Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Baby Booties
I have long loved these Elizabeth Zimmermann booties. Last year I made them with fingering weight yarn to fit my newborn baby, and they got him through his first cold winter. Recently my family received wonderful news that made me want to knit some bigger booties.
My sister-in-law has been trying to adopt a baby for a long time, and this month she was finally told that there is a beautiful baby boy who needs her. He gets to come home in January and, by then, will be ten months old. His name is James, and his smile would melt an ice cube.
From waiting in line to waiting for a baby to arrive, knitting is how I get through all the episodes in my life that challenge my patience. I’m pretty sure that the next three months are going to yield a whole pile of hand knits for little James!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Whitney Van Nes.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, and #PurlSohoElizabethZimmermannsBabyBooties. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- Three skeins (one skein makes one pair of booties) of Alchemy’s Temple yarn, 100% superwash, superfine merino. These colors are Michelle’s Marigold, Champagne and Mica.
- US 7 (4.5 mm) straight or circular needles
- Two US 7 double pointed needles
- Elizabeth Zimmermann’s The Opinionated Knitter (The bootie pattern is on page 108, the same page as an adorable matching bonnet!)
Shop our wonderful collection of sport-weight yarn to find a suitable substitute for this project, and remember that it’s always a good idea to check your gauge before you cast on… Our All About Gauge Tutorial shows you how!
Whenever I knit something for a baby my first thought is, “Can I use Temple?” The hand dyed colors are so sumptuous and unusual, from perfectly warm pinks to strangely glowing greens to mysterious deep charcoals. If Elizabeth Zimmermann’s insistence that itchy wool is good for a baby seems a liitle sadistic to you, you’ll be happy to know that this superfine merino is also super soft. And, another concession to modernity, it’s machine washable!
The original pattern uses yarn that gets 6 stitches to the inch for about a newborn to six month size. To make booties that will fit a ten month old I decided to use a sport weight yarn at 5 stitches to the inch. Knit a little bit loose, they have a lot of stretch and will fit most feet well past the one year mark.
Pattern
Even in designing a humble bootie, Elizabeth Zimmermann engaged her fascinating mind to create a highly original object. My mind just marvels at hers! Here is what the bootie looks like right before you sew it together, kind of like origami!
Besides being a beautiful example of engineering simplicity, these booties fulfill all the practical concerns of moms and dads. Warm,yes; stretchy, yes; cushiony and cozy, yes. But let’s face it, the most important thing in baby footwear is, Does it stay on?! Yes! Besides a good high cuff, the booties are held securely in place by I-cord laces. I cast on three stitches to knit mine…
I am so excited to welcome my new nephew into our family with these gorgeous booties for his precious little feet. Thank you, Elizabeth Zimmermann! -Whitney
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
What wonderful news, and those booties are adorable.
OMG these are ADORABLE!!! I just love love love them! These are my favorite colors together too. I can’t get over how darling these are.
Congrats to your sister-in-law! James will be instantly blessed by these adorable little booties. I adore the colors.
May God bless each and every step of James’s journey in (and out of !) these adorable booties!! What a lucky little boy he is ~
those are adorable booties! i’ve got that book, and a friend has a baby boy on the way (due in December) so i might just have to cast on a pair from her original pattern. despite the fact that i hate hate hate using fingering-weight yarns!
Congratulations to your SIL! We were blessed to welcome twin girls home from Vietnam in Dec of 2006. The wait is trying, but so very worth it in the end. Many blessings and thank you for all the patterns and projects you share!
So cute! These are perfect for the nephew-to-be showing up in December.
Those baby booties are soooo cute!!! Love the colours that you’ve chosen, very pretty!
SO cute !
Diese Patscherl sind allerliebst!
Thank you for sharing this cute pattern! And best wishes and blessings for little James and for you and your little boy too!
I love the colors that you have chosen! Many congratulations to your sister in law.
I really like these. I always mean to make a stock pile of baby gifts to be ready for showers at short notice. These would be perfect.
Oh those are the most adorable booties….may convince me to pick up the crochet hook!
i love any color combined with gray. absolutely beautiful booties !
EZ was a genius! Love her creative designs and ease of construction of many of the knit in the round projects. Think I’ve made 3 BSJ this summer. Working on a February sweater next.
What is the fabric in the background, behind your lovely knitting?
I love the booties and good luck to your whole family with the arrival of baby James! Lori
I love the Elizabeth Zimmerman booties. Do I have to buy the book to get the pattern?
Hi Martha,
Yes, this pattern is copyrighted and only available in the book. We promise that it is worth it, the book is full of amazing patterns just like the booties!
You can find all of our EZ titles at this link:
https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/booklist/author,11
love the booties.. so cute.. love the colors.
These are so cute. Adoption is every bit as much a miracle as birth- perhaps more so, as three hearts are knit into one family.
When knitting these EZ booties, what was your solution to the decrease down to 3 stitches, and then having to "knit up" the 12 stitches on each side of the 3 stitches along the selvage? Did you have to break the yarn?
Love the booties! Congrats to your SIL! That’s amazing. I am new to knitting and am trying to find an easy, yet beautiful bootie for my new babe and I heart these! I have done simple knitting on double point, do you think that I can do this? In other words what is the skill level?
