Our free Knit + Fold Slippers pattern is a delightful surprise from start to finish! Knit a seemingly enigmatic flat shape and then—like magic—fold it up to create the cutest, cleverest slippers you can imagine. It’s just the right project to play with Knitting Yarn, our tried, true, and trusted DK-weight merino yarn.

Knit + Fold Slippers | Purl Soho

Stretchy striped garter stitch and easy decreases are the only stitches you need to knit your slippers, and the three-dimensional shape is secured with just a few easy seams. So satisfying and we have tutorials and detailed photos to make every step a snap!

Knit + Fold Slippers | Purl Soho

Generous cuffs keep your ankles toasty, and cheery pom poms add a whimsical finish to these incredibly adorable slippers!

Knit + Fold Slippers | Purl Soho

Our classic DK-weight Knitting Yarn, in springy 100% merino wool, is the perfect pick for warm and cozy slippers. We went down a few needle sizes from Knitting Yarn’s usual gauge to make a dense fabric that stretches beautifully to hug your foot.

Knit + Fold Slippers | Purl Soho

Pick two colors from Knitting Yarn’s huge palette, newly expanded to 37 colors with the addition of 13 brand-new ones. For our Knit + Fold Slippers, we played with newbies Spring Sky, Golden Raisin, and Petal Pink, as well as perennial favorite Acorn Brown.

Knit + Fold Slippers | Purl Soho

Our generous, ready-to-knit balls of Knitting Yarn have plenty of yardage. You only need one ball of each color to make any of nine sizes, from baby to adult, including the pom poms!

Knit + Fold Slippers | Purl Soho

Perfect for gifting or keeping your own feet warm for the rest of winter, pick two colors that sing and whip up a winsome pair of Knit + Fold Slippers!

Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 45 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!

Knit + Fold Slippers | Purl Soho

Designed by Purl Soho designer, Hiromi Glover. See even more of Hiromi’s work on her Instagram!

Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoKnitAndFoldSlippers, and #PurlSohoKnittingYarn. We can’t wait to see what you make!

Materials

Knit + Fold Slippers | Purl Soho
  • Purl Soho’s Knitting Yarn, 100% merino wool. Each ball of this light worsted/DK-weight yarn is approximately 219 yards/ 100 grams.
    • Color A: 1 ball; approximately 25 (40, 55, 70, 90) (115, 140, 170, 200) total yards required. We used Spring Sky for one set and Acorn Brown for the other.
    • Color B: 1 ball; approximately 60 (75, 85, 105, 120) (145, 165, 195, 219) total yards required. We used Golden Raisin with Spring Sky and Petal Pink with Acorn Brown.
  • US 3 (3.25 mm), 20-inch circular knitting needles
  • 5 removable stitch markers
  • Optional: Purl Soho’s Pom Pom Maker Set, Small + Large size

GAUGE

24 stitches and 48 rows = 4 inches in garter stitch

SIZES

Baby (Toddler Small, Toddler Large, Little Kid, Big Kid) Adult Small, Adult Medium, Adult Large, Adult Extra Large)

To fit actual foot length of 4–4½ (4½–5½, 5½–6½, 6½–7½, 7½–8½) (8½–9½, 9½–10½, 10½–11¼, 11¼–12¼) inches with 0 to 1 inch(es) of negative ease

  • Finished Foot Length: 3¾ (4¾, 5¾, 6½, 7½) (8½, 9½, 10¼, 11¼) inches
  • Finished Foot Width: 2 (2¼, 2¾, 3¼, 3¾) (4¼, 4¾, 5¼, 5¾) inches

Samples: We knit the Adult Medium size, worn on a women’s US 8 size foot.

Knit + Fold Slippers | Purl Soho

NOTE: Want to see this schematic bigger? Click here!

NOTES

CONSTRUCTION

You will knit each slipper flat, shaping the piece with simple decreases and binding offs. Then, you will fold each slipper and seam corresponding edges together to create a three-dimensional slipper.

GARTER RIDGE

A “garter ridge” equals two rows of garter stitch. It looks like a prominent horizontal ridge and is an easy way to count rows!

CARRYING UP YARN

When changing colors, do not cut the yarns, but carry the non-working yarn up the selvage. To do this, simply hold the yarn you just used in front of the new yarn as you knit the first stitch of the row.

PATTERN

NOTE: Work this pattern twice, once following instructions for the Left Foot and once following instructions for the Right Foot.

FLAT SECTION: BOTH FEET

With Color A, cast on 32 (40, 48, 56, 64) (72, 80, 88, 96) stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.

