free pattern: calling all … elves?
About a year ago, my friend Allison hosted a bitchin holiday party (mulled wine, anyone?), and I noticed that her house shoes (socks + flip-flops) were kind of … well, sad. So I obvs offered to knit her some slippers. I don’t think she recognized the irresistible power of the Craft Challenge when she haltingly asked whether I could, maybe, make the slippers look like elf shoes?
Fuck yes, Allison. I surely can.
12 months later, I give you: Elf Shoes.
Liberate your inner pixie, sprite, jester, imp or grinch! These puckish slippers are knit in the round and fulled to fit. They feature turn-down cuffs, short-row heels, and a curly elfin toe shaped with short rows and i-cord (Yvon of Storm in the Attic invented this super-clever toe construction, which can be applied to any sock or slipper).
The pattern comes in sizes from infant to adult wide. Foot length and cuff height are customizable.

Baby Elf Shoe - photo ©Adrian Bizilia
MATERIALS:
- 1 skein Cascade 220 (100% wool, 220 yards) in Main Color (MC) (Larger adult sizes may require a second skein)
- ½ skein Cascade 220 (100% wool, 220 yards) in Contrasting Color (CC)
- Set of five US size 10.5 (6.5mm) double-pointed needles
- tapestry needle
Would you like to make Elf Shoes for yourself and/or your loved ones?
DOWNLOAD THE FREE PATTERN!

Adult Elf Shoe - photo ©Adrian Bizilia
Big, big, heartfelt thanks to the knitters who tested this pattern and provided valuable feedback; to Adrian for her sweet stump shots and for figuring out the infant math; and most of all to Yvon for her badass toe innovation.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.







December 1st, 2009 at 11:07 pm
These are just so fan-freakin-tastic and you are super-cool to offer the pattern for free. I can’t wait to make a pair (or several) of these!
December 1st, 2009 at 11:22 pm
You make me wish I was awesome and knew how to do anything crafty. Those are the best slippers I’ve seen probably EVER.
December 2nd, 2009 at 1:41 am
Those are ridiculously awesome. But, careful now, this is not the time of year to be encouraging the release of anyone’s inner Grinch!
As well as the slippers, I now really rather want mulled wine (it’s 7.39am here so I may hold off a while) and a teeny tiny model toadstool.
December 2nd, 2009 at 3:09 am
These are awesome, thanks for sharing the pattern.
December 2nd, 2009 at 3:45 am
Hands down, awesome.
December 2nd, 2009 at 5:02 am
OMG, I think I am in love. As soon as my current felted slippers need replacing… Maybe I should wear them outside to wear them out quicker…
December 2nd, 2009 at 6:18 am
You rock so hard!
I love these! OMG.
December 2nd, 2009 at 7:29 am
People have no idea what it means to say, “Can you…?” to a knitter. It’s like, IT’S ON! These are awesome!!!
December 2nd, 2009 at 7:40 am
hell and yes.
December 2nd, 2009 at 7:43 am
Adorable!!! Thanks for the pattern Pam! Here’s hoping I actually get the time to make a few pairs of these before Christmas.
December 2nd, 2009 at 7:59 am
uh-oh. A wrench has just been thrown into the smoothly operating to-do list. . . but I don’t care! These are AWESOME!! must. knit. now.
December 2nd, 2009 at 8:00 am
Ahahahaha these are amazing. A testament to the cool and ridiculous things people can do with determination and pointy sticks.
December 2nd, 2009 at 8:53 am
OMG!!! These rock SO much!! I * MUST * MAKE * THESE !!!!! You get a big star on your forehead to designing these!
December 2nd, 2009 at 8:57 am
I am so excited about these! The only question is whether I will make them for myself or for my little boy first.
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:19 am
OMG these are the best thing on the internet today!! LOVE them.
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:35 am
Now look what you’ve gone and done… Do you realize I’m going to have to make 10,000 pair of these? When am I supposed to sleep?
Sheesh.
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:47 am
Hell, yeah! Thanks so much!!! I totally need to make a pair for my daughter… and I think they’d be freaking awesome on my brother-in-law. HA! You’re awesome!
December 2nd, 2009 at 11:34 am
Awesome.
