holiday present for you.

  21. So glad the hole is filled in, I know what holey houses are like and have felt for you. The slippers are lovely and thanks for showing the pre- and post-felting shot (and cat photos are great, please post more!)

  22. I bought this pattern a couple weeks ago. Seriously going to the yarn shop after work for some Cascade 220. I need me some of these.

  23. OK, I bought the pattern and a-yarn-shoppin-I-will-go tomorrow. Hope mine turn out as cute as yours. 14 days til Christmas!

  24. So…how will you felt the second pair? I don’t felt generally speaking, I’m in an apt building and ruining one of the communal machines would be a BAD idea.
    Those are pretty tho….

  25. Did those 20 minutes suck enough that it would be worth it to felt them at a laundromat next time? I mean, you could knit several pairs, and then take them all at the same time AND knit while you were waiting for the load to finish…
    Just curious, cause I have a front loader myself.

  26. As I own a front-load washer and have always read cautionary tales of trying to use it for felting, I felt a brief twinge of regret when I saw these slippers.
    You (and the commenters before me) have given me enough hope to actually give them a try 🙂
    If all else fails, Mom still has a top loader!

  27. I see serious shortages of Cascade yarn in the future…
    I have got to make these, have not felted yet…Have to finish the #^#@ baby sweater for Christmas or she won’t be able to wear it, but these are absolutely next on the list.

  28. I just found your blog and think you are the funniest writer on the internet – at least the funniest knitter! I already had at least three full on belly laughs! Thank you!
    About the felted slippers – thank you for posting the before and after picture. I am working on felted slipper socks for my husband. The unfelted socks look like a giant’s and I have my serious doubts that they will shrink enough. But your pictures gave me hope again.

  29. Cat! Glad you finally showed her off – she’s beautiful. The slippers are great – I may have to try a pair myself.

  30. I just downloaded the pattern, and this is definitely gonna be at least one of my Christmas presents (sisters, nieces, etc.) Thanks sooooo much!

  31. Are you sure you can’t open your washer halfway through the cycle? I have one, and I can, but that’s because it uses less water than the level of the door – yours might work differently. The door unlocks when I pull the spinny handle that you pull to make it start.
    Those are awesome slippers! I might have to make a pair. Or seven.

  32. After I got the pattern, I looked around for some Patons Classic Wool & Addi Turbo US 15s, & it’s weird, but no one sells the two on the same website. Well, I shouldn’t say no one. I couldn’t find them. I looked at 8-10 different online shops & couldn’t find them.
    Nevertheless, I won’t be letting that stop the slipper obsession.
    But I have a question. The pattern calls for 330 yards/300 meters, & Cascade 220 isn’t quite that much. How did your length turn out?

  33. Love the slippers. They’re blue, my favorite color.
    Glad the hole is finally filled in.
    Hope you have a wonderful Christmas.

  34. I HAVE TO, HAVE TO, HAVE TO, try and make a pair of these. I can see getting obsessed with these really quickly! Look out every girl in my family is getting a pair next year.

  35. I can stop my front loader…I’ve had two, and I just power it off, wait for the lights to go out, and open it. The water level is below the level of the bottom of the door, anyway, (because there is so little water, that is the point!). Check then put it back in and turn it back on!
    I’ve heard of rare ones that won’t unlock when turned off (it’s usually easier than turning them off, but in the worst case user interface), but only one of them, ever….after all, if your power goes out, you need to be able to OPEN the machine to get the wet, soapy laundry out!!!!!

  36. If you ever think you’ve won a battle with the cat, I suggest that you go check your pillow.
    I guarantee that she peed on it.

  37. Dude, you need a Wonder Washer. Will take up no more space on your laundry shelf then a big jug o’ detergent. It’s just a big drum with an agitator. GREAT for felting most things you would want to felt (maybe not big enough for a sweater for ME, but for YOU, probably.). Wonder Washer + tea kettle = ultimate felting control. You don’t even need to put your to-be-felted thingie in a pillowcase or anything, because there are no little parts to get jammed with lint. It’s beauty is it’s simplicity. Check it out at: http://www.amazon.com/BRAND-NOT-SPECIFIED-Wonder-Washer/dp/B000BTDNEK.
    Those little slippers are beyond cute, btw.

  38. I so want to make these — but I have no washer to felt in (I’m an apartment dweller who uses the laundromat). Wonder if they would felt in a dishwasher?!?
    And glad the hole is filled finally. Now you can move the stash back out of your kitchen.

  39. Lovely cat and lovely slippers. As others have said, good move not arguing with the cat. If they don’t want to move it is nearly impossible. For a really laugh about cats check out Simon’s Cat!

  40. Really cute slippers! I saw them before somewhere else on the web, but it didn’t register until your blog yesterday. Now I want the pattern too! Congrats on finding a time-efficient obsession.

  41. You don’t need a tree. Just lean a broom in the corner and hang all the slippers on it. Done.

  42. Darn it. And here I was avoiding the slippers so easily, too.
    Why don’t you usually blog the cat? Such a lovely cat deserves more blog time, surely.

