Handmade Cozy Winter Sheepskin and Wool Slippers for my Family

Winter is the perfect time to get crafty, and there's no better way to stay warm than with a pair of handmade sheepskin and wool slippers! In this blog, I’ll walk you through the steps I took to create these natural, cozy slippers for my family. From choosing the right materials to the assembly process, I’ll share all the knowledge I’ve gathered, so you can make your own.

The project that led to me learning to crochet...

If I can make these - you can make these. I went from having zero crocheting skills to making 6 pairs of these in under 2 months.

While the full pattern is not included here (I'll link it), this blog will give you the foundational tips and inspiration you need to get started on your own winter slipper project.

Table of Content

1. Background

2. The pattern

3. What you need to know how to do

4. What you need

   1. Crochet hooks

   2. Sheep skin soles

   3. Yarn/Wool

   4. Cords and cords stoppers

5. Tips to make these slippers

6. How long do the slippers take to make

7. Our verdict of the slippers

   1. Tips for toddlers wearing them out

   2. How to wash them

A little bit of background

As we prepared to enter our third winter in Calgary, Canada I started searching for the best ways for me and my family to be warm and cozy.

If you know about Calgary - you know winters are harsh and long. And if you know about me - you probably know I care about our health (in this case I'm referring to our desire to have items that touch our skin be made of natural fibers). Naturally (pun sort of intended), my search led me to wool and sheep skin. A very popular sheep skin and wool slipper option for toddlers in Canada are the ones below (these were the source of inspiration):

These slippers are the PadraigCottage slippers made of sheepskin and wool. They seem amazing, but... like most wool items they are pricey (understandable, but still). Especially for toddlers who outgrow slippers pretty quickly.

Side note: It is understandable that quality wool items are pricey, but for our family it makes the most sense for me to try to find a way for us to have all natural items that doesn't create financial pressure. Plus, it is fun and exciting to learn a new skill.

The price tag of these slippers (around $60 at the time of writing this) and other wool items I wanted led me to look at buying wool and making wool items. But... then I realized that can be pricey too (buying wool, soles and a pattern), especially since I did not know how to knit or crochet (my grandmother knitted the scarf I was supposed to make for school in 7th grade). I then decided to learn to crochet using Youtube videos and thrifted wool (real wool) with the goal in mind to make cozy winter sheepskin wool slippers for my family. My goal was to learn to crochet by making a few slippers from free patterns and thrifted wool and when I felt my skill was decent enough - to make the purchases I needed to make the amazingly cozy and warm winter sheepskin and wool slippers for my family.

And here we are... I have made 6 pairs of the cozy winter sheep skin slippers, and I intend to make more!

Here is how I made these warm, handmade sheep skin sole & wool slippers for my family

Step 1- I learnt the basics of crocheting (I'll share more about this) and then step 2 - I purchased the patterns to make the slippers.

Note: I'm going to share where I bought the pattern from now, but please read the rest of the information to decide if it is the right choice for you.

Buying the pattern:

I bought the pattern from LogLifeHandmade on Etsy, but I think you can also buy it directly on the Makers lodge website.

All credit for these designs goes to Christine Kitchen from Makers Lodge / LoglifeHandmade.

Which pattern to buy?

There is a bundle and then the individual patterns (adult, children and baby). In my case I was making slippers for 3 adults, 1 child, 1 toddler and 1 baby - so I bought the Pattern Bundle that included all of them (you save $6.50).

This is the first crochet pattern I purchased, and it is good! Especially for a beginner. It gave all the details in an easy to read and look up way. Plus, there is a Youtube video you can use to visually see how to do everything as well.

Since crocheting is the hobby I do while my toddler plays independently, and I like to lessen the use of screens around her - I printed out the pages of the pattern I wanted and made a file.

What you need to know how to do:

These are the crocheting "skills" you will need to know how to do to make the slippers:

1. A slip knot

2. A chain stitch

3. A single crochet

4. A half double crochet

5. A double crochet

For these slippers you will also do a decrease and an increase. Which can seem daunting, but you've got this. It is a minor variation to the double crochet to decrease the total stitches in the round (you join two together) or increase (you do 2 double crochets into one stitch).

I learnt how to do these stitches using Youtube videos.

Coming soon - I'll make some videos of how to do all these stitches, but for now you can find others on Youtube.

I purchased the soles with holes punched into them. The pattern shows you how to attach the yarn to the sole. I was nervous about doing this, but it is very simple.

What tools you need:

You will need:

1. Crochet hooks - Size 3mm and 5mm

These are the crochet hooks I have:

I bought them from Amazon for around $10 and so far they are serving me well!

Note: I briefly (twice) lost my 3mm and ended up using 3.5mm or 4mm for some of the slippers to attach the yarn to the slipper. The size of the hook isn't that important for that part as long as the hook can go into the holes in the sole and hook the yarn.