December 2nd, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Stinking cute! Omg. And can I love that you say the “f” word in your post - ah, such a thrill!:) Thanks for sharing your knitting skills, again!
December 2nd, 2009 at 5:19 pm
These are so. incredibly. cool. Thank you for sharing!
December 2nd, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Pam,
you just rock the jingle bells this year!
Thanks bunches!
~Lori
ps: How’s Crush?
December 2nd, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Oh, Pam! You are a gem amongst gems: I’ve been eagerly waiting for this pattern, yet have been put on a pattern-buying hiatus until we have more money coming in, so was worried that I would miss out this year. Thanks to your ridiculous generosity I too can have elf shoes this Christmas (even if it’s likely to be about 80F on Christmas day here). Thank you, thank you, thank you! (When my hiatus is up, I promise to make a donation to the very worthy KPMP Foundation :D)
December 2nd, 2009 at 8:33 pm
Those are freakin awesome! Thanks so much for sharing the pattern.
December 3rd, 2009 at 12:33 am
i totally needed a pattern to go with my twins’ holiday sewn pajamas and you have filled that need admirably. thanks so much for the wee pointy toes, they are the best part.
happy holidays
December 3rd, 2009 at 10:43 am
You are just so amazingly creative! Many many thanks for sharing your patterns with us.
December 3rd, 2009 at 2:57 pm
wow!!!!! beautiful!!! i’m in love!! thank you for sharing!!!
December 3rd, 2009 at 5:31 pm
No way, these are FABULOUS! I love your enthusiasm. I’ll be linking.
December 3rd, 2009 at 10:32 pm
SO cute! thanks for the pattern.
December 4th, 2009 at 10:11 am
I think I now know what I want to make my little nieces for Christmas! Thank you for sharing the pattern. It is super adorable!
December 5th, 2009 at 8:46 am
Oh! The cuteness! Reminds me of the family Christmas parties where my parents made us all dress up as elves & help serve hors d’oevres to the guests. Super, now I can inflict that on my own kids.
December 5th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
Wearing them RIGHT NOW! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!! I need to take some pix and send them to you! (Sans my ankle cast.) SO INCREDIBLE!!!!
How about a few more exclamation points?
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
December 5th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
(Also, seeing all of these comments makes me burst with even more pride, heeee!)
December 7th, 2009 at 9:50 am
MADE. OF. AWESOME.
December 8th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
[…] come in child and adult sizes. Yesss! – Elf Shoes by Flint Knits Did you enjoy this article? Please pass it on to others at your favorite social […]
December 9th, 2009 at 2:07 am
[…] Knitters – don’t you think everyone you know needs a pair of elf slippers for the holidays? […]
December 9th, 2009 at 11:24 am
These are great! This huge evil part of me wants to make a pair for my husband, who definitely is anti-elf in all aspects of his life. I wonder if knitting elf booties for a dwarf man would be grounds for divorce.
December 9th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Um, I am in love. Thank you Pam!!!
December 10th, 2009 at 9:07 am
[…] finally, just in time for the holiday season, elf shoes. The pattern sizes range from infant to adult, so you’ll definitely find one to suit your […]
December 11th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Auuugghhh!!! Just when I decided that I would only knit a pair of socks and a hat for Christmas gifts, you have to go post this absolutely fab pattern. And now I need to knit three pairs of them for all three of my boys. Right. now.
Thanks!!
December 13th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
Now why did you have to go and do that? Hmmm? I am super dooper busy with yarn and shit and haven’t been able to knit a damn thing and you come up with a FUCKING ELF SHOE PATTERN?!?!??! Damn. I guess sleeping just went out the window because I know me…I must own a pair. I collect fairies and gnomes and WILL HAVE A PAIR OF ELF SHOES IF IT KILLS ME!!!
But seriously Pam. You are da awesome.
December 18th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Rockin’ cool pattern! Just finished a pair, they’re for my sister but I’m wearing them for now. LOVE the shaping, curling and decreasing all at once, love-ity love love.
December 24th, 2009 at 9:48 am
[…] Refer to Flint Knits Felted Elf Slipper pattern […]
December 26th, 2009 at 6:05 am
Hello!
