I designed these knitted adult bootie slippers to be as easy to knit as possible. They are knit flat with no extra needles or special techniques required. If you know how to cast on, purl, knit and cast off you will be more than capable of finishing these for yourself or someone else! If you’re not sure or need a little practice, clicking on any of the links above will show you how with a how-to knitting video demonstrating the technique 😉 And if you’re looking for an ad free pattern you can download to your computer, tablet or phone you can get that here – How to Knit Ribbed Adult Booties or my Etsy shop for a small fee.
The pattern is written to fit feet from a ladies size 6 – 12 and a man’s 5 – 12. I’m still on the fence as whether to design these to fit children. The sizing involves a lot of math and knitting sample sizes and I’m really not too excited about taking on either of those tasks. Let me know if you want it for kids. If there’s enough of you out there, I’ll do it.
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Things You Need
Click any link below to get everything you need to make these slippers mailed right to your door.
Size 8 US (5 mm) knitting needles (or whatever size you need to get the correct gauge.)
Darning Needle to sew in ends
Yarn – any standard ball of 200+ yards (220 m) of worsted weight yarn will do.
Gauge in stockinette (Be sure to check to obtain correct sizing!)
18 sts = 4 inches
26 rows = 4 inches
Sizes are written for women’s size 6-7 (8-9, 10-11, 12)
and for a men’s 5-6 (7-8, 9-10, 11-12)
Heel Flap
Cast on 3
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: K, inc in next stitch, K (4 sts)
Row 3: Knit
Row 4: Inc in first stitch, K2, inc in last stitch (6 sts)
Row 5: Knit
Row 6: Inc in first stitch, K4, inc in last stitch (8 sts)
Row 7: Knit
Row 8: Inc in first stitch, K6, inc in last stitch (10 sts)
Row 9: Knit
Row 10: Inc in first stitch, K8, inc in last stitch (12 sts)
Starting the Ankle and Foot
Row 11: K12. Cast on 23 (26, 26, 29). You now have 35 (38, 38, 41 sts total)
Row 12: Knit across. Cast on 23 (26, 26, 29). You now have 58 (64, 64, 70 sts)
Row 13: K10 (12, 12, 14), P13 (14, 14, 15), K12, P13 (14, 14, 15), K10 (12, 12, 14)
Row 14: Knit
Row 15: K10 (12, 12, 14), P13 (14, 14, 15), K12, P13 (14, 14, 15), K10 (12, 12, 14)
Row 16: K10 (12, 12, 14), P13 (14, 14, 15), K12, P13 (14, 14, 15), K10 (12, 12, 14)
*Row 17: Knit
Row 18: K10 (12, 12, 14), P13 (14, 14, 15), K12, P13 (14, 14, 15), K10 (12, 12, 14)
Row 19: K10 (12, 12, 14), P13 (14, 14, 15), K12, P13 (14, 14, 15), K10 (12, 12, 14)
Row 20: Knit
Row 21: K10 (12, 12, 14), P13 (14, 14, 15), K12, P13 (14, 14, 15), K10 (12, 12, 14)
Row 22: K10 (12, 12, 14), P13 (14, 14, 15), K12, P13 (14, 14, 15), K10 (12, 12, 14)*
Repeat from * to * 2 (3, 4, 5) more times.
Please note: Repeat rows 17 and 18 for every size.
Decreasing for the Foot
Next row: Cast off K10 (12, 12, 14), P12 (13, 13, 14), K12, P13 (14, 14, 15), K10 (12, 12, 14). You now have 48 (52, 52, 56 sts total).
Next row: Cast off K10 (12, 12, 14). Knit remaining stitches. You now have 38 (40, 40, 42 sts total).
Next row: P13 (14, 14, 15), K12, P13 (14, 14, 15).
Next row: P13 (14, 14, 15), K12, P13 (14, 14, 15).
✪ Next row: Knit
Next row: P13 (14, 14, 15), K12, P13 (14, 14, 15).
Next row: P13 (14, 14, 15), K12, P13 (14, 14, 15).
Next row: Knit
Next row: P13 (14, 14, 15), K12, P13 (14, 14, 15).
Next row: P13 (14, 14, 15), K12, P13 (14, 14, 15).✪
Repeat from ✪ to ✪ 3 more times for every size.
End of Toe
Next row: K2tog across. 19 (20, 20, 21 sts)
Next row: P7 (7, 7, 8) K6 P6 (7, 7, 7)
Next row: K2tog across. Knit the last stitch for ladies’ size 6-7 and 12 or men’s size 5-6 and 11-12.
Break yarn and pull through.
Make another slipper to match.
Sew seams and work in ends.
If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment or send me your questions at kweenbee_crafts@hotmail.ca.
