I made a felted slipper!

Sort of like Cinderella, only not glass and not fallen off, just not made yet… It seemed sensible to felt the first one before possibly wasting yarn making another the same if it didn’t work 🙂

I did test samples of just the toe, which made cute little pots:

Trial before felting.

And after.

 

I love that one 🙂 And I showed the other one a few days ago, which is the colour I have made my slipper. It seems totally ridiculous before felting!

Gigantoslipper!

It was like a boat!

With some trepidation I ran it through the wash at 60 with sheet and towel type washing. I ran the eco-cotton programme, which after thinking about it, told me it would be 2.03 hours and then proceeded to take far more than that I’m sure. Maybe it just felt like it, but I’m pretty sure it kept saying just a little bit longer!

So when it finally beeped I rushed to see what I had! It was hiding lurking in a corner of the duvet cover, but husband managed to chase it out 🙂 It seemd a poor little wrinkled fuzzy thing, but when it was pulled a bit into shape it seemd quite foot shaped! In fact, it was ever so slightly too short!!! Although also slightly too wide. But I poked the toe a lot with a blunt pointy thing and managed to get my foot in it fairly comfortable.

I trimmed a little off the opening, which helped a bit.

I tied it on so it would dry in the shape of my foot.

I probably didn’t need to tie it on, but it seemed like a good idea at the time…

This is how it looks standing on its own:

Slipper!

Now I just need to make another one, almost the same but a smidgy bit longer and narrower…

It’s pretty comfortable. I’m hoping being natural fibres my feet will sweat less than in my current cheap rubbishy slippers whose soles got flattened in about 3 minutes 😦 so also the felted soles will be better cushioning. Although for really good cushioning I need to use the really thick yarn. I tried making an insole, but it came out a little too small! Insoles are not great if your foot kind of spills over the edge…

The crochet stitches are totally invisible, so this would do for re-enactment, as long as nobody objects to the variegated yarn. I may do another pair in a colour I am more confident about. Felted boots were apparently worn by the Russians as outer footwear for centuries, so I can get away with it if I don’t mind them getting soggy and muddy… (And I might try making some of those boots…)

It has been a fun project! I hope I don’t get bored and run out of steam before the second slipper is done… 😀