I think these are awesome! But I’m confused about how to count the stitches after the first half of the heel….I’m confused by the terms live stitches and the wrapped stitches..it’s not decreasing in stitches until there are 8 live left, right? And then I can see the loops on the side of the heel flap, so I’m guessing those might be the wrapped stitches that there should be 7 of (in my case) on either side…
I’ve only ever knit a few socks from one pattern I had, so I’m still a knitting newbie. Thanks!
January 4th, 2010 at 9:04 am
[…] Effing hilarious […]
January 5th, 2010 at 7:32 pm
Wow. These are even better than my accidental Gargamel feet!
January 10th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
I’ve been looking for some, these are great! Can’t wait to try them.
January 16th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
[…] I am working on these elf shoes and they are hard. I got the pattern off ravelry as a free download. They were designed by Pamela Wynne and her blog is Flintkints. […]
January 17th, 2010 at 9:47 am
Thank you for sharing this wonderful pattern! These are well beyond my skills/experience, but I love them SO much, I am persevering. I’m having trouble getting the gauge right–even with size 11 needles. But I shall overcome.
January 26th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
I am a self taught knitter for a year now and am starting to design my own patterns. This evening I was surfing knitting blogs to have in my cache to refer to in times of halted creativity.
I just wanted to let you know that this entry converted me to be your loyal follower. The crafty-ness as well as your personality.
You are my new favorite!
Have a nice day!
February 7th, 2010 at 8:56 pm
[…] I knit these awesome Elf Slippers for my […]
February 12th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
[…] did, as I barely had enough to finish the second foot. I think I had maybe 2 yards left over. Elf Shoes | Patons Wool Classic in Bright Red & Bright Green | US 10.5 [6.5 mm] | 2 Feb – 3 Feb […]
March 17th, 2010 at 6:01 pm
[…] Flint Knits » Blog Archive » free pattern: calling all … elves? […]
April 17th, 2010 at 8:20 pm
[…] Found here! Bookmark Idea […]
June 19th, 2010 at 5:39 am
I LOVE these!
erm I have tons of yarn in my stash that inst 100% wool so cant be felted, wondered if it works for unfelted boots as well? Would I knit a smaller size? Please Please Please help cos I am broke and cant afford to buy any wool right now and my daughter and her friends are begging me to make these for them.
Thank you
July 30th, 2010 at 11:03 am
[…] Visions of a Christmastime family shod in these vaguely elfin slippers are not going to be realized anytime soon (or, family, might you prefer these?) […]
December 5th, 2010 at 9:17 pm
I love love LOVE these slippers and want to start asap. I noticed the yarn was worsted weight. do we knit with 2 strands at a time?
February 23rd, 2011 at 10:58 pm
I just come across another pattern I never finish and these are absolutely adorable, So the other patterns sitting in a basket will have to wait till I start and finish these. Now I am by far not a double pointed knitter, do you have a version for working in the round? Help
November 25th, 2011 at 12:46 pm
[…] oppskrift: Elf Shoes av Pamela […]
March 20th, 2012 at 1:55 pm
Awesome! Must make!!
Thank you so much for the free pattern!
Best regards from Eva Mari in Norway
September 21st, 2012 at 2:22 pm
Awesome shoes. My Granddaughter is going to be a gnome for Halloween. These turned out perfect for her costume! Thanks for the free pattern.
December 3rd, 2012 at 5:44 pm
[…] that I have knit up some Cascade 220 from my stash into some child and infant sized slippers. The free pattern from Flint Knits blog explains the entire process, from knitting the oversized slippers to felting […]
December 24th, 2012 at 5:46 pm
Thanks! I’ve made 3 pairs now, they look great!
December 29th, 2012 at 8:22 pm
Thanks for this great pattern. I made a pair each for my children (25 and 22) as surprise Christmas presents. Oh yes, they were surprised and delighted by turns. I also now have orders for next Christmas.
I did have problems with the top of the sock being far to tight to get a foot through after felting, however I cut into the sock at the front and made them into lace ups. Just to finish this I knitted and added to each sock a tongue made just like the leaves around the ankle, neat. The sock has truly felted and does not appear like it will undo at all. Fingers crossed and all that.