Baby Blackadder

Right, well, it's really obvious that this was inspired by Tulip Toes, isn't it? I just made a pair of those for another friend, and as I knitted them I was thinking "hm, not sure about this join, and this could be longer, and this isn't pointy enough, et cetera," and thus the Baby Blackadder pattern was born.

Size: newborn. I hope.

Stuff: The main yarn is Wolle Rödel's Siena Big, from my stash. The ties are i-cord, also from my stash, and I lost the ball band but it's probably this. Needle size 8, or 5mm, and one optional size F crochet hook.

So. The pattern. The left and right booties are more or less the same, but differences are marked: Right bootie in green, left bootie in purple.

• cast on 5 stitches.
• * k1, kfb, k to the last 2 stitches, kfb, k1 *
  
• work even, 3 rows
• repeat this: * *
  
• work even, 5 rows.
• attach new yarn and cast on 9 more stitches. This will be the top of the foot.
  
• work back, across the new 9 stitches and the old 9 stitches.
• work forward, putting the stitches onto your two circs, magic loop, or dpns, join.
• work around even for 11 more rows, for a total of 14 rows, including the cast-on.
  
• every odd row, k across to the last 2 stitches on the sole, right-leaning decrease. then do the same on the top of the foot.
• every odd row, sl1, left-leaning decrease, k across to the end. then do the same on the top of the foot.
• every even row, work even.
• once there are 6 stitches, do the even row and then shoop back to the start, as if you were making i-cord. k1, k2tg, k1, k2tg. k2tg, k1, k2tg, k1.
  
• shoop back to the start again, k2tg, twice.
• shoop, k2tg, break the yarn and pull it through that last loop.

Now you have this:
Note that the green yarn is just so you can see the cast-on, sort of, but you wouldn't do the cast-on with green yarn unless you want the whole back of the bootie to be green.

Anyway, the cast-on yarn.

• Use that to pick up 18 stitches around the back of the foot: 7 each side, and 4 across the heel. turn.
  
• sl1, kfb, k4, kfb, k4, kfb, k4, kfb, k1 = 4 increases, 22 stitches total.
• work back even.
• sl1, kfb, k4, kfb, k4, m1, k4, kfb, k4, kfb, k1 = 5 increases, 27 stitches total.
• work back even.
• start the right-hand pointy-bit:
  
• sl1, k8. stop.
• work back across those 9 stitches you just knit.
• eyelet row: sl1, k1, bo1, k2, bo1, k1.
  
• sl1, k1, yo, k3, yo, k2
• 4 rows even.
• do a right-leaning decrease on the left-hand edge of this pointy bit for the next three rows, then every other row until there's 1 stitch left.
  
• slip down the left-hand edge. That means in each selvedge stitch, pick up one stitch and then bind it off. This is a lot easier with a crochet hook, actually.
• pass the last stitch over the first stitch of the second pointy-bit.
  
• do the second pointy bit just like the first, only with balanced decreases: alternate sides.
• on the third pointy bit, do all left-leaning decreases on the right-hand edge of the pointy bit.
• break the yarn, tuck in all the ends, wash, block, etc.
  

Make 2 pieces of 3-stitch i-cord, about 12 inches each. Thread them through the eyelets in the heel spikes.