Set-Up Row (wrong side): With Color A, knit to end of row.

NOTE: Place a removable stitch marker or piece of scrap yarn on Row 1 to indicate right side.

Carrying the non-working yarn up the selvage at color changes (see Notes)…

Rows 1 and 2: With Color B, knit to end of row.

Rows 3 and 4: With Color A, knit to end of row.

Repeat Rows 1–4 two (3, 4, 5, 6) (7, 8, 9, 10) more times, then repeat Rows 1 and 2 one more time. [8 (10, 12, 14, 16) (18, 20, 22, 24) total garter ridges]

DECREASE SECTION

LEFT FOOT ONLY

Cut Color B.

Row 1 (right side): With Color A, bind off 8 (10, 12, 14, 16) (18, 20, 22, 24) stitches knitwise, knit to last 3 stitches, knit two together (k2tog), k1. [23 (29, 35, 41, 47) (53, 59, 65, 71) stitches remain]

Row 2 (wrong side): Knit to end of row.

Rejoin Color B, ready to work a right-side row.

Row 3: With Color B, knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1.  [1 stitch decreased]

Row 4: With Color B, knit to end of row.

Row 5: With Color A, knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1.  [1 stitch decreased]

Row 6: With Color A, knit to end of row.

Repeat Rows 3–6 six (8, 10, 12, 14) (16, 18, 20, 22) more times, then repeat Rows 3 and 4 one more time. [8 (10, 12, 14, 16) (18, 20, 22, 24) stitches remain]

Cut Color B.

With right side facing you and Color A, bind off knitwise.

Cut Color A, leaving a tail 8 (8, 9, 9, 10) (10, 11, 12, 12) inches long for seaming.

Go on to Finishing, below.

RIGHT FOOT ONLY

Row 1 (right side): With Color A, k1, slip slip knit (ssk), knit to last 8 (10, 12, 14, 16) (18, 20, 22, 24) stitches, bind off knitwise to end of row. [23 (29, 35, 41, 47) (53, 59, 65, 71) stitches remain]

Cut Color A.

Re-join Color A to remaining stitches, ready to work a wrong-side row.

Row 2 (wrong side): With Color A, knit to end of row.

Row 3: With Color B, k1, ssk, knit to end of row.  [1 stitch decreased]

Row 4: With Color B, knit to end of row.

Row 5: With Color A, k1, ssk, knit to end of row.  [1 stitch decreased]

Row 6: With Color A, knit to end of row.

Repeat Rows 3–6 six (8, 10, 12, 14) (16, 18, 20, 22) more times, then repeat Rows 3 and 4 one more time. [8 (10, 12, 14, 16) (18, 20, 22, 24) stitches remain]

Cut Color B.

With right side facing you and Color A, bind off knitwise.

Cut Color A.

Go on to Finishing.

FINISHING

WEAVE IN ENDS + BLOCK

Weave in all ends, except for long tail on Left Foot. Wet block to the dimensions in the schematic.

SEAMING: LEFT FOOT

Knit + Fold Slippers | Purl Soho

With right side facing you and cast-on edge at the bottom, count from the top right corner down and place a removable marker on the 8th (10th, 12th, 14th, 16th) (18th, 20th, 22nd, 24th) garter ridge along the right selvage edge and mentally label this Marker 1, then place a removable marker on every 8th (10th, 12th, 14th, 16th) (18th, 20th, 22nd, 24th) stitch along the cast-on edge and mentally label them from right to left Markers 2, 3, and 4. [4 markers placed]

Turn piece over so wrong side is facing you.

Knit + Fold Slippers | Purl Soho

Fold the bottom left corner to the right until it meets Marker 3 along the cast-on edge, with the fold at Marker 2 and the cast-on edges aligned, as shown above.

Knit + Fold Slippers | Purl Soho

Fold the top of the piece down so the left selvage edge aligns with the short bind-off edge (Marker 1 should meet the first bound-off stitch), as shown above.

Knit + Fold Slippers | Purl Soho

With a new 1 (1, 1, 1½, 1½) (1½, 2, 2, 2) foot long piece of Color A and working from left to right, use a whipstitch to seam from the fold to Marker 1 (as indicated by arrow in photo above).

Note: For help with seaming, visit our Whipstitch Tutorial.

Do not cut yarn.

Knit + Fold Slippers | Purl Soho

Now fold the bottom right corner up so Marker 4 meets the end of the seam you just worked, as shown above.

