The Knitting Fiend

I love these slippers. They are double thickness, easy to knit, and quick (if you seam as you go.) They come off the knitting machine with no handwork left to do. They are great!

I’ve had the pattern programmed into a generator for a long time. The only thing was, I wanted really thick slippers. Really thick. So, having felted a purse, I thought why not make felted slippers?

Monday, I resolved to make a pair and felt them. It worked perfectly! You should give it a try. If you are going to felt a pair here are three pieces of advice:

1. Felt your swatch and use that gauge when running the generator.
2. Pick two shoe sizes bigger than your feet. Felt doesn’t stretch as much as knitting, so you don’t want them as snug as I advised for unfeltedslippers
3. Don’t worry that they are way too big before you felt them. Look to the right. That’s how mine fit.

Make them. You’ll love them.

The felted purse generator is now officially on line!

The purse is a good project to work if you want to learn how to felt, how to work short rows, and how to run a generator. Unfortunately, you will need to consult a manual or a “how to knit” reference, to learn how to actually do the short rows. But, if you need pointers, ask. If zillions of people ask, I’ll take pictures next time I make a purse, and show you exactly how to work short rows on a knitting machine.

I’m working on the generator for the purse I blogged about yesterday. If you are adventurous, and tolerate mistakes and typos, you can see the current version of the generator at the Purse page.

This generator is organized for machine knitting, but hand knitters are welcome to knit it. Ask a couple of questions, and I can give you tips for how to knit it. (It’s not difficult, but you will need to work short rows.)

If you do scan the directions, and try to ‘air knit’ the purse, or even really knit it, let me know if you think they are clear or confusing. Posting in comments is the best way. That way, people can read the discussion here, which tends to help everyone.

Or, if you notice a difficulty, let me know if any important information is left out. (Do MKers need to be reminded to hang weights when knitting short rows? I can never decides what’s too much information, what’s too little!)