by Crystal Kennedy
Baby booties are easy to loom knit. Since they're small, they also make a good
first sock-knitting project.
Materials
You need the Knifty Knitter flower loom, which is available in most yarn, craft, or department stores. You can use any other loom as long as it is the right diameter for baby booties. However, you'll need to change the peg numbers when you work the heel. This pattern is written for the Knifty Knitter flower loom.
You also need a small amount of baby or worsted weight yarn. If you use baby yarn on the Knifty Knitter flower loom, hold two strands together throughout the project.
Finally, you need one stitch marker, a large-eye blunt yarn needle, and a pair of scissors.
Stitch Knowledge
You should know how to do the double e-wrap cast on, flat-stitch, purl, double-stitch, and gather bind off. If you need help with these, see my previous articles.
Loom Knit Baby Bootie Pattern
Step 1: Cast on:
Place a stitch marker on any peg; this will be the first peg of each round. Then, complete the double e-wrap cast on all the way around the loom.
Step 2: Complete the bootie cuff by doing the following:
Round 1: Flat-stitch all around the loom.
Round 2: Purl all around the loom.
Repeat rounds 1-2 two more times. The last round you complete will be a purl round, numbered round 6.
Step 3: Bootie calf:
Work double-stitch for two inches, or however long you want the bootie calf to be.
Step 4: Work the heel. For ease of reading the pattern, the heel begins again at row 1. Keep in mind that the heel is worked as a flat panel, thus the rounds have turned to rows.
Heel row 1: Double-stitch pegs 1-6.
Heel row 2: Double-stitch pegs 5-2. (They are called 5-2 because you're working back and forth for the heel.)
Heel row 3: Double-stitch pegs 3-4.
Heel row 4: Double-stitch pegs 4-3. (Again, the numbers are reversed because you've changed direction. However, they are the same pegs you just worked.)
Heel row 5: Double-stitch pegs 2-5.
Heel row 6: Double-stitch pegs 6-1.
Congratulations! You have loom knit your first heel! You should be ready to work in rounds again, starting with the first peg where the stitch marker is.
Step 5: Knitting the bootie foot:
Simply double-stitch all around the loom until the bootie is as long as you want it. Just make sure you keep track of how many rounds you worked, because you still have to make another bootie! For preemies, bootiesshould be about 2-2.5 inches long. For newborns, they should be 3-3.5 inches long.
When you've finished double-stitching, work 4 rounds of flat-stitch. This will decrease the bulk of the bootie toe and make it easier to gather.
Step 6: Finish with the gather bind off method, and weave in all tails with the yarn needle.
Step 7: Make another bootie!
Materials
You need the Knifty Knitter flower loom, which is available in most yarn, craft, or department stores. You can use any other loom as long as it is the right diameter for baby booties. However, you'll need to change the peg numbers when you work the heel. This pattern is written for the Knifty Knitter flower loom.
You also need a small amount of baby or worsted weight yarn. If you use baby yarn on the Knifty Knitter flower loom, hold two strands together throughout the project.
Finally, you need one stitch marker, a large-eye blunt yarn needle, and a pair of scissors.
Stitch Knowledge
You should know how to do the double e-wrap cast on, flat-stitch, purl, double-stitch, and gather bind off. If you need help with these, see my previous articles.
Loom Knit Baby Bootie Pattern
Step 1: Cast on:
Place a stitch marker on any peg; this will be the first peg of each round. Then, complete the double e-wrap cast on all the way around the loom.
Step 2: Complete the bootie cuff by doing the following:
Round 1: Flat-stitch all around the loom.
Round 2: Purl all around the loom.
Repeat rounds 1-2 two more times. The last round you complete will be a purl round, numbered round 6.
Step 3: Bootie calf:
Work double-stitch for two inches, or however long you want the bootie calf to be.
Step 4: Work the heel. For ease of reading the pattern, the heel begins again at row 1. Keep in mind that the heel is worked as a flat panel, thus the rounds have turned to rows.
Heel row 1: Double-stitch pegs 1-6.
Heel row 2: Double-stitch pegs 5-2. (They are called 5-2 because you're working back and forth for the heel.)
Heel row 3: Double-stitch pegs 3-4.
Heel row 4: Double-stitch pegs 4-3. (Again, the numbers are reversed because you've changed direction. However, they are the same pegs you just worked.)
Heel row 5: Double-stitch pegs 2-5.
Heel row 6: Double-stitch pegs 6-1.
Congratulations! You have loom knit your first heel! You should be ready to work in rounds again, starting with the first peg where the stitch marker is.
Step 5: Knitting the bootie foot:
Simply double-stitch all around the loom until the bootie is as long as you want it. Just make sure you keep track of how many rounds you worked, because you still have to make another bootie! For preemies, bootiesshould be about 2-2.5 inches long. For newborns, they should be 3-3.5 inches long.
When you've finished double-stitching, work 4 rounds of flat-stitch. This will decrease the bulk of the bootie toe and make it easier to gather.
Step 6: Finish with the gather bind off method, and weave in all tails with the yarn needle.
Step 7: Make another bootie!