Crochet slippers with a mini heart

Choose yarn and make a swatch

Use smooth, washable wool or acrylic yarn, a hook suited to that yarn, a locking stitch marker, a tape measure, scissors and a blunt yarn needle. Set aside a contrasting scrap for two hearts. Read the yarn label before choosing how to wash your slippers. Cotton can work, but a firm cotton fabric may stretch and recover differently from wool. Make a swatch rather than assuming one hook works for every yarn.

This is an adult, made-to-measure construction pattern in US terms. Its stitch counts have been checked on paper; it has not been physically sample-tested. Work the first slipper as a fitting piece and keep the seams removable until you are happy with it. No shoe-size conversion or fixed yardage is promised. Have enough matching yarn for two slippers, based on your own swatch or a comparable project in the same yarn.

If you arrived through an older pattern link, the 2013 Crochet Slippers & a Mini Heart design was by Tanya of Little Things Blogged. That design used different stitches and a stuffed heart. The instructions below are our separate single-crochet version with a flat sewn-on heart. They do not reproduce her pattern. Keep the designer's credit when sharing her work.

US stitches used in this pattern

• ch: chain. Yarn over and pull through the loop on the hook.
• sc: single crochet. Insert the hook, yarn over and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through both loops.
• inc: work two single crochets into the same stitch.
• sl st: slip stitch. Insert the hook, yarn over and pull through the stitch and the loop on the hook together.
• dc: double crochet. Yarn over, insert the hook, yarn over and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through two loops twice.
• tr: treble crochet. Yarn over twice, insert the hook, yarn over and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through two loops three times.

The turning chain never counts as a stitch. Work through both top loops unless told otherwise. The slippers use sc; dc and tr are needed only for the hearts. UK double crochet is US single crochet. Follow one set of terms all the way through.

Measure your foot and choose a stitch count

Measure the intended wearer's foot while standing: heel to longest toe, and around the widest part of the forefoot. Make a single-crochet swatch larger than 10 cm square. Wash it as you will wash the slippers, dry it and count the stitches across the middle 10 cm. Do not include the swatch edges.

Multiply foot circumference in centimeters by stitches per centimeter. Round to the nearest multiple of six; call this number N. This is a starting circumference, not a guarantee of fit. For example, a 24 cm foot circumference at 15 sc per 10 cm gives 24 × 1.5 = 36 stitches. Start without deliberate negative ease, then fit the actual fabric before sewing.

For that 36-stitch example, the foot rows use 24 stitches and leave 12 unworked for the top opening. A 30-stitch version uses 20 and leaves 10; a 42-stitch version uses 28 and leaves 14. These are construction examples, not standard shoe sizes. If your nearest multiple feels loose or tight, choose the neighboring multiple, adjust your hook or change yarn, then make a new fitting piece.

Crochet the slipper toe in continuous rounds

Make one slipper first. Begin with a magic ring, or ch 2 and work the first six sc into the second chain from the hook. Use the same start for the second slipper. Mark the first stitch of each round; move the marker as you work. Do not join or turn at the end of a round.

1. Round 1: work 6 sc into the ring. Tighten the center. Total: 6.
2. Round 2: inc in every stitch. Total: 12.
3. Round 3: repeat (1 sc, inc) six times. Total: 18.
4. Round 4: repeat (2 sc, inc) six times. Total: 24.
5. Round 5: repeat (3 sc, inc) six times. Total: 30.
6. Round 6: repeat (4 sc, inc) six times. Total: 36.
7. Round 7, if needed: repeat (5 sc, inc) six times. Total: 42.

Stop increasing when you reach N. For a larger N, continue the same sequence, adding one plain sc before each increase on each new round. Every increase round adds six stitches. Count before moving on; a missed increase changes the whole foot circumference.

Work one sc in every stitch for further rounds until the toe cup covers the toes and reaches the front of the instep when tried on. There is no fixed round count because foot shape and row gauge vary. The fabric should lie comfortably against the foot. If it squeezes or bags, undo to the increase section and correct the circumference now.

