Filzwolle in Gründl - Downloadable PDF

Striped Felted Slippers with Bow — Free Knitting Pattern by Gründl (Filzwolle Uni & Color)

This free downloadable PDF knitting pattern from Gründl guides you through creating a pair of cosy striped felted house slippers with a decorative bow. The pattern is written for European size 38/39 (UK size 5/6) and includes a size chart so knitters can adjust for other sizes. Rated as a beginner-friendly project, these slippers are a satisfying introduction to knitting in the round and the fascinating craft of wet felting.

What Is Being Made

The finished item is a pair of striped felted house slippers decorated with a hand-knitted bow. The slippers are knitted first in their larger, pre-felt dimensions and then intentionally washed and felted down to their final wearable size. Felting is a traditional technique in which heat, water, and agitation cause wool fibres to interlock and shrink, producing a dense, warm, and durable fabric that is naturally water-resistant — ideal for indoor footwear.

Materials Required

• Yarn: Filzwolle Uni by Gründl — solid colour, shade Fb. 62 (petrol) — 100 g per pair up to size 38/39
• Yarn: Filzwolle Color by Gründl — multicolour, shade Fb. 38 (aqua multicolor) — 100 g per pair up to size 38/39
• Total yarn usage: approximately 200 g for sizes up to 38/39
• Both yarns are 100% Schurwolle (pure virgin wool), weight 50 g / 50 m, making them a chunky-weight yarn perfectly suited to felting
• Needles: a set of double-pointed needles (Nadelspiel) in size 8.0–9.0 mm, or the size needed to achieve correct tension

Knitting Techniques Used

• Flat knitting — the slipper begins by casting on stitches and working back and forth in rows to form the sole base
• Knitting in the round — stitches are distributed across a set of double-pointed needles (4 needles, 8 stitches each) and the upper of the slipper is worked in continuous rounds
• Toe shaping — decreases are worked at the end of every round by knitting the last two stitches of each needle together, gradually closing the toe
• Casting on mid-round — additional stitches are cast on at the front centre during the first round to shape the toe area
• Wet felting — the completed knitted slipper is felted in the washing machine, shrinking the fabric from its knitted gauge to its finished gauge
• Bow construction — a separate decorative bow is knitted and attached as an embellishment

Stitches Used

• Stocking stitch / Stockinette (glatt rechts) — worked as knit stitches on right-side rows and purl stitches on wrong-side rows when knitting flat; worked as all knit stitches when knitting in the round. This is the primary stitch pattern throughout the entire slipper.
• K2tog (re zusammen stricken / zus. str.) — a right-leaning decrease used to shape the toe of the slipper
• Cast-on mid-work — additional stitches are cast on at the centre front when transitioning from flat to round knitting
• Cast-off (abketten) — used to finish the slipper and the bow piece

Colour Stripe Sequence

The slippers feature a simple and striking two-colour stripe pattern. Knitters alternate 4 rows or rounds of Filzwolle Uni (solid petrol) with 4 rows or rounds of Filzwolle Color (aqu