  43. I looked at those freshly-knit shoes and thought, “Oh, what a shame.” Then I scrolled down and saw the finished shoes!
    Wow!
    That’s me, speechless.
    Those are GORGEOUS!
    It’s no wonder you’re hooked on making them!
    I wanted to thank you for the email. I thought you’d mention the answer to my question in today’s post or something, but an email to me is WAY above and beyond the call of duty!
    But I think your other readers would be interested in the answer to my question, so I’m thanking you here so I can mention your answer to the question of a skid resistant bottom on the shoes, which was:
    “She recommends putting leather or puff paint….”
    PUFF PAINT!!!!! Of course!!!!
    I’ve already tried silicon calking compound and Eeeee glue, and they didn’t work well. I can’t wait to hit a craft store and get some puff paint for the mitts I’m making, and maybe for the mittens I’ve made!
    THANKS!

  44. DH comment – “The hole at the side of the house is filled in.” What did she fill it with? MONEY?

  45. lol, I’ve had to blog a cat or two before, too, when Chaucer decided that pictures of a cute baby sweater we oh-so-much cuter with a cute kitty in the picture.
    Those are very pretty slippers! The recipient should be pleased 😀

  46. They are the cutest things.(The cat is pretty cute as well-and,no,they don’t fight fair.)I may have to break down and get that pattern.It gets pretty chily in this house and winter hasn’t officially started yet.

  47. Love the slippers! I have been showing the pattern to anyone in my house who will look and the daughters (teens) both have requested a pair. For some reason the family wants to eat or I would have already cast on. Food is so over-rated.
    Glad the hole is gone!

  48. Woven scarfs for the men and slippers for the women; you are so set. I’m having serious slipper envy. I am allergic to wool. (Yes, I am, Stephanie. I have the test results to prove it.) But, I can’t help wondering if I could stand 90 minutes of hives to be able to give my sister something so adorable…

  49. I found felting in my front loader (bosch) works best without the towels. I think the tumbling action it goes through suffices, the finish is smoother no annoying bumps. I am lucky as well my bosch lets you open whenever you want to check progress.

  50. Sorry to here that your front loader wouldn’t do it. I choose friends to visit and vacation condos to rent by whether they still have top loading machines where I can bring all my felting projects. I have gotten pretty good at hand felting over the years and need to be in the right meditative mood for it. I think if i ever get to buy a washing machine i will look for the last of the top loaders despite the sad ecological profile. Or chose one like the Bosch that lets you open it. Even when i am not felting i like to stop and play with my wash mid-cycle.

  51. The slippers are cute. I’m glad to hear (from Stephanie and commenters) that you can felt in a front-loading washing machine — my apartment building has a laundry room with front loaders and I can’t have my own machine in my apartment. So I guess the nest step is to make a sample of something and see how it works out.

  52. Your cat is so beautiful, I’d think you’d want the cat in the blog all the time. And, cats and slippers always go together!
    Love the clips, too, if we must talk knitting. 🙂

  53. I am SO HAPPY that the hole is filled in! Hundreds of miles away I feel warmer already.
    I noticed there was no blogging about furnace wars this year — did Ian accuse you of cheating because you had the whole thing removed? Or did he just give up in disgust when you were willing to go to such lengths?

  54. They are wonderful slippers aren’t they 🙂 I did up a pair for myself, and now have a pair done for a girlfriend as well. They have a seriously cute factor, and are such a rewarding quick knit. You need to find a friend with a top loader next time to speed up your process and make the process even quicker 🙂

  55. I have three people on my Christmas list that are getting these slippers…..hopefully…..at least that’s the plan!

  56. Wow. I always forget how magical felting is, because there is no way those pre-felted slippers are anything worth looking at a second time. Some felting time and BAM! Beauty and comfort.

  57. I felt in my front-loader all the time. You probably shouldn’t have put it in with anything else. The most I have ever put in was a tiny pair of kids jeans.
    Also: Those are SO! CUTE! Do you need my address?
    Congratulations on the hole. Is that sick Oh-My-Gosh-The-Biggest-Investment-Of-My-Life-Is-Broken-What-Am-I-Gonna-DOOO feeling gone yet?

  58. Love your cat. Sounds like her personality matches the only other female being in my house which is also a feline.
    The slippers are cute too. I’m not brave enough to felt stuff yet.
    Someday.

  59. Hurrah for the lack of holiness. I have been afraid of felting all these years, but you may have won me over.

  60. Hey Steph…..I too have a front loader and have felted very successfully in it. I CAN stop mine….I just have to wait a few minutes for the machine to register that I have done so….then I can open the door and see what has happened with the felting. That also allows me to take the items out before they go through the spin cycle. Are you sure you can’t open your machine mid-cycle? Just askin’

  61. Slippers: adorable. I’d like to make a pair of those, but I’ve never felted anything on purpose, only accidentally. How do you know how big to make the slippers, so they’ll felt down to the right size. Does a longer period of flailing around in the washer result in more felting, thus smaller slippers? Or is it more the temperature of the water?

