Knitted slippers

In some countries, it is customary to give only handmade gifts for a birthday - a purchased gift is considered offensive. We do not have such a custom, but often there is a desire to give a birthday person something original, something that no one has. It is desirable that this unique thing was not just a souvenir, but a useful item in the household. Well, what could be more useful than soft knitted slippers made of good wool? ...
Necessary materials:
For one pair of medium-sized slippers (37 ... 40) you will need about 200 g (up to 300 g, depending on the thickness of the thread) of high-quality wool, about 150 g of synthetic threads, 6 knitting needles with a point on both sides and a long hook.
Sole
She gets out first. The basis for the calculation is the insole of existing shoes or just a foot circled on a piece of paper. The pattern can be adjusted so that the slippers do not differ on the right and left, but can be knitted taking into account this difference.
The number of loops gathered for the sole and the number of loops added during the knitting process may vary depending on the size of the leg and the thickness of the yarn. I got the following calculation: knitting needles No. 4 were taken for size 37, three synthetic threads were added to the wool - the thickness of the yarn was approximately equal to the thickness of the knitting needle. To begin with, 10 loops were typed (along with the edge loops), in the next even row, a loop was added on each side, near the edge ones. After 10 and 20 rows, two more loops were added on each side. Next, three rows - without addition, subsequent rows - with the reduction of one loop on both sides until the moment when 6 loops remain on the spoke, along with the edge ones. After that, the loops close.
Knitting, as can be seen in the photo, is an ordinary scarf. You can knit hosiery (all odd rows - front, even - with purl stitches) or another viscous.
Top
To knit the top along the edge of the sole, loops are typed (their number corresponds to the number of rows, loops of the beginning and end - that is, in my case 60 + 10 + 6 = 76). The set is made either in three or five spokes, as shown in the photo.
Next, 15 rows are knitted with hosiery, after which loops are reduced in the nose of the slipper. This is done this way: on both sides of the four loops that were typed from the end of the sole, in each even row (16, 18, 20 and 22 from the beginning of knitting the top, respectively), three loops are connected together. Odd rows fit without decrease.
After the 23rd row, the knitting needles are alternately replaced with a long hook, as shown in the photo, and a lace or ribbon is drawn through them - they will fasten the top of the slipper, allowing you to adjust its tightening to the fullness of the foot.
Result
On the finished slippers we hide with a hook all the “tails”, pull them so as to give the desired shape. After that, it’s very good to wash them in cool water and dry them on a block. If the product has turned out more than necessary, it’s okay - we wash it in VERY hot water, and, carefully spreading it and stretching it with our hands, we dry it again on the block. Slippers “sit down”, fall in shape.
The gift is ready!