Crochet Flip Flops Pattern: Summer Sandals in 7 Steps

Every summer, the plainest pair of flip flops in the shop is quietly the best bargain on the shelf — because with an hour of crochet it stops being plain. This crochet flip flops pattern removes the rubber straps from an ordinary pair of soles and replaces them with a soft cotton yoke: a short tab that wraps the toe post, a stem that runs up the foot, and two wings that split to the side holes, all held fast underneath by little crochet stopper discs. The counts below are exact and unchanging — 4 stitches widen to 8, then split into two wings of 4 — so the only fitting you ever do is adding or removing plain rows. The instructions are written in full for one sandal; make the second in exactly the same way, because the yoke is symmetrical and fits either foot.

What You Need

• 1 pair of plain flip flops in your size, with the classic three-hole strap fitting (one toe post hole, two side holes)
• Worsted weight (weight 4) cotton yarn: approximately 60 yards (55 m) for the pair — one 50 g ball is plenty
• 4.5 mm (US 7) crochet hook
• Large-eye yarn needle — essential for threading the strap tails through the sole holes
• Stitch markers, scissors
• Optional: a second colour for the Step 6 edging, about 10 yards (9 m)

Cotton is not a suggestion here, it is the right fibre: it does not stretch sloppy the way acrylic does, it survives wet grass, pool decks and sea water, and its firm stitches hold the foot securely. If you are shopping for yarn, the free Craft Yarn Council yarn weight standards explain the weight 4 category and the hook sizes that pair with it. Read the size notes in the Pattern Essentials before you begin — only row counts differ between sizes.

Useful Materials from Amazon

A worsted cotton with a smooth, tightly spun strand — the kind sold for dishcloths and summer tops — is the workhorse of this pattern. One small ball covers the whole pair, with yarn to spare for the stopper discs.

Single crochet in cotton is firm work, and the yoke is nearly all single crochet. A 4.5 mm ergonomic hook with a cushioned handle keeps your fingers comfortable through two sandals’ worth of tight, even stitches.

The strap tails have to pass through the rubber holes of the sole several times, and ordinary sewing needles will not look at the job. A large-eye tapestry needle with a blunt tip threads the cotton tail, pulls it through the hole and sews the stopper discs without splitting the yarn.

You will trim the old rubber straps away and snip cotton tails close under the sole, so sharp craft scissors earn their place on the table from the first minute to the last.

Pattern Essentials

Skill level: Confident beginner — single crochet, chain and simple increases; the rest is assembly.

Gauge: 16 single crochet and 18 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) in single crochet. Gauge is not critical, but a much looser gauge makes a floppy yoke — if in doubt, drop to a 4 mm hook.

Finished measurements: The yoke suits women’s shoe sizes Small (US 5–6), Medium (US 7–8, the size written first) and Large (US 9–10). Strap width is constant: the stem is 8 stitches (about 2 inches / 5 cm) and each wing is 4 stitches (about 1 inch / 2.5 cm).

Sizes — what changes: Only row counts change. The toe tab is always 4 rows. The stem is 4 rows (S), 5 rows (M) or 6 rows (L). Each wing is 14 rows (S), 16 rows (M) or 18 rows (L). Buy your soles in your own shoe size and follow your column.

Abbreviations (US terms):

• ch = chain
• sc = single crochet
• sl st = slip stitch
• st(s) = stitch(es)
• rep = repeat
• MR = magic ring

Construction in one sentence: For each sandal you make 3 stopper discs and 1 yoke (tab, stem, two wings), push the tab end and the two wing tails through the sole’s three holes, and sew each one to a disc underneath so nothing can pull back through.

Crochet Flip Flops Pattern: Step by Step

Step 1: Prepare the Soles

Start with the soles, because the crochet must fit the holes you actually have. Flip one sole over and find the three round plugs underneath that anchor the rubber straps. Push each plug up through its hole with your thumbs — they resist, then pop — and pull the whole rubber strap assembly free from the top. If a plug refuses to move, cut the strap close to the sole on top first and push the remaining plug through from above with the handle end of your hook.

Wipe the holes clean: you want three open holes, roughly ¼ inch (6 mm) across, one between the toes and one at each side. Cotton tails pass through these holes doubled, so if a hole is unusually small, ease it open gently with the point of your scissors, turning rather than cutting.

Step 2: Crochet the Stopper Discs (Make 6)

The discs are the anchors of the whole sandal: flat crochet buttons, wider than the sole holes, that sit underneath and stop the straps pulling through. Make 3 per sandal, 6 in total.

Round 1: Magic ring, chain 1, work 6 single crochet into the ring, join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet, pull the ring closed. (6 sc)

Round 2: Chain 1, work 2 single crochet in each stitch around, join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet. (12 sc)

Fasten off, leaving a 6 inch (15 cm) tail for sewing. The finished disc measures about 1 inch (2.5 cm) across — hold it against a sole hole to check it overlaps the hole comfortably on all sides. If your holes are larger than usual, add a third round (1 single crochet, 2 single crochet in the next stitch, repeated around, for 18 stitches) to the discs for that pair. Weave the starting tail in now; keep the finishing tails, they do the sewing in Step 5.

