How to Make Boots With Yarn

Fulling a large sock after knitting makes it boot-like.

You can make boots out of yarn by knitting a large "sock" and then "fulling" it to make it more sturdy and boot-like. "Fulling" is the process of washing knitted or woven fabric in hot water so that it shrinks and tightens, becoming warmer and more durable. It's similar to felting, but with felting, you use a mass of unknitted wool. To know how big to knit your boot so that it will fit after fulling, you have to knit and full a swatch. Then your measurements will allow you to calculate how big to knit the boot.

Things You'll Need

• Wool yarn
• Double pointed needles
• Washing machine
• Dryer

Instructions

1. Knit a swatch, 4 inches in circumference, with your chosen yarn and needles. Measure the swatch carefully and write down how many stitches you cast on. Wash the swatch in hot soapy water in the washing machine and then dry it in the dryer. Now measure your swatch again. Let's say it shrank by 1 inch in circumference and length. If it was 4 inches long to begin with, it is now 3 inches. Divide the amount it shrank by the final dimension -- divide 1 by 3 -- to get the percentage that you need to add to your sock circumference. In this case, you would add 33 percent.

2. Place the end of a tape measure on your heel and measure up to the ankle. This is the measurement of the leg of your boot, so you can pull it over your heel. Add the extra percentage that you need for shrinkage. Multiply that number by your swatch's gauge before fulling. This is the number of stitches you need to cast on.

3. Cast on the leg stitches and knit until the leg is the desired length. Put half of the leg stitches on one needle and knit a heel flap that is square. Turn the heel at the bottom of the heel flap by knitting to the center of the flap. Then knit 2 together and knit 1. Turn the work. Purl 2, purl 2 together and purl 1. To purl, insert the right needle in the loop on the left needle, at the front of the stitch from back to front, wrap the yarn around the needle, and pull the stitch off the left needle. Turn the work. Knit to the gap, knit the 2 stitches on either side of the gap together and then knit 1. Continue in this manner until you get to the end of the heel flap stitches.

4. Pick up gusset stitches along one edge of the heel flap. Knit across the instep. The gusset is a triangle-shaped piece that allows for arch expansion on the foot. Pick up gusset stitches on the other side of the heel flap. Knit the sole stitches. Knit to the end of the gusset stitches; knit 2 together. Knit across the instep. At the beginning of the other gusset stitches, knit 2 together. Decrease in this manner every other round until you have the number of stitches needed for the foot circumference.

5. Calculate the total knitted length before fulling. For the toe, you will be decreasing 4 stitches every other round until you have half the number of stitches you had for the foot. Calculate how many rows the toe decreases will take up. Then calculate how many inches that number of rows will be. Subtract this number of inches from the total length of the knitted boot. Knit until you reach this measurement, and then begin the toe decreases.

6. Decrease the toe in the following manner. Divide the toe stitches evenly on four needles. Start knitting on needle 1 at the middle of the sole. Knit to within 4 stitches of the end of the needle, and then decrease by knitting 2 together, and then knit 2 stitches plain. To knit 2 together, insert the right needle into 2 stitches at once, and knit them together.

7. Begin knitting on needle 2. Knit 2 of the instep stitches, and knit 2 together, to make another decrease at the toe. Knit to the end of needle 2. Start on needle 3. Knit across the instep to the last 4 instep stitches, knit 2 together to decrease, and then knit 2. On needle 4, knit 2 stitches of the sole stitches, knit 2 together to make a decrease, and then knit to the end of needle 4. This is one decrease round. Knit 1 round plain. Knit another decrease round as described above. Alternate these two rounds until you have slightly less than half the number of stitches you started with on the foot. Weave the ends together using a Kitchener stitch.

8. Wash the knitted boots in the same manner that you washed the sample. Check the shrinkage half way through the washing to see if they are the right size yet. If the boots fit before the time is up, take them out. If they are too big at the end of the wash cycle, put them in the dryer with a towel on low for 10 to 20 minutes, checking the fit from time to time.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure that your yarn is 100% wool. Synthetics and cotton do not felt well. Some bleached wools do not felt well also, and superwash wool will not felt at all.

References

• "Felted Knits"; Beverly Galeskas; 2003