Hints and Tips
When starting the slipper, leave a long length of yarn when casting on. You can use this length to sew up the back seam of the slipper and will give less ends to sew in when done.
Work in the ends and don’t just knot them off. The knots will rub on the wearer’s foot and make them decidedly uncomfortable.
When sewing the seams, be sure to yank on them a bit before working in the ends. You want as much yarn securing the seams so that the seam will stretch the length of the foot and the ankle.
When casting off for the ankle, be sure to do so loosely. It will allow the seam to stretch.
In case you’re not sure what part of the slipper you are making and how it goes together, I’ve added some pictures that will help.
How it goes together. Fold it in half and sew the seams for the toe and ankle.
There has been a bit of confusion on how to sew the seams along the back of the slippers, so I knit another pair and took a few photos to show what the back of the slipper should look like.
Below are two photos showing how to flip up the heel flap triangle and fit it into the back of the slipper. Sew the back seam down to where the top of the heel flap triangle reaches without stretching it. Sew each side of the triangle to the remaining rows along each side as shown.
Happy knitting!
I have just completed my first ribbed slipper and I can’t quite work out how the heel flap goes. Do you sew it in right up to the ankle bit or just sew it as it fits without stretching?
Any help gratefully received.
I made one slipper so far, and guessed at how to sew the heel to the back of the slipper. I did it with the small tip of the “triangle” facing upward. It looks a bit odd to me. did I do it right? I wish you could have added a rear view of your finished slipper. From the side view, it looks like you sewed the heel triangle sideways. Thank you in advance for your help. Love your site!!!
Sew the seam down the back of the slipper until you reach where the top of the triangle meets the seam without stretching the triangle. It fits in the small triangular space between the seam and bottom of the foot.
Great and an informative article!
King regards,
Balle Schneider
Enjoying knitting this slipper pattern, but still not sure how to sew the heel flap. Is is possible you could show a picture? Thanking you in advance!
Mary from Alberta, Canada
Sorry but I don’t have time to knit up a pair to take photos.
Starting at the top of the back of the cuff, sew the seam down until you are about 1 1/2″ from the bottom. Holding the slipper right side up, look directly at the seam you just sewed. There will be a small triangle formed by the bottom of the slipper the seam △. Tip at the top (where you stopped sewing the seam) flat at the bottom (where the sole of the slipper is). Lift the little triangle up. It will roughly fit that triangle. Depending on how you knit, it may be a little bigger or smaller than the triangle you created when you sewed the seam. Adjust the triangle size by sewing more of the seam or less.
Thank you! I finally got it! Working on my 2nd pair now. Thanks again!🙂🙂 Mary
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this terrific article on our site. Keep up the terrific writing.
King regards,
Harrell Duke
I would like this pattern for a toddler she one her foot size is 13cm I’m not a very good knitter but I made a pair of these for myself and they turned out great thanks
There has been a lot of interest expressed and searches on my website for more child sided slippers. It’s definitely something that I’m considering for the future. Sizing and knitting samples takes a lot of math and test knits. It’s takes a while to get them completed and ready to publish.
Anyone interested in becoming a test knitter? I could always use folks to help out 😊
I knitted the smallest size on size 3.75mm needles. I used DK yarn and the finished length is approx 6 inches (15cm)
I had to have two goes at sewing the heel flap properly and still not sure it is exactly right.
Flip up the tiny triangle you made at the start of the pattern. Sew the seam, starting from the top, down to the top of the triangle. Sew the sides of the triangle. Don’t stretch anything out to make it fit. It fills the very small space at the bottom of the back of the foot.
Howdy great blog! Does running a blog like this take a great deal of work?
I have very little knowledge of programming however I was hoping to start my own blog soon. Anyways, if you have any suggestions
or tips for new blog owners please share. I understand this is off topic but I
simply wanted to ask. Cheers!
Post regularly, write with keywords in mind, know what you’re passionate about. Nothing worthwhile is easy and it takes an ongoing effort to make it count.
This blog was… how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I’ve found something which helped me.
Kudos!
Can hardly wait to knit this. Looks great!!
Thanks, I love the pattern. I’m a bit confused about repeating Rows 17 & 18, in Starting the Ankle and Foot. Do you repeat Rows 17 & 18 straight away, after you’ve done Rows 17 & 18 or do you do them at the end of the asterisk rows.
Repeat the rows within the asterisks for the appropriate number of times, then repeat rows 17 and 18 to maintain the pattern before you start the decreasing.
I’ve written it this way because it’s easy to miss those extra two rows. I’ve even missed them when making the slippers for online orders and I’m the one who wrote the pattern!
I am going to try knitting these slippers in DK on 4mm needles(UK sizing) and see if they come out a child size. Just as an experiment