There are four tips to remember when knitting booties: pattern selection, needle size, yarn type, and speed. These tips will help you to create handmade booties. Babies that are too small to walk wear booties. They are used to keep the baby's feet warm.
There is a wide selection of patterns available for knitting booties, ranging in difficulty from simple to complex. To decide which type of pattern to select, think about how long you want to take to create the booties, the complexity, and your knitting skills. Babies grow very fast, so these types of projects need to have a quick turnaround time.
All patterns list their level of difficulty on the first page, and many provide the time required to complete the project. Honestly, assess your skill level and how much effort you want to spend on this project and then select a pattern. Be sure to check the sizing options, as they range from newborn to 24 months old.
The size of the knitting needles determines the size of the stitches. Larger needles are great for sweaters and blankets, but smaller needles are more appropriate for knitting booties, as they produce a tighter pattern. Think about your knitting tension when selecting needles. The booties need to be snug, but provide room to move. If your tension level is high, go one size up in knitting needle gauge.
Select cotton blend yarn for baby booties. This material is soft, machine washable and will not shrink in the laundry. Avoid adding ribbons, bows or other details that can be put into a baby's mouth. Instead, select different color yarn to improve the visual appearance of the booties.
Speed is an important factor when knitting booties. Determine how much time you have to create the booties and then provide a time line to complete the project. A simple knitting project should take between two and three hours of dedicated effort to complete. If this is your first project, double that time, so that you will be able to finish the project in time for the baby to wear the booties.
Booties are a great first knitting project. They have a set shape, but accuracy and exact fit are not important. The use of a cotton blend yarn provides an opportunity to learn how to work with this very common material. The relatively short project completion time is a great motivator and allows the beginning knitter to gain confidence and create a necessary clothing item quickly.
