Day 128 - baby needs new shoes

For some reason, making a new pair of shoes has proven to be really difficult. Pictured above are my only secondary pair of shoes, the infamously stapled together Clog Boots. While they do have a certain appeal to them, they are not the most practical shoes for everyday wear. One major hindrance is that I can't go up steep inclines when I'm wearing them. We have a very steep driveway leading into/out of the parking garage in my apartment building and one day as I was trying to take a short cut to the trash (while wearing the Clog Boots), I decided to take the ramp. Much to my embarrassment/chagrin, I couldn't make it up the hill. Not even sideways using the cross-country ski hill-climbing technique! The thing that I don't understand is that before I started this project I was able to climb hills, run, jump, skip and dance in a regular pair of Dansko clogs. I am actually quite determined to make a pair of funtional clogs so I've started another pair (pictured below).

Thanks to my friend Vince's gift of exceptional fir (not to mention woodshop time) I've made new wooden soles. They are a bit rounded on the bottom for a more rolling step and with a slight heel they actually have a bit of arch support as well. While the first soles were made using an angle grinder with a carving attachment to mash into a 2 x 4 that had been kicking around the deck for a few years,


the new ones are much more refined, having used a band saw and a belt sander. Though not perfectly finished (to Vince's dismay - Hey, fashion doesn't have all day, Vince), I'm confident that these soles, once I've added the rubber car tire treads, will have much more mobilty potential. Stay tuned.