Island of Misfit Patterns

by AuntieJimbo

Summertime is upon us here in the Valley of the Sun! It’s time to have a pedicure and go shopping for some new flip flops! When I was a kid I hated getting new flip flops (we called them thongs, but I can’t help but think of butt-floss whenever I hear the word). The skin between my first two toes was tender and weak from being safely ensconced in layers of wool socks and snow boots. The plastic part that connected the rubber sole to the straps always rubbed a raw spot between my toes. Why did it take me 32 years to come up with a more fashionable solution than a Band-Aid? Who knows, but thank Petes I did!

A Google search resulted in many results for a foot thong, and none of them were what I wanted. A short conversation with some of the wonderful chatters in the old faithful Knitty chat proved helpful, but nothing was quite what I wanted. I’m not a pattern writer by any stretch of even the most flexible imagination. This is only a very basic recipe which will hopefully be taken to higher heights by more experienced, less math-phobic (Happy Pi day!) knitters than I. But I hope you like it!

Materials:

• I used Regia Bambou in a color whose name I cannot find.
• Needles: bamboo (are we sensing a trend?) DPNs, US 2.
• Tapestry needle for weaving in ends
• Pedicure (you see our model Chloe needs a pedicure!)

Directions:

Cast on 64 stitches, divided 22, 22, 20 on three needles. Join, being thoughtless and devil-may-care about the twisting thing. A twist might prove to be uncomfortable, though.

Since this is a short item, I recommend you join by slipping the first stitch on the first needle back over the last stitch on the third needle, and then placing that last stitch on the third needle onto the position of first stitch on the first needle. This will shrink what I like to call the stretch mark in the first few rounds.

So you’ve cast on and joined your stitches! Now continue in a k2 p2 rib for about half an inch. Then switch to stockinette until the Fong is long enough to cover the ball of your foot and end just before your toe cleavage shows.

Are we there yet? Ok, here’s the tricky part. Bind off the first eight stitches of needle 1. Leave the next five stitches on the needle and float your yarn behind them. With a new needle, continue binding off the rest of the stitches through the rest of needle one and all of needle two. Continue binding off until you reach the last thirteen
stitches of needle three. Move the next five stitches to a new needle, float the yarn behind these five, and bind off the remaining eight stitches. Snip the end of the yarn and leave it dangling until it’s time to weave in the ends.

When I did this, I had six stitches on each remaining needle: the last from binding off, and the five that I’d moved to the spare needle. Perhaps there’s a better way to manage this, but at this point in my knitting career I don’t know what that might be. So take up your yarn again and begin knitting the stitches on the first needle, again in stockinette stitch. Knit until this piece is long enough to connect the front and back of the Fong with no pulling or stretching. Line up the two needles, join the stitches and bind off with the kitchener stitch, 3-needle bind off, or whatever ‘I’m done with this thing!” method you prefer.

Voila! You may now wear your new flip flops without danger of injury! Hooray, Fong!

About the Designer:

The author acknowledges that this isn’t the most well-thought-out pattern ever, but appreciates your adventurous spirit. She blogs at Old Lady PenPal Shares a Tale and can be found on Ravelry under the name AuntieJimbo.