  62. Those are very cute. Are they comfy at all? Felted fabric is always so bulky feeling.
    I had no idea you had a cat.

  63. I bought the slipper pattern today and can’t wait to start. As for the knit clips, I use my teenage daughter’s little hair clips, which appear to be almost the same thing (but require snitching from child’s room or fishing around the couch or car seat or pretty much anywhere).

  64. 1) Cute slippers.
    2) My front loader allows me to pause to check felting or add something to a load I might have forgotten.
    3)When I felt in the front loader I run the item through 2-3 times depending on the yarn, I usually run what ever it is through with some regular wash.
    4)Glad to hole is covered.

  65. I think others have called attention to the fact that some front loaders can, indeed, be paused during the wash cycle. Mine can – and in just the same way that a top-loader can. I push in the knob to stop the cycle, wait for the “lock” light to turn off and Bob’s yer Uncle.
    I felted a pair of mittens in my front loader once and it worked great.
    I’m now smitten by those slippers …

  66. Love it. So- around 100 min with a top-load washer…. 😉 Such a great speedy Christmas gift. Too bad guys probably won’t wear them….
    Thanks for the demo pics and info!

  67. okay, i’ve been a lurker for years and have never commented but … the combinaton of those slippers and that cat? BEAUUUUU-TIFUL, both of ’em. gotta go buy that pattern. i think it’s going to save my christmas, too. thanks!

  68. You almost had me, even with the 15 minutes of sewing, until you said you have to sew the tops to the bottoms of the slippers. That just seems like too much for me, after having made the felted clogs, and the felted ballet slippers. And these look a lot like the felted ballet slippers (also by Fibertrends), but with an extra part on the toe. Mmmm….

  69. I too have a front loader. It’s a Frigidaire, push the timer knob wait for the click, open door, play with stuff, close door, pull timer knob. I second the comment about not putting to much in the washer to felt. Ask me how I know?.

  70. See, cats are smart enough to know that being photographed in the presence of pretty knitting serves to enhance their own natural prettiness. “Still Life with Cat and Evolution of Slippers” – a very elegant scene!

  71. The cat may fight dirty, but the cat is cute. Blog the cat once in a while, just for us feline fanatics.

  72. CONGRATULATIONS on no longer having a hole in your house! That is the most wonderful thing for you. The slippers look great. I am guessing we will be seeing more than pink and blue slippers.
    As to arguing with a cat, well, yeah, that doesn’t work so well. My mom has one that goes for the cord on my circs.

  73. Okay, this is going to be a bit long and nonsensical, but hear me out.
    I’m studying for my master’s in library and information science and while I was unable to sleep last night I all of a sudden synthesized a couple of theories from the LIS field and some of what you’ve written about knitting and I Have A Theory.
    Basically there’s a theory that people can get so into their information-seeking (not necessarily for anything important — reading blogs and checking email counts too) that they go into a zone and lose track of time because they’re enjoying themselves — it has to be something interesting enough that they don’t get bored but not anything beyond their abilities. Often this means they’ll continue what they’re doing even if it’s detrimental to other areas of their lives (like keeping the laundry under control).
    Okay, so that’s part 1. Part 2 is a recent study which shows that the state of seeking for information (or other things) in fact stimulates a center of the brain that is not the pleasure center, but which makes you feel more alert, relaxed, and generally cheerful. Rats like this so much that they will choose to continually stimulate this center over eating, if given the choice, and starve.
    So I’m thinking… this is about how the process can be pleasurable, often more so than the results… and I just keep thinking, you could replace any instance of seeking behavior in what I just wrote with knitting and it would still make total and perfect sense in both cases. And even more so if you consider them together. So knitting = the new miracle drug?
    That’s my wacky theory. I hope it made sense, I’m a little addled by sleep deprivation!

  74. I second the “you need a wonder washer” comment. Leigh Radford recommends using one for felting, especially since we are all/most leaning toward front loaders b/c of water usage, this allows felting to continue on.

  75. Okay, can we count this as a desperately need to know? Do these things actually STAY ON YOUR FEET? I mean ya, they’re super cute and all, but are they going to kill me when I go down to light the fire in the morning???

  76. Your cat looks just like my cat! Having no children (yet), my cat is the subject of a lot of my photography to the point where he kind of treats me like the paparazzi when I get the camera out.

  77. I’m so happy about the hole being filled in – I’ve actually been worrying about that! And your cat is very cute – you should blog her more.

  78. I skimmed through the comments, but didn’t see an answer. Did you add the little grippy treads on the bottom of these slippers? I worry about slipping around on hardwoods. What would you suggest to make those grippy treads, were you to include them? I have not read the pattern, so perhaps they are on there.

  79. Nice slippers, but OH, I LOVE YOUR CAT! So pretty and fuzzy looking! Glad she wouldn’t be left out!

  80. YOu have no idea how much Brownsheep Worsted I have in my stash! Now I just have to figure out how many lovely ladies need these beautiful slippers!

