Posted in knitting

Friday Finish: Back to Stashbusting

Posted on by Laura Kate

And back to a favorite designer, Kate Davies, of KateDaviesDesign. This pattern for adult booties was included in her recent publication Margery Allingham’s Mysterious Knits, but it was also released individually on Ravelry.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/slippers-bellew

The yarn I am using is from Ewetopia, a Christmas gift from my daughter. Ewetopia is a Wisconsin yarn maker headquartered in Viroqua. The fibers are mysterious, described by the maker simply as “it’s all good.” I used all but half an ounce of the generously sized ball.

Here is a view of the 3-needle bind-off, which closes the foot and circles the ankle.

The heavy-worsted two-ply yarn refused to give me gauge, even when knit with the size 4 needle. Consequently, I cast on 44 stitches instead of the 52 as instructed.

This decision required some minor adjustments as I went along. But I am an acolyte of the Elizabeth Zimmerman school of knitting. She reminds me that I am the boss of my own knitting, and need not be cowed into submission by a designer.

The resulting booties are a perfect fit for my size 6 1/2 feet. I expect to wear them while lounging, but not for any vigorous walking indoors. They slide smoothly across wooden floors. A fun game for the young, but not recommended for those of us with less than perfect bones.

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Author:

One of six children, I was raised by a busy mom, who instilled in me a love of fabric. Though I learned to sew and knit at a young age, it was the arrival of my first grandchild that pushed me into action. A long-time knitter, I am now ready to explore all things fiber.

15 thoughts on “Friday Finish: Back to Stashbusting”

  2. How fun! Because booties like this tend to be slippery on hard floors, I avoid them, but do like them so much. Kate Davies has lovely designs but Elizabeth Zimmermann is the best – been a fan since “Knitting Without Tears” came out ca 1970, as well as the fact my mother taught me to knit long before EZ’s book and with much of EZ’s attitude. Nice work . . . I have some red socks on the needles, and need to get to work on those. 🙂

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      1. I started knitting when I was 12 years old and loved it. Many years later, a German friend showed me how to knit European and I bought EZ book. I could knit faster and it was wonderful. In the first chapter she said if you didn’t like her passion, knitting, do something else. A few years later quilting became my passion. EZ gave me permission to stop knitting and follow my passion. Not that I didn’t still like knitting but quilting and fabric collecting took all my spare time.

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