Saturday, December 11, 2010

To Slipper or Not

Do you remember those old time slipper socks?

The upper part of the slipper was a patterned knit, something like a Scandinavian sweater and the sole was leather (or fake leather) that was whip stitched to the top. I remember getting several pairs when I was a kid.

Someone wasted their money for sure because I never, ever wore slippers of any kind. I've always been a barefoot-in-the-house kind of person. My shoes are off faster that you can wink, as soon as I walk in the house.

My distaste for wearing shoes (or slippers) must be hereditary because I don't believe my great-grandmother ever owned a pair of shoes. It wasn't exactly necessary in backwater Florida in the 1800's. My father was not wearing shoes in any of the pictures of him as a kid. Again, they weren't exactly needed in rural Florida. The kids walked to school, played and worked in the fields barefoot.

When the weather turned cold this fall I started wearing socks around the house. Somehow my foot thermometer has changed and the socks felt good. So, last week while shopping in Target I spotted a pair of slippers that were a soft suede fabric, lined with a fleece material. They looked like the slipper form of an Ugg boot. The bottoms were hard soled and I thought, "Oh, so cute. I could probably also wear them as shoes." They were definitely an impulse purchase. They just looked so nice sitting on the display and so I took them home with me.

The next evening it was getting chilly in the house and I made a beeline for my cute new slippers. On they went, so soft and cozy, and I plodded off to the computer to read some e-mail.

Five minutes. FIVE MINUTES. No, I take that back, it was UNDER FIVE MINUTES!! My feet felt like they were wading through pools of hot lava on Mount Kilauea.

Photobucket
Pele hot.

It was terrible, horrible heat and off those suckers went - back in the box, back in the bag, back to Target they go!

This is not a case where I'd be willing to suffer for fashion. Remember wearing 4 inch heels or go-go boots? No more.

My sister came to the rescue and showed me how to make a pair of thinner, cozy slippers from a felted wool sweater. They're just softly warm, very lightweight and they're just enough.

How about you? Do you wear slippers?

P.S. I'll ask my sister if the basic slipper pattern is copyrighted. If it's not I'll share with you.



16 comments:

chocolatechic said...

I wear wool socks...no slippers.

If I need a sole, then I just slip on my crocs to do whatever.

My feet hate to be contained.

Ang. said...

I wear slippers for probably 5 months out of the year. I have cold feet and live in an old farmhouse with cold floors! I used to knit all of my own but I would wear a pair out every year. I finally bought a pair of hard soled ones last year. They are still going strong. Sometimes my feet get hot so I'll slip them off for a bit. Love my slippers!

Leslie T. said...

I do wear slippers. My feet get cold really easily. Plus, among my many oddball neuroses, I hate getting my feet dirty. Even in the house I'll wear shoes or slippers or whatever. In the summer I'll wear flip-flops, even in the house.
My husband, on the other hand, is never cold, loves to go barefoot, and the soles of his feet are so calloused, you could bounce quarters off of them. Not that I've tried, but you never know what kind of recreation you might find yourself indulging in. :)

OneOldGoat said...

I have those very slippers on my feet as we speak. I HATE shoes but it is so cold here that I can't stand it. I would love to see the pattern if it's not copyrighted.

Beth

Millicent said...

I'm a barefoot gal myself. Of course, I live in Texas, so that makes it pretty easy. I do wear socks in the winter if my feet are cold, but I consider that going barefoot. And...when I have to go outside sometimes it's in crocs or sometimes in socks :)

Jody Blue said...

Sheep skin slippers, out 110 year old house has REALLY cold floors. Do share the pattern if its available.

Terri said...

The ones you got as a kid were called MuckLucks. That is a phonetic spelling, I'm sure, but we wore them when we were little. They are from natives, I believe, and I'd love to make some for my grandkids that live in AK and WA. A bit odd, but so's their Granny.
I wear slippers all winter, but that is a short season in CA. When we go out it's still sandles. That's as much shoe as I can stand.
<3 Terri

Blondi Blathers said...

Slippers? No. Shoes? Yes. My dad, who has the same high arch as me, was told by a foot doctor when he was having foot pains that in the house he should wear shoes with good soles. He started doing it and has had no more problems. I did the same when I found that being on my feet in the kitchen for an hour or more was making my feet, legs or lower back sore. It made a huge difference. Now I can work there for hours and no problems.

But good warm socks, I am rarely without. I even wear my woolies in the summer unless it's a very hot day. My bigger problem is that my feet then sweat, and the sock gets wet, and then my feet get cold!

What I probably need to solve that problem is socks with a higher wool content. These are hard to find. Maybe I should search Etsy.

Lisa D. said...

I'm like you, I have to be barefoot. As soon as I get home from town the socks and shoes come off.
We do have cold floors in this house in the winter, and I find that my feet can get very sore after a day standing in the kitchen so I try to wear a pair of sandals, with a nice comfy sole, around the house. That's just enough to keep my feet off the cold floor, but not be too hot. More often than not though, I'm barefoot.

renae said...

I wear those old fashioned slipper socks! Toasty feet!

Donna@soakinginmustard.com said...

I prefer to wear socks but when it's really cold, socks and scuffs.

Like you, I don't like hot feet.

If we lived in a warmer part of our great country, I'd be barefoot ALL the time.

Tess said...

In the house, I'm barefoot. Outside, I am loafers and still refuse to wear socks. Socks make me perfectly miserable and I own only one good pair of white ones. Of course, it helps to live in South Texas.

Vee said...

Rarely, but sometimes my feet get so cold. I like the look of those Scandanavian slippers with the leather soles. Guess I won't invest, though. I think that I get this from my mother who never wears shoes or slippers around the house or in the summer unless she's going somewhere.

Nance said...

I'm in Iowa. It is brutal cold right now. I'm barefoot. I'm too old now to learn to wear shoes.

Cherrie said...

Socks only for me! I am kicking covers off during the night just to get my feet cool!

DayBreak Ventures said...

The upper part of the slipper was a patterned knit, something like a Scandinavian sweater and the sole was leather that was whip stitched to the top.


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