If you've never tried Bosnian crochet, these Newborn Baby Booties by Annanitato Lolo are a good introduction to the basic concept. Bosnian crochet is made entirely of slip stitches, with patterns made by working slip stitches into different loops and shaping done through changes in gauge. The basic stitch is slip stitch worked in the back loop only, and the result is a very thick, but elastic, fabric that looks knitted.
These baby booties are not my first foray into Bosnian crochet. A couple years ago, I made the Hipster Preemie Hat by Stefanie Bold. Being in a much smaller gauge than these booties, it was more difficult to work. In terms of actual instructions, both patterns are pretty easy, but working into slip stitches can be difficult, especially when the stitches are small. Using worsted weight yarn in this project was far easier than using sock yarn with the hat.
In either case, working into slip stitches is easier if the top of your hook is pointy, as with Boye brand hooks. You also want to use a larger hook than you normally would for the yarn indicated. If the stitches are hard to work into, you can also adjust how you hold the hook to make it easier. I described that in my review of the Hipster Preemie Hat. The yarn for the baby booties is a little tricky, and honestly, I disagree with it. The Ravelry listing says to use worsted or aran weight yarn, but the pattern itself calls for DK to worsted yarn. I used worsted, but DK would have been better. The part I disagree with is that the pattern also indicates a US size G (4mm) hook. That's a small hook for worsted under any circumstances but worsted with a size G in slip stitch is outright sculptural and my hands hurt just thinking about working into slip stitch at that gauge.
I did my base chain with a size I hook and then used a size H hook and deliberately worked loosely. In terms of ease of work, it was fine, but the finished booties have a sturdiness I associate with shoes more than baby socks or booties. If I make these again, I will definitely use DK weight yarn, and I will probably bump my hook size up to an I to make a more wearable fabric.
Both the Hipster Hat and the Newborn Booties are worked flat (you make the seam with a row of slip stitches worked through both sides at the end of the project), side-to-side, and use short rows for shaping. Short rows are when you add width to only part of the fabric by turning your work before the end of the row. Eventually, when your shaping is done, you work all the way across the row, including the stitches you skipped while working the short rows.
In both knitting and crochet, that row that goes all the way across (or part of the way, but is longer than the preceding short row) can create a little hole where you transition from working across the short row to working the stitches that the short row skipped. In knitting, you avoid making that hole by doing a Wrap and Turn--wrapping the yarn around the final stitch in the short row and not knitting that stitch. When you go to knit the wrapped stitch later on, you knit the stitch together with the yarn wrapped around it.
You can't really do a Wrap and Turn in crochet, since each crochet stitch is self-contained. However, you can do something to avoid creating that little hole at the end of the short row. Stephanie Bold's Hipster Hat includes a stitch she calls a SlStBloW. When you reach the end of a short row, insert your hook into the turning chain and then into the next stitch after the short row, yarn over, and then pull through all loops on hook. It works really well and creates a much smoother look than just working into the next stitch past the short row on its own.
The other change I made to the pattern was that I worked one extra row without any shaping at the very end of the project. I don't know if my gauge tightened over the course of making each bootie, but I found that when I folded each bootie to work the seam, the second half was just a bit shorter than the first half, and working an extra row fixed that.
Overall, the pattern is well-written and easy to follow. If you are confused, the webpage has a YouTube tutorial, in addition to written instructions. Despite what Ravelry says, the pattern is free, unless you want a pdf to download. The finished booties are exactly as advertised. My only objection on that front is that I think a thinner yarn and larger hook would make a more wearable fabric. This project was fun, quick, and easy, and I will probably make it again. If you are looking for an introduction to Bosnian crochet, the Newborn Baby Booties are an excellent option.
This post has been linked to HIH, Busy Monday, Senior Salon, Inspire Me Monday, WITS, Wonderful Wednesday, The Stitchin' Mommy, Thursday Favorite Things, and Create-It!
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