Saturday, February 26, 2011

One pair of Easy House Slipper made

Okay… here are pics of my second pair of the Norwegian Easy House Slipper!

Materials used:
DPNs one size 7, and one size 8 – alternating for each row.

Yarn: Cascade 220 Heather; felts nicely. Colours: Dark hunter green; dark purple; dark burnt orange.
This is a size 9 before felting – made with Cascade 220 Heather. The finished felted slipper is about 9+” long. Before felting, it’s over 13” long. The partner to this one has been felted, but this one won’t be because I want to show to the class what it will look like just before felting.

The colours are deep earth tones – the pictures don’t do them justice… they look so beautifully rich up close and personal. The colour sequence will be different on its partner. I’m reversing where the dark burnt orange and the purple colours are.


This pattern is truly easy… the folding/seaming might seem a bit daunting, but once you get over it it’s not a struggle at all. Check out the YouTube video for folding the Easy House Slipper.

FELTED: The slipper was washed 2x in a frontloader washer; hot/cold setting; heavy duty cycle; with 3 pairs of rugged old jeans to help with the agitation. I’m going to wait until I finish its partner before I throw them into the driver to shrink more.

Now, in the pictures below, the length of the slipper is: heel tip to toe tip – 9” (exactly the size in the pattern.. oh, btw, the sizes noted in the pattern are actually lengths in inches and not shoe sizes).


INSIDE OUT: The slipper inside-out. If worn inside-out, it would still look cool!

The seaming was done with a crochet hook and the dark hunter green yarn, slipped sts. But now that I’ve learned how to do the mattress stitch – next time I make a pair, I will join that way instead of with a crochet hook, or needle as shown in the joining video on YouTube.


The slippers I’m working on right now are specifically for the workshop at the YarnBasket – to have as samples for the class.

UK9 or US9? Which needle size is it?

I have not been able to meet the gauge with a size 9 needle when using the Berrocco yarn (I’ve not used this yarn before to make this pattern. I’m wondering if the needle size suggested in the pattern is a UK needle size and not a US needle size.

In the comparison chart (previous post), notice the gauge for each yarn. There is no way you can achieve a gauge of 22sts = 4” on a size 9 US needle – BUT it can be achieved on a US 5 needle which is a UK 9 needle. The PT2 yarn’s gauge IS 22sts=4” on size 3mm or 4mm – how then can this same gauge with a similar yarn (for instance the Berrocco Ultra Light Alpaca is closest to PT2’s gauge) be achieved on a size US 9? Not! But it is on a US 5. (Please note: I also corrected the weight for the Cascade 220-Heather – that is an Aran Weight and not a Worsted Weight.)

The weave of the pics on the pattern site is not loose, as it would be if done with DK yarn on a size US9 needle. I cannot post those pics because of copyright protection, so you'll have to go to the Easy House Slipper pattern website to view the pics within the pattern.

If you will check out this needle gauge size comparison chart with the sizes in question, you'll see what I mean. The section of the needle gauge size comparison chart would resemble something like this:

Contemporary     Contemporary                      European Metric Range           
U.S. Size            U.K./U.S. Metric Range         Metric Range                           U.K
        5                         3.75 mm                                  3.75 mm                       9
        9                         5.5 mm                                    5.5 mm                        5

Would love your feedback!

Easy House Slipper - How to do the *nicer edge*

Okay – here’s the way you do the ‘nicer edge’ as noted in the Easy House Slipper pattern.

I’ll continue to post as I progress along with this pattern. I’m slated to teach how to make this pattern at the YarnBasket in Branford CT – my first time teaching a pattern, and I want to make sure I work out all the kinks.

Here are pics to show this ‘nicer’ edge that she doesn’t give clear directions on how to do, other than mentioning as a tip: “Always lift off the first stitch; it leaves a nicer edge.” I had to do this on the WRENNA pattern, so I know what she was referring to by looking at her picture.


Because I’m using one size 7 and one size 8 needle to do this pattern, you will notice the edge to look a bit looser – but since felting is very forgiving, I’m not gonna stress over this!


Here’s how to create this ‘nicer’ edge. In the pic on the left, the needle is positioned to slip the sts as if to purl. Notice the location of the working yarn, it’s in ‘front’ of the work, as if to purl. In the pic on the right, I’ve slipped the sts off of the needle as if to purl, the working yarn remains in front.


The pic on the left, shows the working yarn moved to the back so I can then begin to knit the next sts. The pic on the right, shows the beginning of the continuation of working the square in garter – knitting the next sts after slipping the first sts as if to purl. The next pic is just the follow through with that second sts ‘knitted’.



This pic shows the ‘nicer edge’ created by slipping the first sts as if to purl WITH THE WORKING YARN IN FRONT as if to actually purl that sts. Notice the edging… this actually sets it up to be able to pick up 20 sts on the edge of the 6th square to make the “L” shape to the way the squares are joined and laid out. It also helps when the squares are joined in the folding process to shape them into a slipper.


These two pics show the size square I finally got to be able to have the length of the square be close to the width of the square, so when I have to pick up the 20 sts on the edge of the 6th square – it would be close to the width of the square… this is why, for me, I am using one size 7 needle and one size 8 needle to meet the gauge of 5.5 sts to the inch. The gauge called for in the pattern is 5.5 sts (22 sts = 4 ins) on a size NINE needle. With the yarn I’m using that wasn’t achievable with a CO of 20 sts for the size 9 that I’m making. And the yarn used in the pattern is a Norwegian yarn (PT2) which I’m told is a DK weight AND just slightly thicker than sock yarn. Couldn’t find it, so I’m getting that gauge with the needles/yarn I’m using. This yarn is Cascade 220 Heather.


And here is what my dining room table looks like … I need to get out of my work/study when I’m ‘stuck’ with a pattern’s direction… I need LOTS of physical space around me.


Yarn comparisons of both yarns I’ll use in comparison to the PT2:

Cascade 220 Heather, made in Peru
*Aran* Weight: 100 g/3.5 oz
Yardage: 220 yds/200 meters
Gauge: 18-20 sts = 4” (10 cm)
Needle size: #7-8 US (4.5-5.0 mm)
Fiber: 100% Peruvian Highland Wool

Berrocco Ultra Alpaca – Light, made in Peru
DK Weight: 50 g/ 1.75 oz
Yardage: 144 yds/133 m
Gauge: 23 sts = 4” (10 cm)
Needle size: #5 US (3.75 mm)
Fiber: 50% Super fine Alpaca; 50% Peruvian Wool

PT2 yarn by Per Tryving, Norway
DK Weight: 11 wpi
Yardage: 180 yds/165 m
Gauge: 22.0 sts = 4” (10 cm)
Needle size: #3 mm-4 mm
Fiber: 100% Wool

I’ve also used Calaway yarn – WW. As long as I get the gauge, I use the yarn. But for these slippers I’m making now, I intentionally am using the yarn that is sold at the Yarn Basket (where I’ll be teaching the ‘how to’ for this pattern)… that way there is no ‘but I want to use the yarn you used…’ and they can’t get it there.  Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride WW is good too.

Just remember to get the gauge!
Swatch-Swatch-Swatch!