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About Me
Hi! I'm Melissa. I'm a twenty-something at-home mom with four boys seven and under. I'm LDS, I homeschool, and I knit, crochet, sew, cook, draw, write, and generally hold down the fort while my husband pursues dreams filled with motorcycles. We're either genuinely insane or the sanest people you'll ever meet. Stick around and find out which it is!
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Sometimes all you want is something soft and warm and simple to get the job done.
Hmm, I guess this proves it – I really am that pale! Anyway, I made these slippers as one of Greg’s Christmas presents, so obviously I couldn’t show you before. 
They may not look like much, but these are very special slippers. They were rigorously designed in compliance with previously determined husband-preference specifications. Please note that the slippers are 1) black, 2) plain, and 3) big. You’ll have to take my word for it that they are cozy, warm, and absolutely not itchy at all. You may also notice that they’ve been knit with a princess foot for maximum comfort. (That’s right, honey. I made you princess slippers.) And you know what? The directions are so easy I’ll lay them out right here.
Simple Man Slippers
Materials:
- Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick – 2 balls
- 1 pair US 13/9mm straight knitting needles
- One big yarn needle
Gauge: (Edit: HAH! I found it! I knew I wrote it down. ) I swear I measured this before I shipped them off, but it’s lost…the amount you cast on should be enough to go around the ball of his foot with a little wiggle room. 7 sts x 12 rows = 4″ in stockinette
Finished Size: Made for size 11.5 man feet (Edit: 11 1/2″ from toe to heel)
Directions (make 2):
Holding yarn double, CO 20.
Row 1: k5, p10, k5
Row 2: p5, k10, p5
Repeat rows 1 and 2 until 32 rows have been done.
k2tog across, cut yarn leaving a long tail of yarn. Weave tail through last 10 sts, pull tight. Fold slipper in half (like a giant, black hot dog bun – make sure the stockinette sole is inside!) and sew top of foot closed four or five inches. Sew back edge closed. Weave in all ends. Enjoy!
Ideas for modifying size: Basically, these slippers are a rectangle of knitting with decreases in the last row to make the toe fit better. If they are too big around, cast on fewer stitches, making sure that the stockinette portion for the foot roughly matches your foot in width. If they are too long, work fewer rows (until slippers are just barely shy of your foot length) and perform the decreases. (These tips should help increase the size, as well.)
Hope this helps!
Please share this post!
Zippy Little Slippers
Simplicity
A blast from the past
REal men wear princess seams and don’t mind
Those look very cozy!
I agree; real men don’t mind and will wear them millions of times!
These are wonderful!! thanks so much and can these be made smaller for MY foot a size 9 womens??? and my hubby also has littler feet (size 8 mens!) (well you know what they say!!) but anyway would love any suggestions to do that! thanks so much!! hugs Linda
LOVE these!! Thanks so much for sharing your design.
Happy 2009!!!
These look great for my hubby’s upcoming bday…he has lost his favorite pair. Thanks for the very simple pattern (after all, they’re going to be full of dog fur and who-knows-what after one wearing!)
Any idea how to reduce the size–say down to a size 9?
Pretty much same as above. Any suggestions would be appreciated. They look cozy!
you say cast on double for 21 stitches. does that mean I will have 21 on after casting on due to the slip not since i am using the long tail cast on? I tried it like this by slipping the first stitch when i begin my rows. Something doesn’t seem right. Sorry, I am a beginner.
nevermind, i figured it out. this is sooo easy. thanks!
This looks like a great pattern. Thank you!
Ha ha, princess slippers. Love it. They look very cozy.
This pattern is great. I have a question about the last part though. Do you bind off at the end before weaving the end through? I’m not sure how to properly end it. Is it simply binding off and weaving through (as a rectangle) before folding, or am I missing something? Thanks so much
i LOVE these!!!! just made a pair for dad for father’s day . . . used the wool & everything . . . he LOVEs ‘em . . . wants another pair when it’s actually cold (i’m writing from iowa . . . our heat index is over 100 . . . he still loved ‘em) . . . as a note . . . had PLENty of yarn left over . . . i knit a little tight . . . needed to do 38 rows . . . when i make my pair . . . will be able to do the 32 . . . THANK YOU THANK YOU THAAAAAAAAAAANK YOU!!!!! absolutely LOVE’d the ease of the pattern and how well they turned out . . . LOVE’d the toe . . . that absolutely rocked . . . thank you again . . . dad really appreciated that you designed them to ‘rigorously designed in compliance with previously determined husband-preference specifications’ . . . i’m 48 . . . he’s 72 . . . glad we’re both still around & very pleased and appreciative for the help in supplying an amazing awesome pattern . . . i’ve been looking for a good slipper pattern for about 20 years . . . ever since he wore out the pair HIS mom had given him that somebody’d made for her to give to him . . . life’s a funny thing . . . thank you
Wonderful! I have been looking for a 1) plain, 2) big, 3) neutral colour (ok, not black, maybe as bold as a dark wine?) pattern for men’s slippers for ever. you see, i am trying to put myself into my babushia’s role (goddess bless her soul) in my family’s foot wear needs. it has been very difficult to find a LARGE men’s slipper that a LARGE MAN will wear. thank you so much
chris~tea
p.s. you are not all that pale, worry not:)
I’m also wondering about finishing the toe part…I tried binding off but the end result ended up being kind of…pointy? Am I finishing it wrong? Help!
