Zen Slippers

I always have cold feet, even when wearing socks in the house. Needless to say I'm a great fan of slippers of all sorts. Yet I had never made a pair. I came across this free Mary-Jane Slippers pattern on Ravelry. So I dug through my stash and found a yarn I liked and off i went.


Mary Jane is the right name for em I guess

The pattern itself is not hard. I made the two soles first and then it all went wrong. It might have been Monday morning or very late at night when I started to knit the side. I had placed it the wrong way round on the sole. I didn't notice this at all and tried on my slipper. It was alright but I didn't like the fit very well. So I started on the second slipper and noticed I had misunderstood the pattern instructions. Then I noticed a difference and realised that the first one must have been the wrong way round. So I finished the second and ripped the side of the first. Again I started and did the same silly thing. I blame the instructions. It says:

Starting at the center o fthe heel... pick up 42 stitches to the center of the toe...
Pick up 42 stitches down the other side of the center back of the heel and place a marker.

What I did was pick up stitches on the right going up, and then did the same on the left (from down to up), but I should have 'continued on' picking up, so from up to down on the left. So in my case the ends of the needle where up near the toe, the right way would have been the tip op the needles ending up near the heel. The pictures show it correctly, but who wants to look at the pictures the colour of the yarn they used is horrible (and that is mild of me).

Anyway if you do make them: Pick up the side stitches from heel to top, then CONTINUE ON from top to bottom.

Also I might use double strands next time. The result is very good, but they are a bit thin. I would have liked them a bit more chunky, so they give some (a very little is all i'm asking for) support. However they are fab when meditating and they look quite Zakka too. Very Zen, minimalistic and practical but somehow I think them quite beautiful in their simplicity.


They look good underneath jeans...

Project Details

Pattern: Mary-Jane Slippers
Yarn: Jaeger Baby Merino DK, colour 191
Amount: 1.5 skeins, 174 m / 195 yards
Needles: 4mm (us6)

Followed the pattern, except for the i-cord. I didn’t like it so I used a made up crochet stitch.

I’m sure the crochet stitch exsist, but I have no clue what it’s name is. All I do is this:

1st loop on hook. ** yarn over hook ~ yarn through next stitch ~ pull new loop through stitch ~ yarn over, pull through 2 loops ~ yarn over, pull through 2 loops **

See the Zen Slippers on Raverly


Job done!