Aren't these cute?

I made these dorm boots using this pattern, except I worked the garter stitch sole on two needles, then switched to DPNs and worked in the round for the remainder. I also used thicker yarn, so even though I made the X-Small size, the sole is 8 inches long, and they are almost big enough for me! These will go into the warm-up box headed for the Cheyenne River Reservation.

I enjoyed this pattern so much that I wanted to try some mods that I have in mind. But first, I wanted to make the "classic" version, so I could better evaluate the advantages of any mods. I used this pattern, modified for my thicker yarn (Peace Fleece MidEast/Maine Island yarn at about 4 st/inch). Today at work, I bound off the first one:



I didn't quite get the modification right for my yarn, because this one measures about 8" long also! I was using US size 8 needles, which really was a little too tight; my wrists and arms were sore after knitting for a while. After making the mate for this one, I'll try it on size 9 needles and see what I get.

One thing I noticed about the two-needle version, is that the decreases don't look as nice. Here is a close up of the left side of the boot:



And here is the right side:



Those ugly stitches that break the decrease line are the ssp decreases. OK, probably no one but a knitter would notice the difference between the smooth decrease line on the left and the jagged one on the right, but I still don't like it.

I do like the looks of the garter stitch cuff better than the ribbed one. I know I could do garter stitch in the round also, but it just seems wrong, somehow. After all, worked flat, garter stitch is the easiest stitch in the world. It offends my tender sensibilities to complicate it so it can be worked in the round. I may have to steel myself to overcome my reluctance; the more I look at that cuff, the cuter it looks to me. Right now, however, I am going to cast on for the mate to the slipper above, and get a little more knitting done on the clock.

Hilfy guarding my coat