Hi Just wanted to know how to make about a size 10
and thank you for the directions my grandson wants a pair because his feet are always cold.
Finishing the heel is a problem. What is the best way to do it>\?
Wow! What a fast knit. Talk about instant gratification for the winter!
Whatndoes holdin g yarn double mean guys?
Holding the yarn double means holding two strands of yarn together and using it like one. You get yarn that’s twice as thick!
hi! quick question about your pattern – i noticed that you mentioned that this pattern includes decreases in the last row, but unless i misunderstand what you’ve written, i’m not seeing where the decreases happen.
you do say “Repeat rows 1 and 2 until 32 rows have been done. k2tog across, cut yarn leaving a long tail of yarn,” but it’s not clear to me where the k2tog happens? please help!
Hi, Stacy! You knit together each pair of stitches across, so that in that row you go from 20 stitches to just 10. Hope that helps!
weave tail through last 10 sts.. just means leave them on the needle and using a darning needle, run the tail through them so the wool holds the stitchs in place. Then slip them all off the needle and pull the tail tight, it gathers up the stitches and pulls them into a tight circle making the end rounded to cap the toes of the foot.
no casting off at all.
gonna make these for a friend when I find the wool to do it with. thanks heaps for the pattern
I need to make slippers for my son on law. He’s 6’11 and wears a size 14 extra wide shoe. So yep a BIG guy. Because I want these to be a surprise, could help me with some of the modifications to make mondo size slippers? Thanks SO much!
Im having the same issue, knitting a pair for my boyfriend for christmas and he also has large feet..modification? Thanks
The width of the slipper (in the pattern, 20 stitches) should be about equal to the circumference of his foot around the arch. The length of the slipper should be equal to the length of his foot + 1/2″. Looking up shoe sizes should give you some information about the length if you don’t want to measure while they’re sleeping.
I just made these for my husband. And he loves them. In his words “perfect pattern”. THANKS!
What a wonderful and simple pattern – I will be making these for my sis I’m sure. Already begun. I also posted it on my Pinterest board for Christmas gifts (http://pinterest.com/eddieduckling/making-christmas-gifts-2011/) – hope that’s OK?
Take care,
Eddie
Eddie recently posted..Baking with my sis
I found the wool and made them.. and we wore holes in them in a couple weeks. Lion brand wool ease is really nice wool.. to make blankets with. Not so good to make anything that will have a lot of wear and tear on it like slippers. Try some other bulky wool that can take a beating with your feet cause they are really nice slippers to wear around. I wear mine most of the day and they had holes in a couple weeks. my daughter doesn’t wear them nearly half as much and hers had holes in a couple months.
I do love the pattern. easy and though it looks funny very very comfy.
Hello, great one:
This pattern is so very nice and simple…its great!
I have been knitting (self-taught) for a while now and it seems the more one knits, the easier knitting becomes. I have made men’s slippers, women’s (galore) babies (galore) slippers and I have learned to juggle and improvise. With the ‘fitting’ of the slippers and having them looking ‘good on’ what is needed would be to decrease the amount of rows from left and right side so that they can be a comfortably-fitted slipper. The inside of the slipper–preferably-should be done in a flat knit, so that it can be soft and nice on the feet. I sometime double my wool for the soul so that it can feel nice and soft on the feet. Hope this works well for those who are not sure or whose slippers do not look good. Blessings to all the knitters and those practicing to become knitters….it will not happen over-night…but Ladies, Gentlemen, Boys and girls as long as you like something, and you are determined to learn….EACH DAY you WILL BE BETTER AND LIKE IT EVEN MORE! I AM NOW 76YEARS OLD AND EACH DAY I TRY SOMETHING NEW AND MARVEL AT THE OUTCOME…..YOU CAN DO IT TOO!
I am trying to figure out how many to cast on for a man’s size 9-10. Can anyone tell me what you casted on. I am not good at the math part of knitting.
I made these for my husband, and he loves them! Now my son wants a pair! Thanks for the pattern!
Love your blog. Do you have a facebook acct. so I can follow you there?
I’m trying to view the pattern on my iPhone and for some reason the text isn’t showing up. I can see the picture, but no pattern! Could you possibly make the site more mobile-friendly? I want to make these for my boyfriend but my laptop died. Thanks!