Step 3: The Toe Tab and Stem

The yoke begins with the tab that wraps the toe post. This short piece pushes down through the toe hole, and its foundation end is what gets sewn to a disc underneath.

Toe tab: Chain 5. Row 1: Single crochet in the 2nd chain from the hook and in each of the next 3 chains, chain 1, turn. (4 sc) Rows 2–4: Single crochet in each stitch across, chain 1, turn. (4 sc)

Row 5 (widening row): Work 2 single crochet in each stitch across, chain 1, turn. (8 sc)

Stem rows: Single crochet in each stitch across for 5 more rows (Medium) — 4 rows for Small, 6 for Large — chaining 1 and turning at the end of each. (8 sc)

The piece now measures roughly 3½ inches (9 cm) long for Medium: 4 narrow rows, one widening row, and a neat strap of 8 stitches. Try it against the sole: lay the tab at the toe hole and let the stem run up towards the ankle — the end of the stem should sit about a third of the way along the foot; add plain stem rows here if your sole is much longer.

Step 4: Split for the Two Wings

The stem now divides into the two wings that run to the side holes. Each wing takes half the stitches — 4 of the 8 — and the turn at the end of each wing row is what keeps the edges straight.

Wing 1: Single crochet in the first 4 stitches only, chain 1, turn. Continue on these same 4 stitches for a total of 16 rows (Medium) — 14 rows for Small, 18 for Large. (4 sc per row) Fasten off, leaving a 10 inch (25 cm) tail for attaching.

Wing 2: Join the yarn with a slip stitch in the first unworked stitch of the stem’s last row (the 5th stitch), chain 1, single crochet in the same stitch and in each of the next 3 stitches, chain 1, turn. (4 sc) Work the same number of rows as Wing 1, and fasten off with a 10 inch (25 cm) tail.

Hold the yoke up: a short tab, a wider stem, then a clean V of two equal straps. Do a quick fit check before any sewing: drape the yoke over your foot with the tab at the toe post position and see that each wing reaches its side hole with the tail to spare. A row too long is easily forgiven — the extra hides under the sole.

Step 5: Attach the Yoke to the Sole

Take the first sole and work from the top. Push the foundation end of the toe tab (the chain end, not the stem end) down through the toe hole until the tab folds around the edge of the hole and the stem lies flat up the foot. Underneath, thread the tab’s starting tail onto your yarn needle and sew it firmly to the centre of one stopper disc with several stitches, then press the disc flat against the sole. The tab is now trapped: disc below, stem above, and it cannot pull through.

Repeat at each side: thread a wing tail through the side hole from top to bottom, sew it to a disc underneath, and press the disc flat. Work round the sandal once more, tugging each strap gently from above — a firm pull should meet solid resistance from the discs, with no slipping. Trim the sewing tails close underneath, and check the underside is smooth: the discs sit in the shallow recesses of most soles and press flatter with wear.

Step 6: Make the Second Sandal and Add the Edging

Repeat Steps 2 to 5 for the second sole: 3 more discs, one more yoke, the same row counts, the same attachment. Because the yoke is symmetrical — two identical wings — there is no left and right version to juggle; the sandal shapes itself to the foot it is worn on.

Now the edging, the touch that makes the pair look made rather than mended. With the main colour, or a contrast colour for a deliberate border, join the yarn at the base of one wing and work single crochet evenly along the whole edge of the yoke — down one wing, around the stem, up the other wing and across the ends — placing 1 single crochet in the end of each single crochet row and 1 in each stitch across the short edges. Join with a slip stitch, fasten off and weave in the ends. One round tidies every edge and frames the V.

Step 7: Finishing Touches and Fit Check

Put both sandals on and walk around the house. The yoke should hold the foot snugly without the stem digging between the toes or the wings sliding off the sides. Cotton relaxes by roughly one row’s worth of length in the first few wears, so a yoke that feels a fraction firm today is exactly right. If a wing twists, it was almost certainly worked one row longer than its partner — a five-minute unpick and re-do.

This is also the moment to dress the pair up. A small crochet flower sewn at the point of the V, where the wings divide, turns plain sandals into party footwear: the layered bloom in the multi petal crochet flower pattern looks wonderful at the centre of the yoke, and the flatter 8 petal crochet flower pattern sits neatly if you prefer something that lies closer to the foot. Sew through the centre of the flower into the stem stitches with matching yarn, and knot securely underneath the yoke where it will not rub.

To care for your sandals, spot-clean the crochet with a damp cloth and mild soap, or hand-wash the yokes under the tap and dry the pair flat away from direct sun. The cotton dries fast, the discs stay put, and the pair is ready for the next sunny day.

Final Thoughts

Plain flip flops are the friendliest upcycle in crochet: cheap soles, leftover cotton, exact counts and a result you can wear the same afternoon. Once you trust the tab-and-disc fitting, the variations are endless — stripes in the stem, beaded wings, a different flower for every holiday. If you enjoy rescuing footwear, the flower slippers crochet pattern dresses up indoor soles in the same spirit, and the braid stitch slippers crochet pattern builds a complete slipper from the sole up.