Simply Felted Ballet Flats

Simply Felted Ballet Flats by knot•sew•cute

Project Overview

Simply Felted Ballet Flats are a pair of crocheted slippers designed to be felted after completion. This intermediate-level crochet project creates ballet flat-style slippers available in ladies sizes 6 through 9, with finished lengths ranging from 21½ cm (8½") to 25½ cm (10"). The design features both narrow and wide width options to accommodate different foot shapes, making these slippers a customizable footwear solution.

What Is Being Made

These are felted ballet flat slippers—a type of comfortable indoor or casual footwear featuring a flat sole and minimal structure. The slippers are constructed using crochet techniques and then intentionally felted to create a durable, finished fabric. The pattern includes sizing guidance for multiple ladies sizes, with narrow width options at 7½ cm (3") and wide width options at 9 cm (3½"). The felting process transforms the crocheted pieces into a more structured, stable slipper suitable for everyday wear.

Crochet Techniques Used

The Simply Felted Ballet Flats pattern employs several fundamental and intermediate crochet techniques. The construction utilizes basic chain stitches to establish foundation rows, slip stitches to join rounds, and single crochet stitches as the primary fabric-building stitch. The pattern also incorporates single crochet 2 together (sc2tog) for shaping and decreasing, allowing the crocheter to form the contours necessary for a fitted slipper. An advanced decorative technique called spike single crochet (ssc) is used, which involves inserting the hook into the center of a daisy motif and drawing loops up to the current round height, creating dimensional texture. The pattern is organized into multiple motifs, suggesting a modular construction approach where separate pieces are created and potentially joined together.

Stitches Included

• Chain (ch) — foundation stitch for establishing base rows and turning chains
• Slip stitch (sl st) — used for joining rounds and connecting pieces
• Single crochet (sc) — primary stitch for building the slipper fabric
• Double crochet (dc) — created by yarn over, inserting hook into indicated stitch, drawing through a loop to create three loops on hook, then yarn over and drawing through two loops twice for added height and drape
• Single crochet 2 together (sc2tog) — a decrease stitch created by inserting the hook into the next stitch twice, drawing through loops, then pulling through all three loops on hook to reduce stitch count for shaping
• Spike single crochet (ssc) — an advanced decorative stitch that inserts the hook into the center of a daisy motif, draws a loop up to the current round height, then completes the stitch, creating dimensional embellishment

Materials and Yarn Specifications

The Simply Felted Ballet Flats pattern calls for Patons Classic Wool, a worsted-weight yarn available in 100-gram balls with 192 meters of yardage per ball. The pattern is worked using two strands of yarn held together with a 5.00 mm crochet hook. This doubled-strand approach creates a thicker, more substantial fabric ideal for felting. The gauge is established at 10 single crochet stitches and 10 rows measuring 7½ cm (3") square when worked with the specified hook and yarn combination. The use of 100% wool yarn is essential for this project, as wool is the fiber that felts when exposed to heat, moisture, and agitation, transforming the loose crochet fabric into a compact, durable slipper material. The pattern accommodates both DK and worsted weight yarn options, providing flexibility for crafters working with different yarn weights.

Pattern Structure

The design is organized into multiple slipper motifs, with the pattern documentation indicating at least two distinct construction sections labeled "Slipper 1 (Motif)" and "Slipper 2," suggesting a multi-component assembly approach. This modular design allows crafters to create individual pieces that are later joined to form the complete slipper.