Slippery Slippers

I have had a couple requests from family members (read "Christmas List recipients") for knitted/crocheted slippers, but I have an issue with the fact that yarn fabrics on hard wood floors are way to slipprey to be safe. Granted, I have arthritic feet that don't always work great, but I have seen way to many spills from stairs, on the kitchen floor, etc. by grandkids, siblings, etc. Have you had experience with "sole-ing" slippers? Many years ago I bought some of the leather-like patches to sew opn the soles of knitted slippers but they didn't last long. Are there any alternatives that you know of? Of should I just try again?

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Nutty4Knitting on November 6, 2011 at 11:03am

There is a fabric made with little gripper dots on it. (Click Here for link.) I have used this to make the soles of baby/toddler sleepers. I haven't tried it on the bottoms of slippers...yet...but it should be fairly easy to sew on by hand with a whip stitch. You'd just have to have an approximate foot shape pattern to know how to cut it.

Permalink Reply by Peggy Stuart on November 6, 2011 at 2:26pm

Sounds like a good idea.

Permalink Reply by Susan the Blue Lake Knitter on November 6, 2011 at 11:15am

Two years ago, I made felted slipper socks for me and the DH... I used these suede sew on bottoms from KP, and they have lasted well so far.

Permalink Reply by Peggy Stuart on November 6, 2011 at 2:28pm

"Slipper Bottoms!" ROFL! The images! I think that the same thing I was giving the link for.

Permalink Reply by Cathie Duff on November 6, 2011 at 8:28pm

Thanks! Somehow I missed these in my travles on the KP site and if they are suede they would have more tack than the things I used a couple years ago. They were the same shape as these stitch-ons, but more like a fake leather that got evern MORE slippery than the knitted bottoms. I will check it out.

Permalink Reply by Susan the Blue Lake Knitter on November 6, 2011 at 8:41pm

KP has a newer item that I have not tried as yet, but again a sewn on bottom for socks and slippers.

Permalink Reply by Peggy Stuart on November 6, 2011 at 2:26pm

I haven't used them, but KP has slipper soles here:

http://www.knitpicks.com/cfSearch/Search.cfm?q=Slipper+soles&ke...

It would be worth a try. Or you could probably spray something on the bottoms that sets up like rubber. Just guessing.

Permalink Reply by christina | AlohaBlu on November 6, 2011 at 10:38pm

aloha cathie -

i was just reading somewhere about a gel you can buy to make your socks "slipper socks" (you squeeze it on and it makes non-skid socks). i can't for the life of me find the actual product but found blogs online that some people use liquid latex rubber or puffy paint another link for puffy paint. i'll keep looking for it though.

Permalink Reply by christina | AlohaBlu on November 6, 2011 at 10:55pm

ok - here's another blog link from lionbrand.com

Permalink Reply by Nutty4Knitting on November 7, 2011 at 7:30am

I tried the puffy paint when I was making quilted slippers for some of the Tribe. It wasn't worth the effort, IMO. The 'non-skid' factor wore out much more quickly that the dots on the manufactured gripper fabric. And it takes a bit of time and effort to apply the paint, then wait for it to dry.

Permalink Reply by christina | AlohaBlu on November 7, 2011 at 11:38am

good to know! i've been racking my brain trying to find the rubber latex advertisement that I saw. . .

Permalink Reply by christina | AlohaBlu on November 7, 2011 at 12:35pm

i think i found it! Here is the link and you can use a stencil to create what you want on the bottom. If you do a search for Regia ABS Latex you can find a places that sell it in different colors. Yay!