Crocheting is considered a common type of handicraft.. When mastering this skill, it is permissible to create various products that will definitely find a use. Using this technique, you can make slippers for home. In this case, the main element of any knitted footwear is considered to be the sole.
What you need to prepare for work
First of all, you should choose the material for making the sole.
Before choosing a thread material and creating home shoes, you need to determine what products a knitted sole is suitable for:
| View | Peculiarities |
| Booties | They are small boots, which are often intended for small children. A hand-knitted product can be given to a child after birth, which will be a wonderful gift. At the same time, this category of footwear allows you to show your imagination. For this, there are several different patterns on how to knit a sole for children. |
| Boots with soles for home | They can be made insulated for wearing in the winter season or light for hot weather. Basically, this type of footwear is suitable for girls. |
| Slippers for home | Suitable for adults and children. If you have experience and time, it is permissible to create the same type of footwear for all family members. In this case, the sole must be dense. |
The sole, unlike other elements of footwear, is characterized by rapid wear. In this regard, it is necessary to carefully select the material that is intended for decorating the product with a crochet hook.
If the slippers are intended for an adult, the thread material must be very strong. For example, it is acceptable to use knitted thread or hemp rope.
To prevent the knitted sole from wearing out quickly, it is permissible to additionally include synthetic yarn. If the shoes are intended for children, it is better to use soft acrylic, because it is pleasant to the touch.
To knit you need to prepare:
- needle;
- hook;
- ruler;
- thread material;
- scissors.
Since the sole wears quickly, it is recommended to use leather, felt yarn to add rigidity. Additionally, it is necessary to glue the lining heat-adhesive material. To do this, it is necessary to cut out a rectangular blank that will correspond to the size of the foot.
The number of the knitting tool will depend on the thickness of the thread material. Often, the label of the threads will indicate the hook size.
Since knitted shoes are intended for home use, you need to accurately determine the size of the sole.
For these purposes, you need to measure the length of your foot:
- Place the foot on a piece of paper and trace the outline using a pencil or pen.
- Use a ruler to measure the length and width of the foot in order to later dial the required number of loops.
- Then subtract the second number from the first. For example, the length of the foot is 12 cm, the width is 6 cm. After subtraction, the result will be 6 cm. This number will show the size of the first chain of air loops.
You can find out the size of the future product using another method. To do this, you must first make a chain of air loops. Then apply it to the foot along the length in a slightly stretched form. For example, if the length of the foot is 18 cm, the length of the chain will be 11 cm.
If it is not possible to draw a foot outline to measure the width and length, it is acceptable to use an age-specific size chart to find out the length of a child's foot to create crocheted shoes. However, such charts only provide average information, and the parameters for each child may not correspond to the average.
If a novice craftsman does not know how to create a sole of the required size, it is recommended to build a pattern of an oblong or pear-shaped form. In order not to make a mistake with the size of the insole, it is recommended to make 1 loop more at the beginning of the row than is required taking into account the length of the foot.
What can the sole be made of?
The sole for slippers can be made from a factory-made thermoplastic base or sewn onto house shoes by hand. In order to save money, it is permissible to use improvised materials for making the base yourself.
For example, you can use the sole of an old shoe, which needs to be sewn onto knitted slippers. To do this, you need to make several holes around the perimeter with an awl.
To decorate knitted insoles, it is permissible to use leather cut into strips, wool threads, strong household cord or scraps of fabric material that have been cut into strips. The choice of material will depend on the imagination of the needlewoman.
Crochet sole for slippers
The sole for single or double type slippers can be knitted in the shape of a pear or oval, where the area for placing the toes will expand.
Knitting features:
- knitting with the tool should start from the middle, making a chain of air loops and working in a circle;
- for knitting the insole, you should make the columns without throwing over to achieve high density and the required size;
- To get a semicircle in the toe and heel area, you need to create 2 air loops at the beginning and end of the row.
