Pattern review:
I had been looking for an EASY single piece baby bootie pattern the whole time I was pregnant. I had found quite a few crochet baby bootie patterns but it really took me forever to find a knit baby bootie pattern that I really loved. This one was perfect! The shape of the foot and cuff was just what I was looking for and they knit up really quickly which was, of course, a huge bonus. Each pair of knit booties comes together fast enough that I can really make a pair in every color to match any and every outfit baby Sally has! It’s so fun to be able to pop these adorable and snug little shoes on her feet- they even fit well over a sleeper or socks. They’re tight and stay on her feet but most importantly they keep her little tootsies warm! I’ve only made the 0-3 month size so far but I can already tell they’ll stretch nicely as her teeny baby foot grows longer. I will say that if you aren’t used to double pointed needles, this may be a bit tricky at first. And for the first pair of booties I was having a hard time picturing how this bootie came together. But if you follow the directions exactly and are very careful to count your stitches properly, you’ll start to see the shoe take shape and it will get easier as you go along. I’m obsessed with how they look. What do you think?! I’ve listed my the pattern details below with a link to the original pattern found on etsy (it’s on revelry too if you are a ravelry user) and also a link to the finished booties if you’d rather purchase a finished pair!
- Start out knitting a straight rectangle. I didn’t find the length as important here as making sure you have 30 places to pick up stitches along the side edge. As long as your rectangle is that length, you’ll be able to pick up the right amount of stitches later on. The exact length of this first part (which ends up being the cuff) will vary slightly with your yarn choices.S
- Pick up stitches along the knit edge. This can be tricky at first but my advice is this: always pick up your stitches CONSISTENTLY- that means inserting your needle through the same space and under the same part of the edge stitch every time. Even if your method is “technically” flawed, your pick up will still look the same along the whole edge. You won’t even see this part so don’t stress over it too much. DO remember that the single stitch remaining from your cast off of the original rectangle counts as a stitch. Don’t accidentally skip that stitch in your counting or you will end up with 31 stitches along your edge instead of 30. The needle in the image above is pointing to the space where I pick up stitches (in between each “ridge” of my rectangle).
- Flatten out your piece and recount your stitches.
- Stitch your 10 rows evenly and prepare to split stitches onto three needles.
- Split your stitches into sets of ten, slipping them off onto their own needle. At this point, the instructions ask you to cut your yarn. I’ve found that IF you can find the second end in your yarn ball (easier with hand wound yarn “cakes” than with store-purchased yarn balls), you DO NOT have to cut your yarn. Simply leave your original working yarn attached, then pick up and start knitting the center piece with the other end. One less end to weave in!
- Now that your center strip is knit, you can begin to really shape the bootie. It is more straight forward from here. Simply follow the directions EXACTLY for each stitch, go slow at first, and count and recount your work as a single mistake can really throw you off. You’ll start to see the foot of the bootie take shape and you’ll be finished in no time at all!
Chris Nalbone says
Love all her booties!
Marie says
I have made these booties a lot and absolutely love them! I’ve made all three sizes and the 3 month size is my favourite. I often use multiple colours and add buttons or flowers too! Glad to see someone else enjoys this pattern as much as I do!