There’s something incredibly special about handmade items for little ones, and these knitted baby booties are no exception! This pattern is designed to be super easy, even for beginner knitters, and creates a cozy, adaptable bootie that’s perfect for tiny feet. The size provided fits 0-3 months, but I’ll give you tips to adjust it for different sizes. You can also easily personalize them with a ribbon or cord for a touch of charm!
Skill Level: Easy
Finished Size (Approximate):
- Sole Length: 3.5 – 3.75 inches (9 – 9.5 cm)
- Suitable for: Newborn to 3 Months
Materials You’ll Need:
- Yarn: DK weight (Light Worsted / 8 ply) baby yarn in your favorite color. You’ll need about 40-50 yards per pair.
- Pro Tip: Choose a soft, machine-washable yarn like baby acrylic, cotton blends, or superwash merino wool for easy care and baby’s comfort.
- Knitting Needles: Double-pointed needles (DPNs) or a short circular needle (for magic loop) in size US 4 (3.5 mm).
- Always check your gauge! Adjust your needle size if your stitches are too loose or too tight.
- Tapestry Needle: Essential for seaming and weaving in those pesky ends.
- Scissors
- Stitch Markers (optional): Handy for marking the beginning of rounds.
- Ribbon or Cord (optional): Approximately 12-15 inches (30-38 cm) per bootie for a cute embellishment.
Gauge (Don’t Skip This Step!):
24 stitches and 32 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) in stockinette stitch.
- How to Swatch: Cast on 30 stitches. Knit 40 rows in stockinette stitch (knit RS rows, purl WS rows). Bind off. Measure your swatch. If your 4 inches are wider than 24 stitches, go down a needle size. If they’re narrower, go up a needle size. This ensures your booties will be the correct size!
Abbreviations:
- CO: Cast On
- K: Knit
- P: Purl
- K2tog: Knit 2 stitches together (decrease)
- SSK: Slip, slip, knit (decrease) – Slip 1 stitch knitwise, slip next stitch knitwise, then knit them together through the back loops.
- St(s): Stitch(es)
- RS: Right Side
- WS: Wrong Side
- BO: Bind Off
- M1L: Make 1 Left – Lift the bar between the last stitch and the next stitch from the front with the left needle, knit into the back of it.
- M1R: Make 1 Right – Lift the bar between the last stitch and the next stitch from the back with the left needle, knit into the front of it.
Let’s Get Started!
This bootie is worked in a few simple steps: first, the sole is knitted flat, then we pick up stitches to work the sides and top, and finally, we shape the toe and add the ankle cuff.
Part 1: The Sole (Knitted Flat)
Using your knitting needles, CO 10 stitches.
- Row 1 (RS): K all stitches.
- Row 2 (WS): P all stitches.
- Row 3 (Increase Row – RS): K1, M1L, K to last st, M1R, K1. (12 sts)
- Row 4 (WS): P all stitches.
- Row 5 (Increase Row – RS): K1, M1L, K to last st, M1R, K1. (14 sts)
- Row 6 (WS): P all stitches.
- Row 7 (Increase Row – RS): K1, M1L, K to last st, M1R, K1. (16 sts)
- Row 8 (WS): P all stitches.
- Rows 9-28: Continue in stockinette stitch (K on RS rows, P on WS rows). (20 rows total, maintaining 16 sts).
- To make a longer sole, simply add more rows in this section (always in multiples of 2 to keep the pattern).
- Row 29 (Decrease Row – RS): K1, K2tog, K to last 3 sts, SSK, K1. (14 sts)
- Row 30 (WS): P all stitches.
- Row 31 (Decrease Row – RS): K1, K2tog, K to last 3 sts, SSK, K1. (12 sts)
- Row 32 (WS): P all stitches.
- Row 33 (Decrease Row – RS): K1, K2tog, K to last 3 sts, SSK, K1. (10 sts)
- Row 34 (WS): P all stitches.
BO all stitches. You now have the flat, slightly oval sole of your bootie.
Part 2: Picking Up Stitches for the Body
Now we’ll pick up stitches around the perimeter of the sole to begin knitting the sides.
- With the RS of the sole facing you, and starting at the center of one of the short ends (this will be the heel end), pick up and knit 10 stitches along that short end.