The sole will look great if the knitting is done in columns of different heights in the form of elongated columns, as well as with or without throwing over.
For beginners to master the technique of crocheting soles, it is recommended to prepare a thread material consisting of 51% acrylic and 49% wool, as well as a knitting tool No. 2.5.
Step-by-step description of the work:
- Initially, cast on 14 chain stitches.
- Starting from the 2nd loop, create 6 columns without yarn over, a half column and 5 columns with one yarn over. One loop should be free.
- In the outer loop, knit 7 columns with one yarn over, then turn the fabric in the other direction and create a semicircle.
- Afterwards, the knitting process should proceed in the opposite direction. To do this, create 5 columns with one yarn over, a half-column and 5 columns without a yarn over. In the outer loop, knit 4 columns without a yarn over. To connect the row, make a connecting column.
- To make the 2nd row, jump forward by 1 loop with a connecting column. In this case, in one loop at the back there should be 5 columns without a yarn over. The second row should consist of 3 lifting air loops and 10 columns with one yarn over.
- Make 2 columns with one yarn over in 1 loop of the previous row. Repeat this step 7 times. As a result, there should be 14 columns with a yarn over in the semicircle.
- Then make 11 columns with one yarn over. Knit 2 columns with a yarn over into one loop of the previous row. Perform this step 5 times and close the row with a connecting column.
- To create the 3rd row, knit 3 chain stitches and 10 stitches with 1 yarn over.
- Make a yarn over column and 2 yarn over columns together in the loop of the previous row. Repeat the step 7 times. Then knit 11 yarn over columns.
- In the loop of the previous row, knit a column with a yarn over and 2 columns with a yarn over together. Repeat this step 5 times and finish the row with a slip stitch.
- In the 4th row, knit 3 chain stitches and 10 yarn overs. Repeat knitting 7 times from 2 yarn overs each into a separate loop and 2 yarn overs together into one loop of the previous row. Then make 11 yarn overs.
- In each separate loop, knit 2 columns with a yarn over and 2 columns with a yarn over together in 1 loop of the previous row. Repeat this step 5 times. To complete the row, make a connecting column.
If you strictly follow the knitting pattern, the size of the sole should be 11-12 cm.
The last 4th row is not obligatory, knitting can be finished with the 3rd row. The 4th row is auxiliary if after finishing the 3rd row the insole does not match the required size. After that you can start knitting house shoes without cutting the thread material.
When creating only 3 rows, the product must be designed in the standard way: columns without yarning over or with yarning over, without decreasing or increasing. When designing 4 rows, the walls of the product are recommended to be knitted with relief columns with yarning over.
In order for the sole size to be larger than 11-12 cm, it is necessary to create increases in air loops at the beginning of knitting. In this case, rows cannot be added. Otherwise, the knitting technique will not change.
To make the sole double, you should knit 4 identical parts, then fold them with the wrong side inside in pairs.
Step-by-step description of the knitting pattern:
- Make 19 chain stitches and 1 lifting chain stitch.
- Knit 7 single crochet stitches and 7 double crochet stitches. Knit 7 single crochet stitches into the outer loop.
- Turn the fabric over and on the other side, initially knit 7 columns with a yarn over and 7 columns without a yarn over. Then make 4 columns without a yarn over in 1 loop. To complete the row, knit a connecting column.
- Make 3 chain stitches, 15 double crochet stitches and 5 double crochet stitches.
- Then knit 16 yarn over columns and 4 yarn over columns into 1 loop.
- Turn the fabric over and on the other side make 4 columns with a yarn over in 1 loop, 3 columns with a yarn over in 1 loop and a connecting column.
- Knit 3 air loops with 15 columns with yarn overs and 2 columns with yarn overs into 1 loop.
- Make a column with a throw, 2 columns with a throw and another column with a throw.
- Knit 3 yarn over columns, 1 yarn over column and 2 yarn over columns.
