Knits for Men #DebsKnittingChallenge

Knitting for the men in your life is renowned for being a bit tricky.
Take my Other Half for example...
He mostly lives in combats, tshirts and hoodies. In black (or, to paraphrase Lego Batman, ' very, very dark grey'). He would not be seen dead in a fair isle sweater. Or any kind of sweater to be honest!



In the past I have made him a beanie (in black, obviously), a pair of fingerless 'biker' mitts (also in black, although they did have a white skull and crossbones intarsia pattern...) and regular plain black fingerless gloves for work...

so far so boring...

When Debenhams challenged me to produce a Christmas knit for the man in my life, I was glad they didn't insist on a novelty Christmas jumper (although you will find plenty of lovely ones in their men's knitwear range  as well as some more classic designs by British Sewing Bee judge Patrick Grant)

I decided to use this opportunity to try something I haven't done before and flicking through my trusty 'Fab Feet and Cosy Toes' book by Anna Tillman I found the perfect pattern for felted slipper boots.

Knitted in Rowan BIG Wool on 10mm dpns then felted in the washing machine to create a firm, thick fabric to keep the chills at bay, I thought they would be the perfect cosy Christmas gift!

Super chunky wool calls for super chunky needles! Yes, I know. Black and grey (called GLUM which must be the best name for grey EVER!)

I know a lot of people are scared of working in the round with dpns (double pointed needles) but I LOVE it!

I've turned a few heels in my time but never one quite as big as this one!

Grafting the toe with kitchener stitch.
 I have done this so many times but I STILL need to follow instructions when I do it!

One finished boot! They really did come out HUGE and I must admit I had my fingers crossed that the alchemy of felting would not let me down once I popped these big boys in the washing machine..

...but I needn't have worried - they turned out perfect!

Machine washed at 40 degrees they shrunk down perfectly and made a really thick fabric. The top part of the slipper is turned back to form a cuff. I love the way the texture provides a contrast as well as the colour change.

I will be wrapping these up with a cosy fleece dressing gown ready to give to Owen on Christmas Day.
I hope he likes them...

If you would like to see more #DebsKnittingChallenge entries search the hash tag on Twitter and Instagram!

This post was sponsored by Debenhams who supplied the wool for me to knit Owens fab Felted Slipper Boots. Thank you Debenhams for inviting me to take part in the #DebsKnittingChallenge