Work the open foot and heel in rows

At the start marker, work sc across two-thirds of N, leaving the final third unworked. For N = 36, work 24 sc and leave 12. This creates the top opening. Ch 1 and turn. Work one sc into each of those 24 stitches, beginning in the first stitch; ch 1 and turn again.

Repeat that plain row, keeping the same count. The unworked 12 stitches stay unworked; do not bridge them with a chain. Place a marker in the first and last sc if you tend to miss row ends. Each row must still contain 24 sc in the example. Work the foot as a U-shaped strip continuing from the toe cup.

To check length, park the live loop on a locking stitch marker and lay the slipper flat with the sole centered. Fold the final row in half to bring its two ends together at the back of the heel. Hold that proposed seam with removable clips or a short contrasting basting thread, then try it on. Add or remove rows until the heel sits correctly without compressing the toes. Remove the slipper before using a needle.

Cut the working yarn with a long sewing tail and pull it through the last loop. With the slipper inside out, fold the final row in half again and whipstitch corresponding stitches together. A 24-stitch last row makes 12 stitch pairs. Keep the seam flat; do not pull it into a hard cord. Turn right side out and check the fit before securing and weaving in the tail.

Crochet two flat mini hearts

Make one heart for each slipper. Use a contrasting yarn and a hook that produces a small, firm motif. You can use thinner yarn and a smaller hook for a smaller heart. There is no fixed finished diameter; lay the motif on the slipper before attaching it and check that it does not crowd the opening.

Make a magic ring. Work the following into that ring in order: ch 3, 3 tr, 3 dc, ch 1, 1 tr, ch 1, 3 dc, 3 tr, ch 3, sl st into the ring. The single tr between the two ch-1 spaces forms the bottom point. The opening and closing ch-3 sections frame the top cleft. There are 13 tall stitches: seven tr and six dc, not counting chains or the final slip stitch.

Close the ring gently and arrange the two lobes with your fingers. Fasten off with a sewing tail. Secure the center tail so the ring cannot open, then weave it into the back. If one lobe looks smaller, check that both sides contain three tr and three dc before you start again.

Attach the hearts and finish the pair

Place a heart on the outside top of each toe, with the point toward the toe end. Keep it off the sole and away from the foot opening. Sew around its edge with small stitches, catching the slipper fabric without stitching the top to the sole. Remove the slipper from the foot while sewing. Secure all tails on the inside without leaving a knot where it presses on a toe.

Make the second slipper to the same measurements and stitch counts, then compare them side by side. Try both on and check the heel seams, toe room and opening. A heart should stay flat when you flex your foot. If it catches or curls, remove it and resew it or use a smaller motif.

Plain yarn soles can slide on smooth floors. Use slippers cautiously and consider purpose-made slipper soles fitted according to their maker's instructions. An attached sole can change fit and care. This pattern makes no tested traction claim. Wash according to the yarn and any sole materials, and inspect seams and embellishments after washing.

Questions before you start

Can I make these from a shoe size alone?

Use actual foot measurements when you can. Shoe sizes do not tell you the wearer's forefoot circumference or your crochet gauge. The stitch formula supplies a starting point, while the removable heel seam lets you check length and entry before committing. These instructions are for adults rather than infant footwear.

Why is the top opening too tight?

First check that you left one-third of N unworked and did not accidentally join the rows into rounds. Then check the circumference and the stiffness of your swatch. A high instep may need a wider opening, which requires a revised row count and a fresh fitting rather than forcing the foot in.

Do I need a border around the opening?

A border is optional. Try the plain edge first because extra stitches can shrink the opening or make it flare. If you add a loose single-crochet edge, place stitches evenly around it, test the entry again and undo the edge if it distorts. Match the second slipper only after the first fits.

Is this the original Little Things Blogged pattern?

No. Tanya's original design is credited near the top, with a link to her website. Both patterns use the common toe-up shape, an open instep and a folded heel seam. This version differs in its stitches, counts and flat heart applique. Do not label either as the other's pattern.

Verdict on crochet slippers with a mini heart

Measure the foot, swatch and fit the first slipper with a removable heel seam. Once its circumference and length work, finish the second to match and sew a flat heart onto each toe. Keep the original designer's credit if you share her pattern, and treat our count examples as starting measurements rather than tested shoe sizes.