Note: Grandma’s Pattern swatch for the bootie uses very fine yarn (appears to be #1), crocheted with a small hook, with a gauge of 9 sc = 1 inch. The bootie at the left was done with #3 baby yarn, producing the same size bootie with bigger and fewer stitches ( 51/2 sc = 1 inch ) than Grandma's,. The pattern below should work regardless of the yarn/gauge, since it is based on finished measurements, not an absolute stitch count.Make a swatch in your chosen yarn and hook. Make the swatch in sc stitch at least 2 in. x 2 in. Make sure it's not too loose with lots of holes, but not so tight that it's stiff. Count the number of sc's per inch.
Sole: Make a foundation chain of the same number as your gauge, plus 1, for turning. Work sc back and forth until you have a rectangle 1 inch wide and 2 1/2 inches in length.
Sides: Now you'll work in rounds without turning. Work sc around the outside of the rectangle, working 1 sc into each row along the sides, and working 1 extra sc in the corners for the thicker yarn (#3) and 2 extra in the corners for the thinner yarn (#1). Continue working rounds without turning and without increasing. When you've worked 1/2 inch of these rounds stop and measure the bootie by squashing it flat the long way, to look at the bootie in profile. Measure to make sure the bootie is about 3 1/2 inches in length. If it's not, rip back to the sole and make adjustments... if you need to make it a lot bigger, increase more stitches in the corners, or if only a little bigger make the sole one row longer... if you need to make it shorter, do the opposite. Work in rounds until the measurement across the bottom of the sole and up one side totals 3 1/2 inches. Double-check the bootie length again, by squashing it flat and checking that it's about 3 1/2 inches in length. As you work in rounds, the bootie will cup upward naturally, so you'll know which is the inside and which is the outside. You should find yourself working round and round counterclockwise, looking down into the cup. When you've reached the right height you must prepare to make the instep. Work the last round to the point where you would be above the tip of the big toe for a right-foot bootie. This is the same, whether you are actually making a right or left bootie; in other words, there's only one way to make a bootie-- there are no mirror-image instructions between right and left booties.
Instep: Slip st into the next sc and again into the next one, turn and sc back to the other side, about an inch. Now note how many stitches this was to get that inch (it should be the number of stitches in your gauge) and remember to work this number of stitches back and forth across the instep in the following steps. Next, 1 sl st in ea of the next 2 sc along the side of bootie, turn and work sc back across the instep. Continue back and forth, working 2 sl st at each side until the instep measures 1 inch. The first of these sl st's joins the row you just did to the side of the bootie. The second of these sl st's joins the beginning of the next row to the side of the bootie. After you've worked back and forth a few rows stop and look at the bootie from the top. The instep should be squarely centered on the front of the bootie, facing forward. If it's off you need to rip back to where you started the instep and adjust where you started. If you would like to make a less “square” looking toe, you can make the first row of the instep a little shorter than the rest (by starting that row a little to the right of the tip of the big toe).
Top: You'll now go back to working in rounds. Ch 4 to make a 1-tr placeholder and ch 1 more to make a space, then (sk 1 sc, 1 tr, ch 1), repeating around the top of the bootie to form the beading for ribbon or cord. At the instep corners, use your judgment on what you skip to keep the spacing even. After the last ch-1, join to the top of the ch-4 at the beginning of the round using sl st. You should have an even number of tr's (counting the ch-4 as a tr); if not, rip back and adjust the stitch count by how you handle the instep corners. Ch 1, turn; (5 dc in next tr, 1 sc in next tr) repeat around and join with sl st to the first ch-1. Fasten off.
Finishing: Weave in ends on the wrong side. Thread the beading with ribbon or cord of sufficient length to make a bow. Cord can be made by doubling yarn and crocheting a chain of sufficient length. Attach pompoms or tassels to ends of cord.
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