  81. No hole sounds like a pretty great Christmas gift. I’m very happy for you!
    Question about the slippers: Do they stay on your feet? I’m concerned about loose heel syndrome (I just made that up but I think you probably know what I mean).

  82. I made 2 pairs of these last week, will probably have a 3rd by the end of the weekend, and I don’t know when it will stop either. I didn’t like the tabs, I’m planning a little embroidery or maybe a felted flower or (gasp) a bit of crocheted lace.

  83. Awww, but the kitty is so cute. She looks like she’s really asserting her influence there. You should include more GKPs (gratuitous kitty pix).
    Slippers are cute, too, very fetching.

  84. Firstly, I must have this pattern. Whatever it takes, I will get it. Actually, when my mom (I’m at her place for the hols) saw them, she said I have to get it.
    Secondly, if you’re feeling too cheap to get the knit clips, just go to the dollar store and get a huge pack of those little spring loaded, grabby hair clips. They work just as well, and as the owner of my LYS confesses, they don’t stop working if they break a tine, and you don’t cry as much from the cost.

  85. The slippers are cute, and I can tell the cat has an attitude from here. Yikes. Pretty, though.
    If you aren’t already watching House, then that’d be my suggestion. It is seriously addictive, be warned. And Dr.Wilson is pretty hot in a puppy dog way.

  86. Love these slippers. But the pattern is sold out!! The power of your blog………
    Glad to hear the hole is filled in, and not with your stash.

  87. Love the slippers and am so sad the pattern is sold out!! So glad you told us about the hole being filled in!! From a person that has had many a house Cris I know what a big relief it is!! the best Christmas present ever!!

  88. Pretty kitty and slippers too. Don’t try to felt the cat, she won’t like it. My boy cat loves all things wool and likes to fetch. Maybe you could teach kitty to bring you your slippers.
    Have a wonderful holidays!
    Eve from Carlisle

  89. Yes, you can felt successfully in a front loader and my front loader I can stop midcycle, open the door without draining and check the progress of things. My washer is a Maytag Neptune. They had a horrible CR rating when they first came out but I have had mine for 3 years and not a single problem, gets clothes clean using less detergent and water and it felts things nicely…I can also machine wash my handwashable woolens in it. Haven’t accidently felted any of it either.

  90. No Hole Hole Hole, Merry Christmas!!! I’m always happy to see your cat on the blog because she looks exactly like one of my cats, down to the grayish mane. So more cat pictures are okay by me.

  91. Black Cat,
    White Towel….Where else would your cat be? 🙂
    Cute slipper! what size did they end up being once felted?

  92. Love the slippers — might actually get pulled away from my plans of scarves for all to do a few of these. It might actually put me back on schedule, giftwise. Thanks for the great idea.
    If you’re still looking for ideas for video series to knit to, I have a few suggestions for you. Fresh Air’s reviewer mentioned that Farscape just came out on video; I know you like sci-fi, and thought maybe you hadn’t seen this series. Also, my current favorite, Glee, has just come out on video — it’s a musical comedy satire that’s actually really good at all three. Don’t drink red wine or coffee while watching unless you want to risk snorting them all over your lovely yarn. We (hubby, 13 yr old son, and I) just watched the mid-season finale, and it did not disappoint.

  93. I LOVE those slippers. I was worrying about what I would get my best friend, and now I know. =D
    Also, your cat is adorable.

  94. I have made 3 pairs so far and to answer one of the questions: yes, they do stay on your feet. I was a little skeptical at first because the sides seemed a bit shorter than other slippers, but they fit just fine and I wear them every chance I get. I just love them.
    My advice: buy the pattern and enjoy these wonderful slippers as soon as possible. You won’t regret it.
    Oh, and I also have a front-loading washer (which allows me to stop it mid-cycle) and I threw in a few of my dog’s rubber toys and just a couple of towels (to get the water level up a little) and the slippers felted just fine.

  95. They are so cute. Never had problems felting in my front loader. But I’ve never thrown anything in there except for the item being felted. Given that front loaders have stuff “fall,” maybe the towels were too heavy?

  96. Really cute and tempting slippers! I do not need to buy another pattern! Well maybe just one.
    At last, a gift from your list that I could actually afford.

  97. I bought a front loader a couple of years ago, and had “heard” that they don’t felt… eventually a pair of socks went through the regular cycle and I found out that they indeed do felt things really, really well.

  98. Did the cat get a tiny bit smaller? (Honestly, nobody answer that cuz I’ll feel like a special kind of blog-stalker if she is, in fact, any smaller)

  99. Darn you Harlot and your ability to find the most awesome patterns to share. I have already knit one pair, have the yarn in my stash to knit at least four more! And barely two weeks before Christmas! You, my sweet lady, are the Empress of Enablers! (thanks!!) I think the French Press Slippers are going to be a standby gift for a while.

