Crochet

Found this very pretty hat pattern yesterday and crocheted it today. Very easy, super cute!

Bag-O-Day Spring/Fall hat  Step by step instructions. Chrystal is easy to understand and follow along with. I've made several of her projects and love every one of them!

How to Crochet Slippers with Flip Flop Soles

Cotton yarn and a flip flop sole make this free crochet slippers (house shoes) pattern perfect for summer.

I’m so excited to share this pattern. I hope you love making crocheted slippers with a legit, flip flop sole as much as I did. When I originally stumbled across these crocheted boots made by Croche Da Alessandra, the idea for some flip-flop-based summer slippers wedged in my brain and refused to shake loose until I just made the things.

These crocheted slippers let in a lovely breeze with each step, thanks to the slightly open weave and cotton yarn.

The flip flop (or “thong” if you live in certain parts of the world) sole makes these a little more substantial than regular crocheted slippers and perfectly grippy to scoot around your house.

Honestly, I think this pattern would even work to make crocheted shoes to wear outside (don’t they look a bit like Toms?), but they’ll likely break down faster once they’re exposed to the rough and tumble streets.

NOTES — READ FIRST

• This isn’t an exact science! Unlike other patterns, these slippers have a lot of variables, most significant of which is the size of flip flops you use and the number of holes you poke. I’m providing general guidelines and some troubleshooting tips to help keep the process fun 🙂

• You might want to size down when buying your flip flops. Since your foot won’t be held in by the flip flop strap, your normal size of flip flops might feel a bit roomy as crocheted slippers.

• The slippers pictured are about a women’s size 9. I poked 69 holes in the sole of each flip flop for this size. To make slippers with bigger or smaller flip flops, just adjust the number of holes, poking them about every ¼ inch. The slipper top pattern should fit most women’s sizes. If you’re making a significantly bigger or smaller size though, you could work fewer or more rows of the slipper top pattern and even add a row or two to the sides/heel section to make it taller.

• I used a sharp tool meant for clay to poke my holes. A skewer, small drill bit or something similar could work too.

• Find $1 flip flops on Amazon or at Walmart. I’ve tried Dollar Tree’s $1 flip flops and the rubber is a bit too flimsy for this.

• Similar to some ballet flats, your slippers should curl in a bit. That’s what gets them to shape to your feet without a lot of increasing or decreasing. If you’re finding that the crocheted sides/heel/toe isn’t tapering in, it might be because you have more holes in the flip flop than are necessary (and therefore more stitches total). In this case, use a smaller hook or do a few sc-decreases on row 3 or 4 near the toe and heel to decrease the number of total stitches.

•The reason the pattern calls for a smaller hook for the first row is simply because it’s hard to fit the larger hook into the sole without stretching the holes out too much.

• B /2.5 mm hook
• G /4.25 mm hook
• Approximately 120 yards worsted weight cotton 
• one pair of flip flops (One size smaller than you wear normally. See note above.)
• scissors
• 2 stitch markers
• sharp tool to poke holes in the flip flops

ABBREVIATIONS – US TERMS

ch – chain
hdc – half double crochet
sk st – skip
sl st – slip stitch
sc – single crochet

Using your sharp instrument, poke holes every 1/4 – 1/3 inch around each flip flop sole. You want the hole to go at an angle from about the middle of the way down the sole to about a ¼” into the top of the sole. It’s important to make your holes far enough from the edge that the yarn won’t rip through the rubber when you create your first row of crochet.

SLIPPER SIDES AND HEEL

Using smaller hook, attach yarn at the back of the heel by inserting your hook from the top of the flip flop toward the bottom of the sole, grabbing the yarn and pulling through to the top. Ch 1 through the loop you’ve created to attach the yarn to the flip flop.

Row 1: Using smaller hook, sc into each hole around entire sole.

Rows 2-9: With larger hook, cont in sc around the sole. (Crochet in the round. You don’t need to sl st and ch 1 at the end of each row.)

Place two stitch markers in the middle of the sole. This is where the back heel “lip” of your slipper will taper off to. Do not turn work, continue with the rest of row 9.

Row 9 cont: sc in each sc to 1 stitch before first marker, sl st in last sc, turn.

Row 10: ch 1, sk first sc, sl st in second sc, sc in each sc until 1 stitch before marker (on the other side now) sl st in last sc, turn.

Row 11: ch 1, sk first sl st from previous round, sl st in next sc, cont sc in each sc until 3 stitches before marker sl st, turn.

Row 12: ch 1, sk first sl st from previous round, sl st in next sc, cont sc in each sc until 3 stitches before marker sl st, turn.

Row 13: ch 1, sk first sl st from previous round, sl st in next sc, cont around entire slipper in sc, past where this row started, until you reach the back of the heel where you originally tied on, sl st 1. Fasten off.

SLIPPER TOP

Cluster = 3 hdc in one stitch

Find the approximate midpoint of the front of the slipper. Place stitch markers 10 stitches apart at the toe.

Row 1: (*See note below for help.) With the toe facing toward you, attach the yarn at the right marker. sl st into next sc (left of the marker), ch 2, sl st back into sc where right marker is, 2 hdc in same sc you began in (cluster made),  sk 2 sc, 3 hdc in next sc, sk 2 sc, 3 hdc, sk 1 sc, sl st into marked sc, sl st in next sc (up the left edge of the slipper), turn.

*How to start the toe in plain English: Essentially, you’re attaching the yarn in the same stitch the marker is in. Then slip stitching into the stitch that is to the left of the right marked stitch and then chaining 2. You’ll attach those chained stitches with a slip stitch back into the same right side marked stitch you began in. 

Row 2-4: 3 hdc in third stitch from hook, sk 2, 3 hdc in next hdc, sk 2, 3 hdc in next hdc, join to edge of slipper with a sl st in the 2nd stitch above where the previous row attached, sl st in next sc up edge of slipper, turn.

Row 5: 3 hdc in third stitch from hook, sk 2, 3 hdc in next hdc, sk 2, 3 hdc in next hdc, join to edge of slipper with a sl st in the 2nd stitch above where the previous row attached.

Row 6: cont in sc around entire slipper until you return to where you began this row, fasten off.

Repeat pattern with second rubber sole.

Weave in ends. Tap your toes together, smile and run around your house like I did because you just made your own crocheted house slippers!