crazy knittin’ fun

I started this morning off by winning some GGH Goa in hot pink on ebay! Woohoo! Very excited, since I have been wanting to knit with GGH for some time now. After that, I went to San Luis Obispo to knit with the Knitters’ Guild people. As an added bonus, I met two new online people: Thuy, who drove up from Santa Barbara, and Nancy, who found my blog when she was doing a search for a local sandwich place! I have a photo of them, but I realized I didn’t ask them if I could post it online, so I’m not going to right now. Instead, I will show you the crazy slippers Nancy knits for every member of her family every year:
crazyslippers.JPG
The story is her grandmother used to knit these for everyone throughout the year. One relative started using them to wash his car! Nancy decided to continue the tradition, and she’s added to it by establishing some rules: yarn comes from garage sales, and when she changes colors, she just sticks her hand into the bag and randomly grabs.
After the guild meeting, which was a lot of fun, Thuy, her husband, Nancy, and I went out for some yummy Japanese food. Oh, and did I mention it was around 80 degrees outside? It doesn’t get much better than this! Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

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24 Responses to crazy knittin’ fun

  1. amy says:

    Hey!! My Nana used to make those!! Maybe I should carry on the tradition… Using handspun wool though.. not the Phentex she used to use 😉 Actually the ones pictured are pretty stylin’… (Nana always favored orange and lime green).

  2. Elaine says:

    Seriously. I gotta learn to knit. I’m living vicariously through you, Mariko, I hope you don’t mind, but it is hard for me to get out and about since I now come with baggage and will have it for at least 15 more years.

  3. Elisabeth says:

    WOW! that’s weird!!! my grandmother has knit those slippers for YEARS, and I’ve been knitting them for about 2 years now 🙂 I love them, ’cause you can use all yarn leftovers, and they just get more fun…
    strange… my grandmother is Norwegian/Swedish, and hers look exactly the same *lol*

  4. Becky says:

    Those are some CWAAAZY slippers. I like the story behind them, too.

  5. Adrian says:

    Please let Nancy know she’s pulled me over to the dark side. I must make those slippers!

  6. claudia says:

    Hot pink? Yup, I can totally see you looking cute in that.

  7. Julie says:

    I think this is my first comment in here… been reading for a few weeks now and really enjoying it!
    We always seem to have similar tastes in project choices. 🙂 I *really* want to make Gigi now after seeing that picture. I also love the peppermint cardi, and Pumpkin Fluff. I love clothing that’s somewhat out there, whether it’s bright orange, a vintage design etc… my friends always tell me I can pull off wearing just about anything, but I tell them it’s just because I I don’t care what anyone thinks about it. 🙂
    Anyway, thanks for sharing your blog with us!

  8. linda says:

    do you know where i could find the pattern for the crazy slippers?

  9. Jenn says:

    There is a lady in my KIP group who makes those. She makes them for the girls in her daughter’s ballet class. They are great for protecting toe shoes. She said her grandmother used to make them as well. Knitting is such an interesting craft, don’t you think?

  10. Silvia says:

    I love that phrase “won it on ebay”. Much more fun than bought it online. Hot pink will look incredibly fab on you, good choice. Maybe you should start the summer knitting today since the global warming has us up to 90 degrees today – in APRIL!

  11. carolyn says:

    um seriously do you have a pattern?

  12. brina says:

    I too would love a pattern for those slippers. My late grandmother knit a pair for everyone in the family, but they’ve long since been outgrown or worn out. I’ve been thinking it would be nice to make new ones, but I haven’t found any patterns that seem right.

  13. Elisabeth says:

    Hi again… I’ve just posted my version of how to knit granny slippers in my blog http://elisabethsdagbog.blogspot.com (in English), if anyone would be interested? They are so easy to make 🙂

  14. froggy says:

    Oh, do I remember those. I used to get a pair of those all the time. Just as one pair was getting too small, Poof, here’s another!
    Love those! May have to knit my own!

  15. Sarah says:

    My great grandma used to knit those slippers, followed after her passing 38 years ago, by my gram making them. She just passed this Thanksgiving and I made my first pair. Pattern must be at least 150 years old. In my family, there is no written pattern, (or patterns of any kind for anything) only a miniature sample that great grandma made 50 years ago without sewing and without securing the strands that you wind up pulling through the stitches at the end.
    Gram was also partial to unconventional color combos and silly pompons.
    Thanks for posting that.

  16. Bruce says:

    Peter’s gonna need a pair, especially when sailing!!

  17. Mindy says:

    Man, those slippers are some kind of wacky. I love ’em.

  18. greta says:

    what comes around, goes around…those slippers looked SO familiar…OMG. This is what I love love love about the blogging world.
    You will adore the GGH (I *won* some lime green….oh it is just the yummiest…honestly) and of COURSE it will look great on you…
    Belated thanks for the click n ship link to USPS…Verrrry timely!

  19. Jenn Green says:

    Ok, this is crazy. A fine example of small-world syndrome. I’ve been reading your knitting/crafting/candy exploits for a while now and have been loving them! So, this morning I look and what the hell! I know who Thuy is – she went to high school and college with my sister. Stuff on her site sounded so familiar and I checked with my sister and sure enough, it’s her. How crazy!
    And I was watching that ebay yarn! Excellent choice! There were several GGH’s with Rebecca’s going on but I couldn’t bring myself to bid on any. Must wait until payday. Must wait until payday.
    Have a super Monday – Jenn

  20. Emily says:

    Wait! I know those shoes! Great Grandmothers all over the country must have subscribed to the same magazine. That is just Too Cool. Not to be redundant, but where can I find the pattern? It’s not one of the ones I inherited.

  21. Diane says:

    I wonder if Nancy is a long lost friend of mine? I’ve lost touch with her since she moved to California – last I heard she was on the coast somewhere running a B&B. I know that she was a knitter!
    I’ll have to start making the slippers for my family – unfortunately neither of my daughters is interested in any of my needle arts and probably won’t pass it along in our family. Guess I’ll just have to make boxes full for future generations!

  22. susan in pa says:

    That is hysterical!!! I love the crazy color combos! I had a couple pairs of crocheted slippers when I was little but hadn’t even thought to make knitted ones for my kiddos. Thanks (AGAIN!) for the inspiration, Mariko!

  23. Ann says:

    Cwazy slippahs! I love ’em.

  24. Nancy says:

    I just sent Mariko my slipper pattern for posting. Go wild with your crazy slipper knitting!
    Diane, I’m afraid I’m not your long lost friend. Although now that you mention it, starting a B&B doesn’t sound like a bad idea…

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