Phentex Slippers

[lacrown1]

I just found the pattern for Phentex Slippers. It brings back memories from my childhood that are priceless. I so vividly remember waiting for my next new pair of slippers made by my Memere. She had tons of them and would lay out many pair for us to choose from. I so miss them and would love to surprise my siblings with a pair from years past this year. I printed the pattern but feel it is a little vague as I am a novice. Do the puffy ripples happen as a process of the knitting and what does it mean when it says sew 1 stripe inside on both sides of the slippers to make extra gore? Please help as they are all going to be here at Thanksgiving and we are doing our Christmas celebration while we are all together. Thanks so much for any tips you may have.

[MerigoldinWA]

Do you have a way for us to look at the pattern in question?

I went looking for Phentex Slippers and found this picture and there is a link to a pattern for these on the page with the picture. Is this the type of slipper you want? LINK

I don't see anything about an extra gore on this pattern. The ruffling or gathers at the toe are made by running a thread through the toe stitches and pulling it up tight to ruffle them.

[salmonmac]

Here's a pattern that mentions a gore. I made these slippers when I was a kid and sewing them up seemed quite straightforward, similar to these directions.
I love the idea of making these slippers for your siblings. What fun!

[SDK]

For clarification: what does "gore" refer to in this context? I can't seem to find a site that doesn't assume the reader already knows.

[knitpkr11]

Re:Phentex Slippers

The "gore" is usually a triangular shape inserted into patterns, like above a thumb in a mitten, but in the ptn for the slippers, they must have meant the somewhat triangular shape (lengthwise) formed when pulling the yarn tighter.

The Phentex slipper pattern didn't actually state "how" the puffy ridge was formed while knitting, clearly, if at all.

The ptn at woolworks is an old ptn, and it is closer than the Phentex ptn. (It didn't TELL how to actually "achieve" the formed ridges clearly, or much at all.)

The whole trick is to pull the yarn tighter, when knitting, when changing colors. "That" forces the knitting to pull together, THUS forming the ridge!

I'm a licensed instructor for knit & crochet (have done both for 54 yrs, since I was 7) and I have an old pattern like the Phentex slippers but I reformated, rewrote it totally and renamed it "Wrong Way Slippers" many years ago, when my adult children were babies. I named it "Wrong Way" because you PULL the threads tighter than you're supposed to, (thus being wrong) to "produce" the ridged "puffs".

Plus, I haven't seen ANY ptn for these slippers say to make them NON slip for little kids slippers on slippery wooden or any hard floor.

I use "Puffy" paint sold at craft stores. (Used for fabric painting T-shirts, etc.) I squiggle a line on bottoms of the completed slippers, allow to dry, then hold a med to hot iron CLOSE but NOT touching the bottoms of the slippers to "PUFF" the paint. (It automatically puffs up once heat is near) It poofs the paint out in a rubbery dimensional form. It makes a non slip bottom on the slippers, that lasts for many washings, for kids AND adults. Knit or crocheted slippers on wood floors are very dangerous!

PS I have seen tea cozy's made from this stitch technique, and also "Corn on the cob" pan handle covers! (It makes perfect rows of corn!) You have to either use "2" colors of yarn to keep pulling the "other" strand too much when you change colors, or two strands of the "same" color, to achieve the "ridges"...)

I hope this helps, I joined to answer the questions!!!! You can email me for more info. I hope I did the reply right! I'll look for my pattern to send you all if you want too.

Sleepless in Seattle, Tambo Knitpkr (Knit Picker)

[GrumpyGramma]

Hi, Sleepless. Welcome. I hope you stick around and we see more of you. I'd love to have that pattern. I'm going to try out the Checkerboard Slippers that were linked to above.