I know it's only mid-May but Christmas is only 6 1/2 months away! Must. Start. Knitting. NOW. Every year I make each of my three nieces a pair of girly house-shoes based on this slipper pattern from the 40's called Aunt Maggie's Slippers. Bev Qualheim, owner of Bev's Country Cottage web site has updated the pattern and Knitting Paradise has turned it into a sweet little pdf that prints off in a nice format.
On Sydney's this year, I added a knitted bow by casting on 12 stitches of 1 strand of worsted weight pink (the shoes were knitted with a double strand of pink and brown) and knitting in the round for 3". Then I sewed on an aqua button and gathered the middle of the bow as I sewed it onto the slippers. I also sewed the ends shut.
I have two reasons for making these each Christmas:
1) Because the girls love them, ask for them, and let me know what colors they want each year, and
2) I first knitted this slipper pattern in the 4th grade during my 4-H knitting class that my Mom taught. She also made these for me and my sister (Jordan and Sydney's Mom) each year. Mom passed away in the late 80's but I like to imagine how excited for my work in the NICU she would be (and how much knitting help!) and what a wonderful Grandmother she would have been to "our" kids. I know she would have made these slippers for Kaylee, Jordan, and Sydney every year. I may only be an Auntie but I like to think that I'm a decent surrogate Granny too to make up a little bit for the Grandmotherly Karen love our kids will unfortunately never get to experience.
Someday they'll understand how much their requests and excitement over these simple Christmas gifts means to me, and Mom who is watching down over us all.
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