Knit + Fold Slippers | Purl Soho

Continuing with the same yarn used for the previous seam, use a whipstitch to seam from Marker 4 to Marker 3 (see down-pointing arrow, above), then continue along the bottom edge from right to left, seaming the cast-on edges together from Marker 3 to Marker 2 (see left-pointing arrow, above).

Remove all markers.

Go on to Seaming: Both Feet, below.

SEAMING: RIGHT FOOT   

NOTE: The Right Foot is worked in the same manner as the Left Foot, but opposite!

With right side facing you and cast-on edge at the bottom, count from the top left corner down and place a removable marker on the 8th (10th, 12th, 14th, 16th) (18th, 20th, 22nd, 24th) garter ridge along the left selvage edge and “label” this Marker 1, then place a removable marker at every 8th (10th, 12th, 14th, 16th) (18th, 20th, 22nd, 24th) stitch along cast-on edge and “label” them from left to right Markers 2, 3, and 4. [4 markers placed]

Turn piece over so wrong side is facing you.                         

Fold the bottom right corner to the left until it meets Marker 3 along the cast-on edge, with the fold at Marker 2 and the cast-on edges aligned.

Fold the top of the piece down so the right selvage edge aligns with the short bind-off edge (Marker 1 should meet the first bound-off stitch).

With a new 1 (1, 1, 1½, 1½) (1½, 2, 2, 2) foot long piece of Color A and working from right to left, use a whipstitch to seam from the fold to Marker 1.

Do not cut yarn.

Fold the bottom left corner up so Marker 4 meets the end of the seam you just worked.

Continuing with the same yarn used for the previous seam, use a whipstitch to seam from Marker 4 to Marker 3, then continue along the bottom edge from left to right, seaming the cast-on edges together from Marker 3 to Marker 2.

Remove all markers.

Go on to Seaming: Both Feet.

SEAMING: BOTH FEET

Knit + Fold Slippers | Purl Soho

Now situate the slipper by holding the diagonal flaps together. The top of the foot is the diamond shape you just created with seaming, the sole is on the floor, and the back heel is still open, as shown above.

Knit + Fold Slippers | Purl Soho

With long tail for Left Foot or a new 1 (1, 1, 1, 1) (1½, 1½, 2, 2) foot long piece of Color A for Right Foot, working from top down, seam the back edges together (as indicated by arrow, above).

NOTE: For help with seaming garter stitch, visit our Seaming Garter Stitch Tutorial.

WORK CUFF EDGING

NOTE: For help picking up stitches, please visit our Picking Up Stitches Tutorial and scroll down to the Along A Horizontal Edge video and also the Along A Vertical Edge: Garter Stitch, Between The Ridges step-by-step photos.

With Color A and starting at front center, pick up and bind off stitches around the entire ankle opening, working up into each stitch up the right front edge of the ankle (as worn), then between every garter row down the right back edge to the back seam, then between every garter row up the left back edge, and then into each stitch down the left front edge to front center.

Here’s how…

Pick up and knit into first right front edge stitch/row, *pick up and knit into next edge stitch/row, pass first stitch over second stitch to bind off, repeat from * around entire ankle opening.

Weave in all remaining ends.

Do the same for the other slipper.

POM POMS

MAKE POM POM

If you’re using Purl Soho’s Pom Pom Maker Set, use the Small Pom Pom Maker and the 1½-inch Trim Guide to make a pom pom with your leftover Color B yarn. Follow the basic instructions for a Solid Pom Pom found in our Pom Pom Tutorial.

ATTACH POM POM

Thread each pom pom tail separately through front center of Cuff Edging to inside of slipper. Tie the tails into a knot, thread the tails back through the slipper and up through the pom pom itself, and trim them flush with the pom pom.

Do the same for the other slipper and you’re done!

Knit + Fold Slippers | Purl Soho
Knit + Fold Slippers | Purl Soho

Learn About Knitting Yarn + All Our Beautiful Yarns

A true classic loved by knitters and crocheters alike, Knitting Yarn brings its crisp stitch definition, soft strength, and cushiony feel to this project! Made with 100% New Zealand merino wool, Knitting Yarn is a light worsted/DK-weight yarn in a ready-to-knit ball you’ll love to knit from. Simple stitches, dimensional textures, beautifully articulated cables, and glorious colorwork… Everything looks amazing in Knitting Yarn! Making something big, like a blanket or sweater? Shop our 1000-gram Knitting Yarn On A Cone collection, too!

More Free Knitting Patterns

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Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!