TRADITIONAL BABY BOOTEES

This pattern for baby bootees has been used for several generations in our family. My grandmother Laura Paull Walton (1887-1962) knitted them, my mother Delmar Walton Packham (1915-1998) knitted them, and many of the other women in the family have knitted them for newly arrived family members. I have also knitted them ever since I got the pattern from my mother. I have made a few corrections and very slight modifications in the pattern to clarify the instructions and make the knitting easier, but the resulting bootee is the same.

- Richard Packham

For a picture of these bootees, click here.

Materials:

Pearl cotton size 5, 2 balls (50 yards each) of main color, 25 yards of trim color
4 double-pointed needles size 1 or 2
crochet hook size 2
small tapestry needle

Abbreviations:

K - knit
P - purl
st - stitch or stitches
sl - slip purlwise (insert needle from right-hand side and move stitch without working to RH needle)
psso - pass the slipped stitch over the previous stitch on right-hand needle, using the left-hand needle
turn - turn the work around without working to the end of the row (for a turn without leaving a gap, slip the next stitch onto the right needle, pass the yarn between the needles, and then slip the stitch back onto the left needle, and then turn; this hooks the thread over the unworked stitch at the turn)
yo - yarn over (move yarn under needle to front, then over to back again) K 2 tog - knit the next 2 stitches together

Pattern for top and instep:

Row 1: *K2 P2, repeat from *, ending K2
Row 2: same as row 1
Row 3: *P2 K2, repeat from *, ending P2
Row 4: same as row 3
Repeat for required number of rows. For odd-numbered rows, K in P st of previous row, P in K st. For even-numbered rows, K in K st of previous row, P in P st.

Top:

Cast on 38 sts, divide onto 3 needles, 10 -18 -10.
Work 20 rows in pattern.
Row 21: *K2 tog, yo, repeat from *, ending K2
Row 22: K all around.

Heel:

Row 23: K 28 st onto one needle, turn. (Do not knit to end of row)
Row 24: P 20, turn.
Row 25 to 34: K 20 on odd-numbered rows across, P 20 on even-numbered rows, ending with a P row.

Turn Heel:

K 12, sl 1, psso, K1, turn
sl 1, P 5, P 2 tog, P 1 turn
sl 1, K 6, sl 1, psso, K1, turn
sl 1, P 7, P 2 tog, P 1 turn
sl 1, K 8, sl 1, psso, K1, turn
sl 1, P 9, P 2 tog, P 1 turn
sl 1, K 10, sl 1, psso, K1, turn
sl 1, P 10, P 2 tog
You should have 12 st on the needle.
With the right side (K side) facing you, use a crochet hook to pull up 8 st through the edge of the work, working evenly along to the top, placing each stitch on the needle with the 12 st.
K 20, pick up 8 more st along the edge and place on the same needle: 28 st. Divide the 28 st evenly onto 2 needles. You now have 18 st on needle #1 (the instep needle) and 14 st divided evenly on two heel needles (#2 and #3).

Work Foot:

Reset the row counter. Row 1: work in pattern across #1, on #2 K 1, sl 1, K 1, psso, K to end; on #3 K to within 3 st of end, K 2 tog, K 1
Row 2: work in pattern across #1, K #2 and #3
Row 3: same as row 1
Row 4: same as row 2
Row 5: same as row 1
Rows 6 to 16: same as row 2.

Shape Toe:

Reset row counter
Row 1: work in pattern across #1, on #2 K 1, sl 1, K 1, psso, K to end; on #3 K to within 3 st of end, K 2 tog, K 1
Row 2: work in pattern across #1, K #2 and #3
Row 3: same as row 1
Row 4: same as row 2
Row 5: on #1, K 1, sl 1, K 1, psso, work in pattern to within 3 st of end, K2 tog, K 1; on #2, K 1, sl 1, K 1, psso, K to end; on #3 K to within 3 st of end, K 2 tog, K 1 Row 6: same as row 2
Rows 7 to 10, work odd-numbered rows same as row 5, even-numbered rows same as row 6 (row 2)
Row 11: on #1, K 1, sl 1, K 1, psso, K (not pattern) within 3 st of end, K2 tog, K 1; #2 and #3 same as on row 5
Row 12: K all around
Rows 13 and 14: same as row 11; end with 6 st on instep needle and 3 st on each heel needle.
Slip the 6 heel st onto one needle.

Weave Toe:

Cut thread about 12 inches from work, thread into tapestry needle. Using the Kitchener stitch, weave the toe:
With two needles parallel, thread coming off the right hand end of back needle, and keeping thread under the needle points and between the needles,
*insert needle K-wise into st on front needle, draw up thread, remove stitch from needle;
insert needle P-wise into next st on front needle, draw up thread;
insert needle P-wise into st on back needle, draw up thread, remove stitch from needle;
insert needle K-wise into next st on back needle, draw up thread;
Repeat from * until one stitch remains on each needle. Run thread K-wise through front st, P-wise through back st, draw up thread and tie off.

TRIM:

Using trim color, begin at back edge, *single crochet into each of next 2 st, double crochet 3x into next st; repeat from *.

TIE:

Using trim color, crochet a chain 13 in long (about 100 st), single crochet back into each chain. Thread through holes and tie in front.

Comments?   Questions?   packham@teleport.com.

©  2006 Richard Packham    Permission granted to reproduce for non-commercial purposes, provided text is not changed and this copyright notice is included

TO RICHARD PACKHAM'S HOME PAGE