  100. Only 130 comments before me? I’m speeding up! LOL
    The hole in the side of your house is filled in? That is huge and wonderful news. Yeah, I’m all about knitting and I bought the FPK slipper pattern a while ago (the designer lives about 45 minutes from me, we met & I bought the pattern instantly).
    So glad you’re passing the word about a great project.
    But the hole in the house? Fixed? I bet you feel 500 pounds lifted from your shoulders. I feel better just reading about it.

  101. The hole fixed, 90 minute (more or less) slippers, a beautiful cat, life does get better I guess, but not much. All this is awesome. And even more so that you’re sharing with us.
    If I dare take on another project, I suspect my daughter will get felted slippers for her b-day. Just not sure what year.

  102. Another front-loader user here. In case no one else has said, I would recommend no towels. I have had no trouble felting with knitted item in a pillow case on its own, on a shortish cycle, v hot water, tiny amount of soap.
    Welcome to the Christmas Season. It’s a good thing 😉

  103. I love your cat.
    What wool did you use? The finished slippers look fab, and I’m really glad that you managed to at least part-felt them in a front loader, because I am British and we don’t know what top-loaders are! 🙂
    Can’t wait to get onto my first pair.

  104. First: I so love those slippers that I am going immediately to download that pattern and I have a pile of Patons classic wool that are just crying to be slippers. I also have a huge jar of buttons that will do just fine.
    Second: to Caroline Little who posted about the Wonder Washer. I have GOT to get me one of these! What an awesome little machine! Thank you!

  105. The designer wrote a post on the YH board saying that it was still cheaper to buy the pattern through Ravelry and less work for her, the sudden traffic was generating spam problems at several of her email accounts so there were some initial difficulties with purchasing through her blog.

  106. The cat pictures made me laugh. In the second one, her face clearly shows that she’s bored with the pictures, but that the annoyance value of staying is too great to pass up.

  107. My husband managed to felt a superwash blanket that I made in a front loader. There might have been an excrement covered toddler and a bleach soaking involved but STILL! Front loaders can do it! For the record, he was holding down the fort with two kids under three while I went gallivanting in the big city for a day…he was forgiven and we still use the felted blanket.

  108. Cat is so cute! And the slippers! Plus, Merry Christmas, you have no hole in the house! But, I will not be parted with my top loading machine… My aunt gave it to me when she bought a new front loading machine, which she hates.

  109. I started mine last night, but I am a pitifully slow knitter, so got halfway done before I was too sleepy. But that is what I get for starting at 10pm while watching a movie, and munching on ginger snaps. Hopefully I’ll finish tonight.
    Also, your little cat looks so much like my Beanie. So much so, that my little boy thought she was modeling the slippers. I assured him that she was simply Beans’ Canadian cousin. Does she meow with an accent?

  110. Nevermind. Amazon sells that washer too and the reviews aren’t that great. Too bad b/c I’ve wanted one forever.

  111. Another two part comment: adorable slippers (and kitty); we have the same washer, and yep, you can open it. That’s what the pause button is for! As someone said above- press the pause button, wait for the click, then you can open it. Magic. 🙂

  112. You can get hair clips at the dollar store in differnt sizes. I use them to hold seams while I sew.

  113. Bought the pattern yesterday, planning on starting a pair tonite, thanks they are the cutest slippers I have ever seen!

  114. I started mine last night and am eager to finish and make more today!
    Love the clips. I’ve been known to use little hair clips in a pinch. These will hold more accurately, though, so naturally I bought them. Your endorsements are the knitting world’s equivalent of Oprah’s book club.
    It is never wrong to blog the cat. They need the attention so much more than us humans.

  115. Happy that your house is feeling much better…it is very wintery outside to have a hole in your foundation!! Your slippers are very pretty and have a merry Christmas.

  116. I have the pattern and started a pair in the car. I just need a little more info on sewing on the flap that was felted alone. Do you sew it along the bottom seam line and with what stitch?

  117. Like Mary Beth, I am owned by a gorgeous lady-cat who looks almost exactly like YOUR gorgeous lady-cat. Blackberry sends suitably dignified greetings. (Cats are always dignified, except when they’re silly.)

  118. That’s a lovely cat! He/She should appear often. We have given our fabulous cat to friends as our grandson is seriously allergic. I miss him so much but the grandson comes waaay before the cat. Enjoy yours….

