Whether summer or winter, after a long day at work or relaxing on the living room sofa: slippers are year-round everyday companions.
The slippers don’t always have to be bought – you can easily make them yourself. But which materials do you need if you want to knit felt shoes yourself ? Which knitting pattern is suitable? And what exactly is a set of double-pointed needles?
You’ll learn this and much more in our guide for homemade slippers!
Knitting felt shoes: Which materials?
Once you’ve worn cozy felt slippers , you won’t want to be without them.
They are not only very comfortable but also keep your feet pleasantly warm. You don’t have to be a pro to knit felt shoes. Even as an absolute knitting beginner you can soon enjoy your homemade slippers.
Before you start knitting and felting, we’ll tell you which materials you need for knitted felt shoes.
Download a step-by-step guide here
Knitting slippers with virgin wool
For your self-knitted and felted slippers, you need 200g of felting wool with a running length of 50m per 50g ball. In total, you usually need 4 balls of wool to make the felt slippers. For optimal results, we recommend felting wool made from 100% virgin wool (i.e., without synthetic fibers). Besides sheep wool, merino, mohair, or alpaca wool are also worthwhile for an even softer feel.
Virgin wool is a natural material obtained exclusively from living animals.
It is therefore particularly sustainable. Unlike other materials, it is worthwhile
Virgin wool also because of its many positive properties.
Wool is therefore:
✓ biodegradable, because after disposal it decomposes within a few
Years completely on their own.
✓ odor-inhibiting because it does not provide a breeding ground for bacteria and fungi. It does absorb moisture but transports it back to the surface for evaporation. This prevents odor formation caused by, for example, sweat.
✓ temperature-regulating, as it reacts to the respective body temperature. Thus, wool fibers feel pleasantly cooling on hot summer days. In freezing winter cold, wool keeps you comfortably warm.
✓dirt-repellent, because their outer natural protective layer reduces the absorption of dirt. Also, unlike other materials, dust and lint are less attracted.
Knitting felt slippers with knitting needles & double-pointed needle set
Knitting felt slippers means that you – besides the right yarn – of course also need the right knitting needles. Additionally, a darning needle is important.
You should definitely have the following needles ready if you want to knit slippers
want to knit yourself.
- 1 circular knitting needle (size: 8-10mm)
- 1 double-pointed needle set (size: 8mm)
- 1 blunt darning needle for sewing in the working yarn ends
To explain: a double-pointed needle set usually consists of 5 knitting needles. The stitches are divided onto 4 needles and the round is closed with the 5th needle. For better clarity, the needles in knitting instructions are numbered 1-5. In the picture, you can see where the individual knitting needles are located.
Knitted felt slippers: liquid latex and decoration
After you have knitted and felted your slippers, they are basically finished. For the final touch, you can also make them slip-resistant and decorate them nicely. For an anti-slip sole, you need liquid latex or latex milk. Depending on the decoration, you can get various accessories such as beads, glitter stones, buttons, or sequins.
Knitting felt slippers: instructions in 8 steps
Once you have gathered all the materials, you can start knitting and felting the slippers. We will now explain how to proceed: in 8 simple steps
1. Cast on stitches
If you are knitting for the first time, you will probably wonder how to even start. At the very beginning, so-called cast-on stitches must be made. Stitches are loops created by linking the yarn and resting on the knitting needle. The formation of stitches is called casting on in knitting. Every knitted piece consists of a certain number of stitches.
| The rule is: The individual stitches are arranged side by side on the knitting needle. Together they form rows. These rows can also be knitted with a double-pointed needle set: then it is no longer called rows, but rather rounds the speech. The double-pointed needle set is designed so that knitting is done in the round. When knitting in rounds, the number of stitches is gradually decreased until the desired length is reached – this creates the toe for example, with hand-knitted shoes, socks, and hats. |
To know the number of stitches, rows, and rounds for hand-knitted felt slippers, you first need to select shoe size. You don’t have to do complicated calculations for this – with the following size chart you have all values at a glance.
| Shoe size | 24/25 | 26/27 | 28/29 | 30/31 | 32/33 | 34/35 | 36/37 | 38/39 | 40/41 | 42/43 | 44/45 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cast on stitches | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 38 |
| number of rows | 21 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 28 | 31 | 33 | 35 | 37 | 39 |
| number of stitches rounds | 24 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 38 | 40 |
| number of rounds until the start of the toe | 19 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 31 | 32 |
| The knitted part will probably seem very large to you. However, the slippers lose approx. 30-40% your size. |
Every knitting project starts with casting on stitches. Whether you have never knitted before or your last knitting attempts were a long time ago: With this short instructions You will definitely succeed in casting on stitches.
