STAY-ONS: THE ONLY BOOTIE YOU’LL NEED TO KNIT

BACKGROUND: Stay-On Booties have been around for a long time. I found directions for “Stay-Ons” in a 1940s knitting booklet, and a 95-year-old woman contributed the pattern for the TIPS column in THREADS Magazine #22, wanting to let other knitters know about it before she went to knitting heaven. My version of the pattern produces very nearly the same “Stay-On Bootie” but I approach it in a sensible and fun way with fewer rounds of purling!

MATERIALS: A small coilless pin to remind you where the round begins. A set of 5 double-pointed needles (DPNs) and wool to match the needles. Size 0 needles and fingering weight wool produce a pair for newborn babies. Size 2 needles and sock yarn will produce a pair for a baby of several weeks, Size 4 needles and “knitting worsted” result in a pair for a baby of several months. Change the size of the bootie without changing the number of stitches, by using different thicknesses of wool and appropriate needles. Whatever wool you choose always knit firmly, or you’ll get a wimpy loosely knitted bootie that certainly won’t stay on!