  119. Saturday greetings!! I have a pair of clogs for DS about 75% finished – one has the H-D logo on the top and the other doesn’t – won’t do THAT again! My first clogs, and who knew, after I carefully charted the logo, that there were all sorts of decreases and stuff on top! Can you say “read the pattern first”? I will needle-felt a teeny HD on the second one. If DS doesn’t like them – yeah, right…I can sell them.
    I read on another discussion list about something to use on the bottom of the clogs – Plasti Dip, by Performix. Found it (and bought also a small new brush to use) at Lowe’s, although the comment said Home Depot had it as well. About $6 US. Haven’t used it yet, but I suspect it will work on these absolutely gorgeous slippers of yours.
    Got the pattern on Ravelry and it’s burning a hole in my brain….I have about 8 things to finish over the next month, and my fingers are just itching to get at the skeins of wool I’ve already set aside for these beauties. Perhaps if they were brown or something, and decorated with a used shotgun shell or broken football cleat or tiny wrench, a guy might wear them, at home, by the fire….Well, then again, maybe not.
    Thanks again, you Enabler, you. I haven’t even finished A Pretty Thing yet! Got 2 inches done and decided the pattern doesn’t show well enough so will frog and re-start with a different yarn. Just what I needed, another neat pattern. And me with a 10-month-old first great-granddaughter to help decorate!!
    Huzzahs for vanished holeyness!

  120. The slippers are lovely.
    I have a front loader (we really don’t have any other kind here in Iceland) and I felt all the time.(you check you my ravelry projects if you don’t believe me)
    I never stop the machine but I do sometimes have to felt more than once. Some front loaders felt much better than others – my mothers Electrolux felts much better than my (much more expensive) Siemens for example.

  121. I’m just so happy for you that the hole is filled in. Even though Toronto isn’t the -30C (!!!) it is here in Edmonton this morning, I’m sure it’s nice to have the outdoor environment firmly OUTSIDE, not in your basement!
    Love the slippers. VERY cute.

  122. I want ‘I’m too smart to argue with a cat. They always win and they fight dirty’ on a T-shirt. Funniest (and truest) thing all day!

  123. The slippers are awesome.
    Congratulations on the hole. I can stop worrying about you now. 😉
    As for the clips, I use tiny butterfly hair clips from the drugstore–the ones for little girls’ hair. They’re about a dollar and a half for 24 clips and work perfectly.

  124. Sorry I’ve been remiss in reading you lately. RL gets in the way. I caught up today, though I was supposed to be Christmas knitting. Glad you’re hole is now not-a-hole. I was beginning to really worry. That swirl scarf has been on my to-do list for quite a while. It seems the LYS has trouble keeping the pattern/yarn around long enough for me to wander in at the right moment. Also, cut down on the plane trips and consider moving to BC.
    FP Slippers really jazzy. Please elaborate on the buttons. TY

  125. Am I the only one that is taking 3 days to put together the slippers? I got the pattern immediately off the net, had the yarn and the needles and started to knit at 8 pm . Still not done.Seaming and weaving. I usually save up some things to felt and go to the laundry mat and do them all together. Rather their washer than mine.

  126. Well, here I go felting in my front loader. I have my toes crossed even though it usually works. The sewing is annoying – I sew like a five year old-and that is probably an insult to many 5 year olds.

  127. What a GEM of a comment! That is, the description of felting in a front-loading machine.
    I SO needed to know how it worked (or not). Bless you.

  128. All kinds of good today!
    MY DH spent most of today fixing our heating system, so I can relate to the hole in the ground…I was afraid we’d have something similar ourselves (don’t ask about the car, though).
    And I love the slippers. They’re really wonderful!

  129. Sorry, I don’t mean to take up two comments, but I just remembered that it’s also possible to felt in the dryer. You can partially felt in the washer, then dip the slippers in cold water, then throw them in the dryer with the towels. That’s a lot of heat and agitation, and you can check them more often.

  130. I felt in my front loader all the time. You can stop and check the progress in my Kenmore. The pause button will stop the machine and unlock the door. I use the longest cycle with hot water and a pair of jeans. I check it before it goes to the spin cycle and cancel the cycle if I think I’ve felted enoough. Go on to the rinse and spin cycle, sometime having to rinse twice. Roll in a towel for the extra moisture and lay flat to dry. If I’m felting old sweaters to recycle them, I throw them into a cool dryer to remove the excess moisture and fluff them up.

  131. Hey Steph, I wanted to add a tv viewing suggestion, (I too loved SG1 and Battlestar, and felt so much better when I read that you did too!!)
    Have you checked out the new SciFi series Sanctuary? It has Amanda Tapping as the star. I’ve been watching since it started and really like it. Last night’s episode guest starred Michael Shanks as an old friend, the ad showed him with Amanda and commenting “Like the hair!” (It’s now long and black!) Very clever nod to SG1 viewers.

  132. Those are some great slippers! Have you seen Cocoknits’ Pennyloafer slippers? Prairie Boot slippers? What fun!

  133. These are sooooo cute. Is the pattern listed anywhere on your blog, is it your design, how can I get one????

  134. i’ve heard people felting using front loaders on the “sanitize” option. haven’t tried it myself, but the appeal of these slippers are gaining a hold on me.

  135. Stephanie, I have a front load washing machine here in Italy and use it to felt all kinds of projects and it works beautifully. Why do you say you can’t open it midway to check? I can with mine. I just chose the half load program and use plastic balls instead of towels. Maybe you could try it. Anyway the slippers are beautiful. I’ll try making them too as soon as I can. Happy Knitting from Italy and an early Merr Christmas!