-
Step 1: Take the working yarn and place it in front of your little finger
.
Now guide the yarn along the back of your hand – over your ring, middle, and index fingers. When you reach the index finger, bring the yarn to the front.
- Step 2: Now wrap the yarn clockwise once around your thumb.
- Step 3: Hold the yarn firmly with your middle, ring, and little fingers.
- Step 4: Take a knitting needle to cast on stitches. Pull the yarn from your index finger and draw it through the thumb loop.
- Step 5: Let the loop slip off your thumb and tighten it on the needle. Now you have made your first stitch.
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Step 6: As soon as the first stitch is on the needle, pull the yarn again – continue until you have the desired
have reached the number of stitches on the knitting needle.
2. Knitting felt slippers with a knitting pattern
Knit and purl stitches form the basis for every knitting project – including the hand-knitted felt slippers. The great advantage is that the individual stitches are no longer visible after felting .
So a few knitting mistakes can easily slip in. Also, you don’t have to worry much about unusual knitting patterns. The felt slippers can be made with the very well-known knitting pattern stockinette stitch .
To do this, alternate knitting one row of knit stitches and one row of purl stitches. This creates a uniform pattern that does not curl up.
| The rule is: When knitting the right V-shaped stitches, the working yarn is behind the needle. When knitting the left bar-shaped stitches, the yarn is in front of the needle. |
3. Knit rows for felt shoes
Using the circular needle, first knit the desired number of rows with the stockinette stitch pattern. Once you have finished, switch from the circular needle to the four double-pointed needles. To do this, divide the stitches so that there are an equal number of stitches on each of the four needles. For example, if you cast on a total of 32 stitches, there should now be 8 stitches on each needle.
4. Knit felt slippers in closed rounds
Once the stitches are distributed over four needles, you can continue knitting in so-called closed rounds . This means that from now on, you are no longer knitting rows as flat pieces but in a circular shape. The individual needles are already arranged so that the knitting transitions from a flat piece to a round shape at this point.
Now, instead of alternating rows of knit and purl stitches, knit only knit stitches. As you approach the end of the number of rows, it’s time for the toe of the shoe: knit together the first two stitches of each needle in every round.
5. Bind off the last row
Once you have finished knitting the desired rows and rounds, it is time to say goodbye to the knitting needles. To do this, you need to bind off the last row. This means that the stitches are no longer on the knitting needle after completing the last row. They are linked together in such a way that the knitting – without hanging on the needles – will not unravel.
To do this, knit the first two stitches knitwise . Then lift the first stitch over the second stitch. Repeat this process until you reach the end of the row. When you reach the last stitch, cut the yarn – it should still be about 20cm long .
Then lift the stitch off the knitting needle. After that, simply pull the yarn through so that the loop that formed the last stitch disappears. Use a dull darning needle to sew in all the working yarns on the inside. For the heel of the shoe, sew together the stitches of the cast-on row, i.e., the very first row.
6. Felt slippers in the washing machine
After knitting, it’s time to felt the slippers in the washing machine. The knitted fabric felts best when exposed to as much friction as possible. Therefore, add tennis balls or towels to the washing machine. Wash the felt slippers at 40°C with regular detergent. Do not use special wool detergent or fabric softener.
After washing, you can stretch and press your handmade felt slippers until they have the desired shape achieved. It’s best to try the shoes on once to check the shape. For air drying, stuff the shoes best with newspaper out – this way the shoes keep their shape.
| After the first wash, the felt slippers may still be too large or some stitches visible. Simply put the shoes a second time in the washing machine. |
7. Make the sole slip-resistant
To prevent wearing felt slippers from becoming an unpleasant slippery experience, we recommend making the sole slip-resistant. To do this, apply liquid latex or latex milk generously to the sole and let it dry overnight. You can apply multiple layers if needed. Additionally, it’s possible to add dots, lines, and patterns to the wet layer – here you can let your creativity run free!
8. Decorate slippers beautifully
If you want to make your handmade felt slippers even more personal, you can decorate them as you like. For example, you can…
- …crochet or felt a flower and sew it onto the shoes.
- …create a pattern with beads.
- …attach multicolored buttons.
You also don't have to worry about elaborate decorations wearing out quickly. The hand-knit felt slippers are easy to care for. Even if visible stains do appear, you can wash felt – completely hassle-free!
Knitting and felting slippers is worth it!
Slippers don't always have to be bought. With our guide, you now know how to knit felt slippers yourself . If you follow the individual steps, you'll surely soon enjoy your hand-knit felt slippers with a very personal touch!
