Barefoot sandals

[rydra_wong]

Please excuse the terrible quality of the photograph and the apocalyptic mess of a desk on which my feet are propped, and focus on the sandals:



I made these from a kit from InvisibleShoe.com, who will sell you a sheet of 4mm Vibram Cherry rubber and a pair of nylon laces, and provide the instructions on their website.

I modified said instructions slightly: I decided that rubber against bare skin was going to be unpleasant in the heat and used Shoe Goo to attach a layer of denim from my rag bag, leaving it rough around the edges (because I like the look and because I'm lazy), and I pulled a loop of lace through the toe hole rather than a single strand so I could modify the tying system and make them simpler to take on and off.

I'm really pleased with how they've turned out. It's taken a few days of wear for the lump of the knot under the sole to flatten out, and for me to learn how to wear them (mysteriously, it's easier to walk with them laced more loosely), but they're now very comfy and I expect them to be my standard wear when it's too hot for shoes.

If you're in a climate which is sandal-friendly at any point in the year, this could be a good cheap way of trying out barefoot shoes and seeing how they work for you.

Comments

[rydra_wong]

Ooh, interesting. A design like that might be fairly easy to make using the InvisibleShoe kit (or a sheet of Vibram Cherry rubber from anywhere, but it's hard to buy individual sheets) -- knit the upper, sew it to a flat cloth sole, then glue it to the rubber sole with Shoe Goo.

Not that I knit, but I know knitters ...

[feanna]

You'd want to make sure that the sock you're using is very firmly fitting (not unflexible but not slipping on the foot, so elastic but strong) though. I do know that this is the second iteration of the sock they're using and that it's made by a hight quality (brand name) sock manufacturer. Of course when you're knitting yourself (or a friend) you can experiment with what you like. It's worth noting though, that the adherence of the sole to the ground and the weight of the sole itself, means more of a tendency for the sock to slip (or at least move around a bit) than if you're simply walking in socks (or you're at least much more aware of it).

I do like them so far though. Obviously they're not water proof at all, which is no problem if you're actually running, but not so good for rainy weather ordinary wear. They are (machine)washable though.

I was mostly happy to get barefoot shoes at a relatively low price and without toe seperation (I can do tabi, but even 5toe-socks drive me mad).

They're also really nice for taking to the fitness studio, or otherwise carrying them around, because they take up almost no space in a bag. (They roll up too)