  136. Somebody got to it before me! Any book recommended on Oprah sells out immediately. Same with patterns on Yarn Harlot!
    I’ve never felted (except inadvertently)before but guess what I’m planning to make. I’d knit the cat too if I could. I had her gray cousin whom I adored and she produced enough cast off hair to knit a new cat every month!
    Two questions for you and your team: first, since the nearest skein of Cascade is about 3200 miles away, what sort of yarn can I substitute and second, would a standard lingerie (small) or sweater (large) bag designed for washing delicates work as well or better than a pillow case?
    Finally, please suggest this to Cara and other people with wool allergies: An old friend of mine used to knit away happily on wool wearing disposable “rubber” gloves, non-latex variety. Just be sure they are a good, comfortable fit.

  137. I’ve got a front-loader, and just finished felting a gift in it. My solution is to felt it on ‘handwash’ or ‘silk’ settings, with one tennis shoe in the load. It took about four washings to felt the purse all the way down, but it worked great and didn’t over-felt. I had figured that once it got close, I’d felt by hand, but it wasn’t necessary.
    The slippers are awesome! Excuse me, I have to go look up the pattern. 🙂

  138. I just tried felting for the first time in my front-loader, and it came out well! I don’t know how yours is, but I can choose any combination of wash, rinse, spin, or dry (it’s an all-in-one) and choose the number of minutes for each section, so I will be playing with it some more with a few more pairs of Fiber Trends Clogs to find the optimal felting. Two average cycles of wash/rinse followed by a spin got them nearly perfectly felted. I should photograph and blog the next pair!

  139. These are so cute I can hardly stand it… the possibilities are dizzying… I couldn’t click the BUY NOW button fast enough!

  140. I also felted mine in a front loading washer. I made one slipper first to try it out. I put it through twice, but the flap only once. It worked so, I knit the second one.
    I think I’ll try some needlefelting on my next pair.

  141. Wicked Cute!!! But you know that you may have taken many frantic knitters gift making schedules by the tail and swung them right out the window, right? Maybe it will help them tho! btw I think the cat wanted in the act because it really wants to be a lolcat and get posted over on icanhascheeseburger where we’ll write silly comments on it.

  142. These are so cute. What do you suggest for traction on the bottom of slippers that will be worn on wood floors and stairs?

  143. Stephanie,
    Thank you for mentioning my product Knit Klips for seaming. I appreciate you giving examples of how you use them and how they are helpful. I love the slippers. I may have to make some for my girls for Christmas. I love your interesting and fun blog. Thanks!

  144. This week you wove a scarf, which caused me to take a weaving class, buy a loom, and start weaving my own scarves. Then you showed that slipper pattern, which caused me to buy and make that pattern for Christmas gifts. Please don’t do anything dangerous or really expensive for a while because I seem to be following your lead quite a bit lately.

  145. This week you wove a scarf, which caused me to take a weaving class, buy a loom, and start weaving my own scarves. Then you showed that slipper pattern, which caused me to buy and make that pattern for Christmas gifts. Please don’t do anything dangerous or really expensive for a while because I seem to be following your lead quite a bit lately.

  146. I don’t have a washer in my apartment but one of my friends has an LG front loader & felts in it. She says she uses a short wash. Another thing you might consider is buying an old wringer washer. You’d need to keep it in the basement or in the summer it could live outside. No need to worry about the fuzz clogging up that baby!
    Love that cat & your slippers!

  147. So I went to the link for the knitklips and it takes me to this site about a sort of science fiction-y type novel called “Beyond the Stars: Kataria” by Kelly Beltz. I checked the link twice and it happened both times. Seems a bit odd. I’ll google Knit Klips but there’s something odd going on there with your linky and there’s nothing about knitting on that page… :0(

  148. Pleassssse I am your friend and I want these. also my feet are very very very cold, only you can help.oxoxoxox denny

  149. Karen J, The rubber gloves only work for the touch part of allergies. If you have asthma the tiny bits of wool fiber that get in the air as you handle it will mess you up. My poor sister has to use her inhaler before she goes into the LYS to buy tools and non-animal yarns and then again after she gets back to the car. I on the other hand can’t even be in the same room with anything made of jute fiber. So, if you have an asthma attacks with-in 72 hours of being in a yarn shop (most folks it’s 24 hours) could be the fibers in the air and not the fixatives in the dyes(another culprit).

  150. OK, I’m glad I wasn’t the only one seeing an ad for a novel at the Knit Klips link — fiddlewitch, you vouch for me. It’s not just the medicinal holiday scotch, right?

  151. So glad to hear that there is no more hole… in the house at least…
    Cute slippers… I am still in the felted clog phase myself, I do felt them in my front loader… It can be stopped, I only have to watch to choose the part in the cycle when there is no water in the drum… I usually throw a pair of old jeans or a plastic flip flop (or both for good measure)…

  152. Re: new series to watch/twitter
    Toronto public Library has William and Mary & Doc Martin, both English both have same male lead both really good
    Otherwise Fringe, Eureka, Flashforward – all Sci Fi

  153. Am I the only one who gets an ad for a sci-fi novel when I click on the knitklips link?
    PS love the cat. Cats are one of the more beautiful things created by nature and if I’m not mistaken there is a clause in their contracts requiring the occasional blog appearance.

