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Cosplay Knitting: Zori Sandals

 GUYS! I learned a new thing. This may be a "Yeah, duh!" kind of situation, but I never thought to knit or crochet sandals. Seems like a legit thing, especially for ME, who has small feet and a hatred of that round plastic between the toe rod of normal flip-flops. 

These techniques can work for other series too that use the zori aka thong sandals. (AKA the bane of my feet's existence.)


Method Considerations

This is more than likely going to be a crochet project than a knitting one, to be honest. But all in all, there are 3 main methods for making knitted footwear: 
  • 90% Yarn 
  • Hole punched Soles
  • Repurposed Flip-Flop/Thong Sandals
With mostly yarn, you're going to basically have super floppy, uncomfortable sandals unless you include some sort of stiff material like a stiff felt or EVA foam or an old sandal. 

Hole punch soles or insoles let you knit up around the sole instead of knitting the sole itself. 

Repurposed sandals provide the base, and you knit or crochet around the already existing structure. 

The patterns I've found mostly utilize the first and third methods. 

Free Patterns

  •  Note: Crochet up to round 7 to match the anime style. Pick up again where she explains the buttons.  
  • Crochet Sandals using Flip Flops (you'll need to adjust this pattern to match the anime but it's a good base.) 
  • Women's Crochet Flip Flops (The style is pretty spot on here. You can exclude that grey strap in the middle or crochet it before the other straps and make it the same color as the tabi. I'm not mad about extra hold-on straps. 
  • Knitted Flippy-Floppies (Ravelry Link. Instead of knitting 2 straps, knit 4 per sandal to account for the heel strap.) 
  • Fabify Your Flip-Flops (Again, this only covers standard flip-flop/thong sandals and doesn't include a back strap.)

My Suggested Pattern

  • Get an old pair of flip-flops and remove all the plugs. You'll have some pretty big holes. 
    • Alternatively, you can MAKE a sole from EVA foam play mats. Poke two holes on the insteps of your foot and between the big and second toe.
  • Measure with a piece of yarn or measuring tape from between your toes and around your heel, and around your ankle. See the diagram below: 

  • For a tie up zori

  • Knit or crochet a ribbon in a length equal to that measurement. It should only be about 1 - 1.5 inches (5 - 8 cm) thick. Use single crochet or stockinette stitch. 
  • Get some flat buttons, and using cord, elastic, or scraps of yarn, make loops and feed them through the plug holes. The flat buttons should be on the bottom of the sandal, with the loops sticking through the top of the sandal. Glue the buttons in place. If the loops are thin and there's still a plug hole visible on the top of the sandal, fill it in with hot glue or air-dry foam. 
  • Weave the knitted/crochet ribbon through the 3 loops. 
  • Stick your foot into the sandal and wrap the ribbon around it like the diagram above. Adjust the length of your ribbon accordingly. You can either tie it in a bow or create a button/buttonhole to secure the ribbon around your ankle. 
  • Cover the Ankle loop with a leg wrap/kyahan. 

Patterns for Sale

Honestly, I think some of the free patterns are more accurate, but felting the sandals or following the pattern to include a thick sole is of benefit. 

Also, if you DO make a sole out of yarn, you might want to coat the bottom with silicone or sew on some felt/suede soles. 

You can check search for premade soles out of Espadrilles rope, suede, leather, felt, or foam. These will have holes punched in around the sides, which are better for slippers

Suggested Techniques

Felting

If you don't want the sandals to have an obvious knitted or crocheted look, I suggest felting after you finish the project. Traditional felting really only works with WOOL yarns. 

But if you used acrylic yarns, the slicker brush method kind of works too: 

Projectarian also has a good blog post about turning an acrylic yarn project into something needle felted. 

Toe Comfort

OMG, do I hate a cylinder post between my toes. Most cheap flip-flips have this rubber or plastic piece jammed in there. Granted, a plastic or rubber ribbon will equally slice right in there. I have a couple of ideas to make it more tolerable. 
Cursed post!
  • Replace with a knitted i-cord 
  • Replace with a crochet chain
  • Replace with a leather/canvas/cotton cord
  • Replace with a ribbon
  • Replace with scrap fabric, preferably a knit or stretch fabric
  • Wrap with moleskin
  • Crochet around the post with wool
  • Toe Cushions
Wearing Tabi will HELP if they are thick enough, but if you have EXTRA sensitive, baby foot skin (like me), then these suggestions will provide additional protection. 

Back Strap

The heel strap will NOT stay up on its own. This is some anime bullshit that it will hold. However, I think Mitsuri's sandals kind of "solve the issue" and show how everyone's sandals really work. 
Such a simple solution

Everyone pretty much hides this ankle portion under their kyahan. However, my Nezuko cosplay zori has an extra loop to use a clear ankle strap to keep it from slipping down. 
There's a fabric loop on the heel strap. 

It is a method but let's look at some ways to keep that dang heel strap from slipping. 
  • Leave long yarn bits and tie them around your ankle, then cover with the leg wrap
  • Use a clear adjustable ankle strap that goes through a loop on the back of the heel strap. 
  • Sew it directly to the back of the sock. 
  • Include a button loop on the top part of the heel strap, then sew a button to the sock or inside the kyahan/leg wrap
  • Use double-sided tape
  • Use Velcro spots on the heel strap and sock
  • Have scrap yarn or cord on the inside of the leg wrap in the back or on the back of the sock. Loop the scrap yarn around the back heel strap and tie it off to hold it up.

And that about does it for my contemplation on this kind of project. I'll probably use it at some point because my current sandals keep giving me blisters, and I like having shoes that fit. Also, I have a lot of sandals I could upcycle. 😅
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