After only a so-so weekend, I don’t have much progress to report. The sock is halfway up the leg and the shawl is a bit wider and a bit longer. I measured this morning and discovered that each pattern repeat on the shawl increases the width by roughly 4” and the length by about 2.5”. Handy to know going forward :)
I was waylaid Saturday, by the discovery of some little…mules, I guess you’d call them. Slipper-like things with a thin, flexible sole, no back and an enclosed toe made of netting and embroidered with sequin flowers. They were a bit flashy but they were very cute - just the thing for running around onboard ship. They were also 99¢ a pair. They wouldn’t last much longer than the trip but that would be just fine.
The problem was, I kept thinking I could make something like this that might look a little better and be a really fun project to boot. And, I had my father standing there telling me that these didn’t have slip-proof soles (I have no idea how he would know that) and I shouldn’t get them. So I didn’t get them.
So I played with the idea most of yesterday. The upper isn’t really a problem. It could be knit or crocheted with little difficulty and embellished at will. The problem is the sole. How in the world does one knit or crochet a sole that won’t flop around like a limp rag? The only even remotely workable idea I could come up with was to make I-cord (worsted weight cotton, knitting tightly on smallish needles for the yarn size) and then coil it, like an old-fashioned rope-soled sandal, stitching it together as I went along.
Of course I didn’t get anywhere. I can’t seem to dislodge the notion from my brain though - it can’t be that difficult and there’s just something I’m not seeing. I’ve got tons of cotton that would be plenty sturdy enough…..
We have blossoming!
I’ve had this going since just before Thanksgiving and it’s finally getting around to blooming. There is another bud on the opposite side that should open sometime today and there are two more small buds that should be opening next week sometime. This is a nice bright spot in the kitchen and its orangey color (a shade I normally don’t much care for) is very chipper and cheerful :)
Miss Temperamental
When I reached down to pet her, she turned her head toward my hand with her mouth open, ready to bite. She never breaks the skin, but she’ll grab a finger and hold on to it as a sign of her royal displeasure. And then she generally gets a tap on the nose which further pisses her off :) Jade’s don’t-bother-me thermostat is set way too low.
Never the less, the cats and I wish you a good week and hope that your respective weekends were a bit more productive than mine was :)
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Robbyn:
When I read about your sole dilemma, for some reason I remembered these sandals. I don’t know if this would work for you. Just an idea:
http://virtuallydesigned.com/psp/blogimages/thongsandals.pdf
She used fun foam for sturdiness in the sole.
Cheryl.
Cheryl - That’s terrific! I don’t exactly know what “fun foam” is, but assuming the craft shops carry it, I shouldn’t have any trouble finding it. Thanks so much for the link!
Yeah, after 9 years of living Her Royal Highness, I have learned that one does approach her to pet her, one waits for HRH to approach you to be petted. haha! Also, thanks for doing the math for me on those pattern repeats. hee hee. This evening I will reach the part of the pattern where you just knit solid in the center.
Laura - I’m using a size 10 (US) needle so if that’s what your working with, those measurements should be about right.
Good for you - you’re really whizzing right along. I’m pretty much decided that I’m going to skip the solid part and carry on right up to the top edge in the lace pattern.
Plastic canvas. You can use it as a stiffener between two crochet soles, and then put fabric paint on the bottoms to make them non-skid. Or just use the plastic canvas alone on the inside or outside. (Gosh - I can paint pictures with my words, can’t I? ha!)
Somewhere, in some time dimension, I saw a pattern for slippers made like that. Thought I’d throw out the idea. :)
Bron - Thanks for mentioning that. I wouldn’t have thought of it but I can see how it would work! Cool idea :)
If the slippers/mules were only 99 cents, go buy them. You can add something to the bottoms to make them non-slip.
Thanks Charlotte, I’m considering it :)
I know those shoes that you speak of. Everyone was wearing them here last summer.
If you want to make a pair then I have the flowers for you! That’s what I make. Have a look at my site.
It would be really interesting to know how you solve the “sole” problem. Leather an option? I have no idea really!
She looks, and evidently acts, just like my black female kitty, piewacket!
Kym - Thanks, but I would probably make them myself :)
Lucia - Piewacket! Bell, Book and Candle - goodness, I haven’t heard that name in years :) Always loved the sound of it!