  154. I definitely get an ad for a sci-fi book (and the author of same) when I click on the knit clips link. Waaah!

  155. Had to write to tell you about my favorite felting tool -the Wonder Washer. It’s a little portable washing machine that felts beautifully, economically and quickly. Best $50 I ever spent on something for knitting that wasn’t wool!
    It’s available on Amazon – here’s a link (I hope):
    http://www.amazon.com/BRAND-NOT-SPECIFIED-Wonder-Washer/dp/B000BTDNEK/ref=pd_sim_k_1
    It’s delightfully low tech – just fill the bucket with hot water, some nice soap for felting and let it run – two cycles usually get the job done and no worries about fuzzing up the front loader. No pillow cases needed as there are no parts to gunk up with stray wool bits.

  156. Great slippers, Stephanie. I really must try felting. It is still such a surprise to see the results that come of it. I have a front loader too, so hopefully it will work out! 90 minutes is not too much of a waste if they don’t. Thanks for sharing!

  157. in case nobody else said this yet (can’t read all comments today — gotta rush knitted gifts to post office):
    feel free to felt stuff in communal top-load washer. just put item(s) in a pillowcase. that will trap all the stray bits of wool. you might add a small pair of kid-jeans or a tennis ball or clean old tennis shoe for agitation.
    last wk i felted a big bag for my daughter in HER top-loader while she was at work. i didn’t use a pillowcase because i didn’t want it to turn the blue of the bag. but after i wiped out the washer with a towel, there wasn’t a clue to the fact that her christmas gift had just been felted — other than maybe a slight lingering fragrance of citronella from the murphy’s oil soap i’d used to felt and semi-waterproof the bag.

  158. Love the slippers and the CAT!!
    I’ve found that using a small old-fashionned washboard (I found mine at a local independent hardware store) works great for hand-felting–especially when there are pesky spots that don’t match the rest of the piece, or when the item needs a bit more felting, but I don’t want to run the washer.

  159. Bless you, Dear Harlot. You have solved my last-minute gift problem. I expect that soon all yarn stores will have a run on size 15 needles.
    Glad to hear that the hole in your yard is now filled. I hope you are warm & cozy with your new furnace!

  160. I do, truly, understand an obsession with those slippers. Even the cat approves, and that is one cat I wouldn’t mess with–look at those eyes!

  161. You saved my Christmas!! I thought I was not going to find anything to make for my sisters and bffs. That pattern is brilliant! I am making it more so: I am making some of the slippers in black and others in hot pink. The buttons will be big rhinestone buttons!! How cool!! Thank you and have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

  162. Whoa! What’s the German literary term (there must be one) for when we have like a psychic link that sent me to the yarn store last Thursday evening with a coupon to purchase yarn for EXACTLY THIS PROJECT?
    I am so jazzed.

  163. GAH! Thanks! All I needed was another knitting pattern addiction. Well you’ll be pleased to hear I’ve already begun my first pair. Well played you enabler, you. 🙂 Well played.

  164. I’m going to miss ‘The Hole”- it had become part of my lfe – in a non-financial, non-inconvenience way!

  165. Here’s another vote for the cat! I am a perpetual beginner knitter who is making a knit pear for my daughter that will need to be felted. I now have a front loader (hate it except for its “green-ness”) and was dubious about its ability to felt anything. I am glad to see that many knitters have had success felting with their front loaders. Thanks!

  166. Cute, cute, cute! Just the thing I need to finish up my Christmas gifts for my sisters. I am going to chug over there now and get the pattern!

  167. Two things: my mom’s maytag front loader has a Pause function which sucks the water into a mysterious place so you can open the door and add more clothes, or check your felting (this was mandatory for my mom who tells me that at least twice she tried to sneak in a piece of clothes during a wash cycle on those front loaders of the 70’s…you can imagine the flood)
    Second, you are welcome to bring your felted slippers over (or leave them with me) and I’ll do them for you. I belief my Kenmore top loader (circa 1985) may be Son of Mr. Washie.

  168. I too love the pattern, couldn’t buy it fast enough!ran out of some yarn i had left over from something else, oh well, practice! Will go get more from lys! In pink of ocurse! Thanks for the link!

  169. I’m another one who gets an add for some sci fi novel at that link.
    Is there a DNS problem out there?
    On the other hand, searching for “knit klips”
    or somethign like it, got me THIS site, that
    at least looks more like a knitting accessory
    merchant site..
    http://www.knitklips.com/toorder.html

  170. I’ve had felting with towels blow up in my face: imagine white towel lint in dark green mittens FOREVER!!!
    Also I will NEVER buy a front loader. Or a top loader with a glass top! who thinks up this stuff?

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