- Pick up and knit 20 stitches evenly along the first long side.
- Pick up and knit 10 stitches along the other short end (the toe end).
- Pick up and knit 20 stitches evenly along the remaining long side. (You should have a total of 60 stitches picked up).
Join to work in the round, being careful not to twist your stitches. Place a stitch marker to mark the beginning of the round.
Part 3: Bootie Sides (Garter Stitch Edge)
We’ll create a few rows of garter stitch (knit every round) for a nice, sturdy base for the sides.
- Rnd 1: Purl all stitches.
- Rnd 2: Knit all stitches.
- Rnd 3: Purl all stitches.
- Rnd 4: Knit all stitches.
Part 4: Shaping the Toe (Worked Flat)
This section creates the top of the foot.
- Locate Center Front: Count 20 stitches from your beginning of round marker. Place a new stitch marker. This section of 20 stitches will be the front of the bootie.
- Row 1 (RS): K15. K2tog. K1. (17 sts worked). Turn your work.
- Important: You are only working on these 17 stitches for the toe. The remaining stitches on your needle are held for later.
- Row 2 (WS): P1. P2tog. P to end of these 17 toe stitches. Turn.
- Row 3 (RS): K to 2 sts before the gap (where your current working stitches meet the held stitches). K2tog (knitting the last stitch of your working section with the first unworked stitch from the side). Turn.
- Row 4 (WS): P to 2 sts before the gap. P2tog (purling the last stitch of your working section with the first unworked stitch from the side). Turn.
Repeat Rows 3 and 4 until you have 8 stitches remaining on your toe section. Continue repeating Rows 3 and 4 until all side stitches have been incorporated into the toe shaping, and you have only the 8 toe stitches remaining on your needle.
Part 5: Ankle Cuff
Now we’ll knit the ankle cuff in the round again.
- Pick up and knit stitches along the side edges of the toe opening you just created. Pick up 1 stitch for every row end of the toe shaping.
- Continue knitting in the round across the remaining stitches from the sides/back of the bootie. (You should have approximately 48-52 stitches in total, depending on how many rows you worked for the toe shaping and how many stitches you picked up).
- Rnd 1 (Eyelet Row):K2tog, YO. Repeat from * to * around. (This creates the holes for your ribbon or cord).
- YO (Yarn Over): Bring your yarn over the right needle to create a new stitch.
- Rnd 2: Knit all stitches.
- Rnd 3: Purl all stitches.
- Rnd 4: Knit all stitches.
BO all stitches loosely.
Part 6: Finishing Touches & Embellishments
- Seam the Sole: Using your tapestry needle and a length of yarn, neatly seam the cast-on and bound-off edges of the sole together to form a closed sole.
- Weave in all ends: Securely weave in all remaining yarn tails.
- Add Ribbon/Cord (Optional): Cut a length of ribbon or make a simple knitted/crocheted cord (e.g., chain 40-50, then single crochet back across). Thread it through the eyelet row (Rnd 1 of the ankle cuff) around the ankle of the bootie. Tie a sweet bow at the front.
- Make a second bootie: Repeat all steps to create a matching bootie for the other foot!
Video tutorial
Sizing Adjustments:
The beauty of this pattern is its adaptability!
- For a smaller size (e.g., Preemie/Newborn):
- Reduce the initial CO stitches for the sole (e.g., CO 8 stitches).
- Reduce the number of increase rows for the sole.
- Reduce the number of stockinette rows for the main sole length.
- Reduce the number of stitches picked up around the sole.
- Reduce the number of stitches for the toe shaping.
- For a larger size (e.g., 3-6 months or 6-9 months):
- Increase the initial CO stitches for the sole (e.g., CO 12 stitches).
- Add more increase rows to the sole to make it wider.
- Add more stockinette rows for the main sole length.
- Increase the number of stitches picked up around the sole.
- Increase the number of stitches for the toe shaping.
- Add more rows to the ankle cuff for a taller bootie.
General Sizing Tip: The sole length is your most critical measurement. After knitting the sole (Part 1), measure it. It should be slightly smaller than the actual foot length, as knitting has a lovely stretch to it.
I hope you enjoy knitting these adorable and easy baby booties! They make fantastic gifts and are a joy to create.
