The only "crocheting" I'd ever done before was to chain stitch over and over and over to make long chains that were useless and came apart. Then my fiancé's sister had a baby.
I started looking up baby bootie patterns, but all of them were for crocheting. Nothing for knitters; it was time to learn. So, did I go with a simple "beginners, one type of stitch, super easy" pattern? Of course not.
His family is from Massachusetts, so I went with an adorable baby boat shoe pattern I found on Whistle and Ivy. Yes, it did seem a bit ambitious to be making something with that much shape and detailing as my first project, but I have a tendency to be impulsive and disregard those thoughts.
Note: I did make these before I started the blog so there is less process feedback then I would like.
Quick details:
Pearl hours: 8-10 hours*
Start to Finish: 2 weeks
Difficulty: Easy to medium**
*With this being my first crochet project A LOT of that time was spent watching YouTube videos and undoing everything to start over multiple times
**This was my first project so I struggled some, but once you have the hang of crocheting, I think this project could be easy and quick
Project thoughts:
Making these was fun! I never had that "I wish this was just done" feeling, I think partially because they were so fast to make. BUT there is nothing worse than watching two new parents force too small of shoes on a baby to appease everyone. Positives: They turned out really cute and soft, plus now that I've made them I feel like I can make any baby booties! Negatives: My stitches were so tight that there was no stretch to them, which I'm guessing will improve the more I crochet. These are definitely NOT my last crochet project!
Lessons learned:
- YouTube is my BFF. I watched so many videos on how to do the different stitches, how to make the soles of the shoes and even a video on how to make the shoes themselves.
- My stitches are TIGHT. It is something I am working on and can sometimes come in handy, but it meant that the shoes I made were way smaller than the sizing said they would be.
- Crochet soles are the same no matter what shoe/bootie/slipper you are making. Keeping a few on hand means you can start right away on any project that needs them.
How I'd do it differently next time:
- I'd use a different color. The blue didn't allow the details to show like a grey or pastel would have.
- I will ALWAYS make anything for a baby a size too big. Worst case, they'll grow into it.