Master - Natalia Truksha

We start knitting booties from the middle of the sole. For this, we will cast on 37 sts and knit 1 row of knit stitches. We will mark the middle (19th st.) with a thread of a different color or a stitch marker.

For the sole, we knit 8 rows of garter stitch, increasing by 4 sts in each knit row. We make increases after the 1st st., before and after the central (marked with a thread) st., and before the last st. Be careful not to confuse the 1st and last stitches with the edge stitches, this will be important when we sew it together.         

This is how the sole looks like, with 53 sts on the needles. At this point, you can estimate the size of the future booties. For a foot size of 10-11 cm (4-6 months) the circumference of the sole is approximately 30 cm. So our 53 sts should make up these 30 cm. For novice knitters — just don't try to measure the size of the sole, all calculations are made based on the sample.

Once the sole is ready, we start knitting the spikes. For this, we attach a thread of a different color and knit 3 rows of knit stitches.

The 4th (purl) row is knitted as follows: edge stitch, *2 sts together purl, 1 yarn over, repeat from *, finish with 1 purl, edge stitch.

Knit 3 more rows in knit stitches, resulting in a white stripe with a row of holes.

Fold the strip at the holes and connect the first and last row of spikes by knitting 2 sts together knit, taking one st from the needle and lifting the other from the first row of spikes. The row is knitted with the main color thread.

This is how the spikes look like

And here is how the sole looks like.       

Next, we knit the side part of the sole in any pattern that you like the most. The author knitted as follows: *3 rows of purl, 2 rows of knit, repeat from * 2 more times. A total of 15 rows.

And we start to shape the toe of the bootie. For this, we will knit the first 13 sts in purl (you can set them aside for now) and continue working on the middle 27 sts in the same principle as we knit the heel. That is, we divide our 27 sts into 3 parts of 9 sts each and knit only the middle 9 sts, knitting the last st of the middle group together with the first st of the next group at the end of each row, until only the middle 9 sts remain on the needle (a total of 18 rows). 

In the next row, we knit the middle 9 sts and the remaining left 13 sts in purl. The next 2 rows are knit in purl

stitches.

After that, we will make a bead row, into which we will later thread the lace. For this, in the knit row, we knit: edge stitch, *2 sts together purl, 1 yarn over, repeat from *, finish with 1 purl, edge stitch. The next row is knitted in purl.

Next, *4 rows of garter stitch with white thread, 2 rows of knit with blue thread, repeat from * 1 more time and finish with 4 rows of garter stitch with white thread. 

Sew the booties together. For sewing, use the ends of the thread. The top 4 rows can be sewn with the tip of the white thread, and continue sewing with the blue thread. This is how the bootie will look like. You can braid or twist a lace for it to which you can sew pom-poms from the same yarn. 

Or you can not attach pom-poms, but decorate the booties with faces, as in the photo.

For the face, knit 3 circles.

Yellow — knit a chain of 2 ch; 1st row: 6 sc in the first ch; 2nd row: 12 sc (2 in each stitch of the previous row).

Blue — start the same way as yellow, in the 3rd and subsequent rows, knit sc, adding 6 sc in each row, evenly distributing the increases around. In the last row, do not make any increases.

The white circle is knitted like the blue one, but larger in diameter. In the last 2-3 rows, do not make any increases. For the ears: mark the places for the ears, in the penultimate row replace the stitches in these places with a chain of 3 ch; in the last row, knit 9 sc in each arch of ch. Start knitting sc before reaching 2 sts to the beginning of the arch and then skip 2 sts before continuing the row with sc. The face can be finished with 1 row of sc or 1 row of ‘crab stitch’. Embroider the nose and eyes with black thread. Make a loop for the pacifier from a chain of ch.