The 3mm is used to attach the yarn to the sole and the 5mm is used to crochet the slipper.

2. Sheep skin soles

I bought the sheep skin soles from Maker's Lodge website.

Affiliate disclaimer: I am not an affiliate of Maker's Lodge and I do not in any way benefit from you using the link or making a purchase of the pattern or the supplies. I do have Amazon Affiliates and may make a small commission if you use those links (see my disclaimer page for more details).

I bought the soles with holes, because I didn't want to go through the effort of punching holes. Although I do have a leather hole punch that I've used for other projects. If you buy the soles without holes you will need a punch.

3. Yarn/Wool

Because one of the driving factors behind making these myself instead of buying slippers that have already been made was cost - I chose wool that was on sale (except the slippers I made as a gift for my mom and niece).

For the baby and toddler slippers I got the Katia Love Wool - It is Super Bulky Virgin Wool and Alpaca blend.

For the child and adult sizes I got the Cascade Yarns Magnum in 3 different colours.

Tip: For the Cascade Yarns Magnum they have a free option where they wind it into a ball for you. I currently do not have a wool winder and have rolled many skeins & hanks into balls. It isn't difficult, but it definitely adds some time to a project that could be better spent if the company offers the free option.

For both the toddler and baby slippers, 1 ball of the wool was enough. For the child and adult 1 was enough for all of them that I made, except my husband's - Size Male 11 with the additional optional row to make them wider. Without the additional row I think 1 ball would have been enough. The pattern does indicate how much you will need for each size.

These lime slippers are size 11 with an optional additional row to make them wider. I used just a little bit more than 1 ball.

4. Laces/ Cords and Cord Stops

In my experience the cords and cord stops are mostly decorative on these slippers. The fit is such that I don't find them necessary in order to keep the shoe on tightly. Maybe as time passes and they stretch I might change my mind, but I am sharing in case you want to save cost and effort and leave these off.

Makers Lodge sells the cords, and black cord stops on their website.

I purchased them, but by accidently purchased too few. I then ordered the clear cord stops on Amazon because I thought they looked nicer.

Tips to make these slippers

You can do it! If you can follow along with one of the free Youtube videos that make baby slippers you will be able to make these slippers.

Use a row counter app for the adult slippers. The only part I found "difficult" was when I made the adult slippers, and I needed to keep count of many stitches in a row to know when to change from a single crochet to a decrease. I used a row counter app (but counted stiches and not rows) to help because I crochet while with my toddler which means sweet interruptions, but also I want my mind to be on her and not counting.

You can fix it. I made loads of mistakes. Like really silly errors, but I could fix all of them. One of the shoes I started at the toes instead of the back, another one I crocheted to the right instead of the left, another I crocheted a different size onto a larger sole and only realized when I got to row 3, and another one I finished the slipper and realized I forgot a row. These errors were purely because I crochet as a hobby throughout the day while with a toddler, not because the slippers are difficult. All these errors were fixable. So, you can do it and if you make a mistake - you can fix it.

How long do the slippers take to make?

This depends on the size you are making. The small ones are really quick to make (1 to 2 hours at most doing them slowly). The adult ones take a bit longer and the large ones for my husband took quite a bit of time. But still only a few hours doing them slowly.

Our verdict of the slippers

We love them!

I made a pair for my mom as a gift, and she wore them every day she was here in Canada visiting us (which was a month). They are comfortable and warm, but not too hot (breathable because they have holes and good at temperature regulating because they are made of wool).

Our toddler Elba wears them all the time. Noteworthy was that we used them when we travelled to Costa Rica for her to wear during the travel. They were perfect car, airport and plane "shoes".

I have washed all of our slippers, and they hold up through being washed. I use a lovely natural wool wash (it has lanolin in) and wash them on a wool cycle. Because the wool wash has a bit of lanolin in the slippers don't get that dry feeling wool can sometimes get after being washed.

When in Calgary Elba only wears her slippers inside and when we go outside in the snow she wears Stonz booties over her slippers. We are very particular about footwear, and we choose barefoot, wide toebox, flexible sole shoes only. The slippers together with the Stonz booties are a great choice. The booties are made to be worn over slippers/shoes and won't be warm enough on their own. The slippers provide the warmth, and the booties provide the waterproof cover.

Because we love them, I will be making more! Next on my list is to place an order to make some for our family in South Africa. Although winters are not as long or harsh there - it does get pretty cold indoors without heating systems like in Canada.

These are cozy, they are natural, they support natural foot movement, they are not scratchy, and they are more affordable than buying wool slippers. Plus, it is really satisfying to make them and a wonderful meditative act of using my hands to make something for my family and feel proud when I see them wear them.

I'd love to hear what you think!

Stay tuned for more,

Carmen