Yarn and Needles

• The correct yarn for each knitting project is essential to creating the right pattern and feel of the finished product. The best kind of yarn to use for baby booties is worsted weight yarn. Try to pick a yarn that is as soft as possible. Usually the yarn is not washed before knitting because it can become too fuzzy or unraveled. Do not choose a yarn that is fuzzy or feathery, or it will be extremely hard to see the stitches. Use size 5 straight knitting needles. This produces the ideal size stitch for the small booties.
  
  

Basic Patterns

• It is important to have basic knowledge of all of the stitches used to make the booties before starting the project. Most knitting patterns use a series of abbreviations, which can be frustrating to new knitters just starting out. Baby bootie patterns usually use the following abbreviations in their pattern listings. The abbreviation SL means to slip a stitch, which is usually the process of skipping a purl stitch and working with the following stitch. PSSO means to pass the slipped stitch over, which means to skip the slipped stitch. TOG commonly means the word together. Usually this is written when two stitches have to be worked together. K means to knit. P means to purl. YO is an abbreviation for yarn over, which means to place the yarn over the needles rather than under it. RIB means the vertical ribbing between the rows.
  
  

Helpful Hints

• When first starting a knitting project, especially one on such a small scale, it is important to always make the test patch that is called for at the start of the instructions. If you do not do this then your project may come out to a different size that the pattern size. Sometimes this will make the stitches not come out evenly. Make sure to practice all stitches before making product so that you are sure of how they are formed. It is also important to make sure to hold needles correctly. If you do not do this then the stitches that you make will not hold together in the right way. It is equally important to not hold yarn too tight or else it will be impossible to work the stitches together.