- Then make 15 columns with throwing, 2 columns with throwing and a column with throwing.
- In 1 loop knit 3 columns with a yarn over, then make 2 columns with a yarn over and a connecting column to complete the row.
The double type of sole will not bend, but will hold its shape perfectly if the outer row is knitted with columns with a throw around the entire perimeter. According to this pattern, the size of the insole will be 12 cm.
These patterns are suitable for knitting soles not only for house slippers, but also for booties and shoes.
Options from scrap materials
The sole of the slippers, created by crocheting, wears out very quickly, and can slip. To obtain comfortable and non-slip insoles, it is permissible to use felt.
Step-by-step creation of a sole from scrap materials:
- Prepare the footstools, which should be one size larger than the slippers. You can buy ready-made felt footstools or cut them out yourself from a strong but soft material.
- Sew the tracks in a circle with a seam. The shade of the thread material should match the color of the workpiece, and the needle should have a thick eye.
- Insert a knitting tool with thread material into the loops created with the overcast stitch and knit in a circle in one row with simple columns without yarn overs.
- After that, try on the shoes and apply the sole. Carefully and at the optimal distance, fix it with pins for comfortable wearing of slippers in the future.
- Using a knitting tool or a needle with a thick eye and inserted thread material, fix the sole to the shoe, hooking the hook not onto the insoles, but onto the posts without throwing.
The sole made of felt will slide. To prevent this problem, apply a small amount of glue to the sole and leave it to dry. As a result, you can create durable, comfortable and neat shoes.
The soles of the slippers can be made from heat-resistant napkins, which need to be folded in several layers, or orthopedic insoles.
To sew a new base to shoes, you need to prepare:
- acetone;
- glue (when choosing, you need to take into account the source material);
- strong thread material and a tailor's needle;
- sandpaper;
- a sole cut out according to a template from the selected material at hand (for example, rubber, felt, leather).
First, you need to remove the old sole from the shoes. To soften the dried glue, it is recommended to treat the area where the lower and upper parts meet with acetone.
Step by step process of creating the sole:
- Clean the joining areas with a sheet of sandpaper, carefully processing the edges of the slipper material.
- Degrease the cleaned areas with acetone and set aside for a while to allow the product to dry completely.
- Coat the two parts with glue and leave for 2 minutes to dry.
- Then apply another layer of glue to the two areas to be glued and join them tightly together.
- To ensure reliable fastening, stitch the sole in one row along the entire perimeter, stepping back 0.5 cm from the edge. This procedure is only suitable for materials that have a flexible structure that does not deform after puncturing, such as rubber, leather or felt.
- If the sole is made from another available material, secure the workpiece with a vice and place it between two fiberboard plates of a suitable size.
- Keep the sole between the plates until the glue layer is completely dry.
- After some time, carefully clean off the remaining glue with a fine sheet of sandpaper.
Tips for making a crochet sole
Recommendations for creating a sole with a crochet hook:
- to obtain a stronger base, it is recommended to knit the sole in 2 folds (if the thread material is very thin, it is permissible to make the base in 3 folds);
- to obtain a tight knit, you need to take a knitting tool that matches the size of the thread material;
- To prevent knitted shoes from slipping, it is recommended to include synthetic material in the main yarn;
- If you use a lining heat-adhesive material, you can give the sole additional rigidity;
- any selected thread material must be of high quality and durable so that the knitted product does not break or wear out prematurely;
- When creating children's house slippers, it is advisable to create a sole that will make it easy to distinguish the left product from the right one.
Knitting booties, slippers should start with the insoles. First, you need to determine the size of the shoe, which will determine the number of loops for the design of 1 row. Beginner needlewomen are better off creating the sole with a hook.
To create a comfortable and durable sole, the main thing is to correctly determine the size of the knitting tool and the type of thread material. As a result, the shoes will be beautiful, comfortable and durable.
Video about making shoe soles
How to knit a double sole: