In my ongoing crochet quest, I searched and searched for a cute pattern for baby Mary Janes. More than 3 of my girl friends are pregnant and having girls, so I thought these would be fun shower gifts. I finally found a pattern that I liked at Michaels, of all places, in a baby book of crochet projects.
I had to tinker with the pattern a bit for sizing because I planned on washing the booties to "felt" them (make the fibers dense and fabric like, losing the crocheted look). First I tried enlarging the pattern, but the resultant shoe was floppy and oddly shaped. I finally just increased my hook size by 2 sizes and lengthened the strap a bit. I washed the booties in ultra hot soapy water (the sanitary setting in my washer) and checked on them frequently for amount of shrinkage. After they came out, they were so tiny! I had to stretch and shape them up a bit, and they ended up at about a newborn to 3 month size, perfect for a baby shower. I have yet to stitch on the velcro closure for each strap, but I anticipate that step to be pretty quick.
If you'd like any tips, I'd be happy to share what worked best for me. Leave me a comment on this post for further information on felting!
