Quick Tricks - Slippers

I've never really liked any of the crocheted slippers I've made. Even if I'm wearing socks, it feels like I'm walking on knots. I didn't expect more from these, but I decided to give them a try anyway.
The materials given are four 1-ounce skeins of black Red Heart Knitting Worsted and 2 skeins of pink, along with a No. 5 (size F) plastic crochet hook. It also lists sequins and beads in the material list, but not the cardboard they want you to insert in the layers.
There are instructions for three different sizes: small, medium, and large, with no clear notes on what those sizes correspond to. I went with medium.
I used some Red Heart Super Saver in dark gray and light tan for the sole and Loops and Threads Impeccable for the upper part of the slipper. There is a gauge for both the sole and the upper that I was able to match.

The soles are done with two strands held together with a size F hook. This made a tight fabric but holding two strands together with a small hook can be frustrating and hard on my hands. There are four crocheted pieces for each sole. The top sole, bottom sole and two heel pieces.

The assembly for the soles has you sew the heel pieces together, then, "Cut a piece of cardboard slightly smaller than the Bottom Sole. Sew joined heel pieces in place on Bottom Sole, having cardboard between. Sew Top Sole in place." I had a hard time understanding this but Joel helped. In my head, the heels go on the bottom under the soles. In this case, the "heels" are between the two sole pieces. I also didn't want to use cardboard. I looked at some lightweight plastic sheets I had, thought about cork and ultimately pulled out some insoles that I wasn't using. I'm assuming the cardboard was meant to give it more structure and the insoles weren't really going to help much with that, but I didn't think the cardboard would help much either.

Making the soles was the most time consuming part of this project. The upper part was easier but there are some things I would change. The upper part is done in two pieces. First the part that goes over the toe that they call the "Instep" and then the "Back Piece" that goes around the back and overlaps the toe piece.  I think I would make the toe piece a little longer, the back piece overlap a little less and have the back piece a little higher. The back piece is done to measure 1.75 inches but it seems short and there isn't a lot of structure in the side piece either so it's a little floppy.

Those heels are half an inch higher than the front of the slipper soles. This was probably elegant in 1951 but I'm not sure they needed to be higher.

I wear a size 7.5 in women's shoes, and these were a little too small and too narrow. It felt like my feet were spilling out over the sides. My guess is the medium would be 6.5 - 7 narrow. The large adds another inch to the length but no more to the width. Overall, I like the idea of these, and with some changes, it could work. I didn't try to wear them long enough to see if it felt like I was walking on knots, and there isn't enough space for an insert to soften that issue either. 

Scoring:
Is the pattern easy to understand? Aside from the assembly, yes. 0.75
If there is a gauge, could I match it? Yes. 1.0
Does it look like the photo? Yes. 1.0
Would someone wear this? Maybe. Does anyone wear a size 7 narrow want to try? 0.75
Did I enjoy making it? Sort of. I liked the idea, but it was hard on my hands. 0.5
Total score = 4 out of 5