Aren't these slippers absolutely wonderful? (You can find the pattern for them at Purl Bee) I have sworn for the past year that I wanted nothing to do with traditional crochet, but in the past year, I have made mittens, wash rags, baby bibs, etc. The exception is that I have been making them in bright, fun, and contemporary colors! I refuse to go with the old boring and drab colors of the 70s and beyond.
Last night, I was doing a sidewalk sale at a Holiday Parade with my sister. It went very well, by the way, and I think a huge part of that was because we were in our own community. While I was there, I was working on a pair of mittens in bright purple! :) A woman came up to us and asked if she could show us something and we could match it. Now, I have been asked this question before, and what I was being asked to match was knitted. I crocheted some items in a similar form or texture, but this time, I made sure to ask what it was I would be asked to copy.
I don't particularly like to copy things because it takes the "art" right out of my work, but occasionally I run across people like this woman. She told me, "My husband has these god-awful brown and yellow slippers that I think are so ugly. I make fun of him all the time about them, buuut...at the end of the night, I'm always asking to wear them because they are so comfortable."
From there, I asked her what they looked like, a little on the cautious side because I really didn't want to copy something so "god-awful." She went on to say that they looked like they were just squares that were put together. She also said that if I could figure out how to make them, she would be willing to buy a lot of them!
As soon as she said squares, my mind immediately flew to granny squares. From that moment on, I chewed on the thought all night long. I don't know what it is about sales, even the short few hour sales, that makes me so utterly exhausted. Last night was no different, so as eager as I was to get to work on these slippers, I just couldn't.
Instead, I laid on the couch with my husband and watched "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" by Tyler Perry. I just love that movie, so much soul, woman empowerment, and true love of Jesus. You wouldn't think they go together, but you just watch for yourself.
Anyway, after the movie finished, I Google searched "Granny Square Slippers," and after a few failed attempts, I managed to find the beauties you see above. I so wish I could say those were my own, and not because mine didn't turn out. Just because I love the coloration of them as well as the texture. It turns out, though, that it would cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $45 to make one pair of slippers. Seeing as how my husband and I are both jobless, I will be sticking to Red Heart Super Saver acrylic yarn for now, which I can buy at Wal-Mart for $2 per 7oz skein. HA!
I ended up staying awake until 2am to finish my first granny square slipper. They say you can make a pair of slippers in about two hours, but that is only if you have had your practice. I was unwilling to put them down until I knew that I had conquered them. And conquer them, I did. Check out my rendition!
Yes, they are in more traditional colors, but that is all that I had on hand. I love them, but I will love them even more when I cam make some pink, orange and green ones!
By the end of the night, I was very pleased with my slipper. However, when I tried it on, it was about 2" to big for me. I was so sad, so I had my husband try them on. Of course, had they been about an inch bigger, they would have fit his American size 15 wide!! That was frustrating, but the moral of the story is to always, ALWAYS check your gauge, especially if you are me and know, without a doubt, that your stitches are always loose.