Hi Leanne,
I didn’t break the yarn. Instead, I knit the 3 stitches and continued along the row, picking up 12 stitches. Next I turned the work (with the wrong side facing me) and knit the 15 stitches. Then I picked up 12 stitches by bringing my right needle from the right side to the wrong side (toward me) and purling the stitch. Picking up the stitch this way keeps the seam on the wrong side of the bootie.
I took some photos of this technique for the Sullivan Street Bolero (https://www.purlsoho.com/create/sullivan-street-bolero/). Scroll down to the "Knitting the Edges" section, and check out the last 4 pictures for a step by step explanation.
Thanks for asking this question. If you ever make Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Surprise Jacket you’ll see that this little trick comes in handy again!
Whitney
I made these booties and was very confused by the same thing, I sort of skipped that step and they came out really cute anyway, they just don’t look the same.
But now I’m doing the Bonnet that’s on the same page and I’m having trouble with it as well. After Row 5 it says, “Continue thus, keeping decreases in line.”
I understand this, however the next part I don’t get, “On row 11, k5, M1, across (122 sts).” So I would k5, m1, k5, m1, k5, etc. across the row and end up having 122 sts, or at least this is my interpretation. Then it says, “When ends are decreased away..” what does this mean? I feel like I need a step by step tutorial after this.. Anyway, I could get some help? Thanks!
Hi, Hayley!
Thank you so much for writing in! I am terribly sorry for the delay in responding to your question. One of my very talented associates from the New York Store will be contacting you sortly regarding your question. Again, thank you so much for contacting us, we really do appreciate it!
Happy knitting,
Kumeko
Hi Amanda,
I would say that these booties are quite easy to knit (you don’t even have to use double pointed needles!), but I would also warn you that Elizabeth Zimmermann is not much of a hand holder. Her patterns do tend to assume a certain level of knitting knowledge.
If you live near a good yarn store or have a knitting mentor, I would really encourage you to give them a try, because the actual knitting is simple. Or if you have a good mind for patterns, just go for it! Either way, you’ll be so proud of the results.
Good luck!
Whitney
Where are the instructions for the little booties????
Hi Noelene,
The pattern is copyrighted and only available in the book The Opinionated Knitter pictured above. We promise that it is worth it, the book is full of amazing patterns just like the booties!
You can find all of our EZ titles at this link:
https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/booklist/author,11
I'm knitting these booties right now and im stuck at the end of the pattern. it says knit to center and weave sides together and sew up back. what does that mean? i cant figure out what to do after i knit to the center…can i just cast off and sew the whole thing closed? thanks
Hi Kim,
You can indeed cast off and just sew it up, but if you weave the sides together you won't get a rigid seam. You would use kitchener stitch to finish the sole of the bootie and mattress stitch to sew up the back. We have a tutorial at the following link for kitchener stitch:
https://www.purlsoho.com/create/kitchener-stitch-tutorial/
Thank you! I got it sewed up. its really cute.
very nice !!!!!
Hi! Love your blog. I just purchased the Elizabeth Zimmerman book to get the booties pattern you have featured on yours. I read the question about your solution to not breaking the yarn (dated November 19, 2009). You referred to a link titled "Knitting the Edges" but I cannot find it and would love to see the step by step instructions. Could you please clarify how I can find this link? Thanks so much! Debs
Hi Debs-
Sorry for the bad link. This one should work: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/sullivan-street-bolero/
Thanks for writing in!
Molly
I just cast on last night with worsted weight for my 1yo. I was wondering if you or anyone has ever t4ied to adapt the pattern to fit bigger kid feet? Say, age 10 and younger??
These are the cutest and most adorable things ever. Do you have to use the yarn you used to make this or is it free to choice? I have a baby niece on the way and I really really really want to make this for her. I was wondering if there was somewhere i can get the pattern or a walk through on how to make these booties since i'm fairly new to knitting.
Thanks,
Mannie
Hi Mannie-
Yes, the yarn is available here! https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/4002
And the pattern is in this book: https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/816-Schoolhouse-Press-The-Opinionated-Knitter
Thank you for your questions!
Molly
thank u from your info.i am hajar from iran
Oh my goodness, these are adorable!
The knitting the edges link has disappeared. Anywhere else to find it?
Could i use double knitting wool to make this? Its hard to find other types of wool here in South Africa and double knitting is the most available and so too 3 ply and 4 ply. Looking forward to your reply..
Greetings
Diane
Hello Diane,
Here’s the note on size in the pattern: “The original pattern uses yarn that gets 6 stitches to the inch for about a newborn to six month size. To make booties that will fit a ten month old I decided to use a sportweight yarn at 5 stitches to the inch. Knit a little bit loose, they have a lot of stretch and will fit most feet well past the one year mark.”
In the U.S., we describe double knitting yarn, or DK yarn as yarn with a gauge of roughly 5-6 stitches per inch. If you can yield the gauge that this pattern is called for with the yarn that you have, then it will work! Make sure to check your gauge and if its way too loose when you’re knitting it up, try using two strands of yarn at once!
Best of luck! -Alyson
I just purchased Elizabeth Zimmermann’s …The Opinated knitter book just for making her cute booties, but I cant figure out her pattern! Is there any way you or someone can write it out for me so I can understand it enough to make these booties? I have been knitting simple things for several years….but i need more exact, line by line directions! Thank you so much at any help you can give me with this pattern!
Sincerely, Laura
Hi, Laura!
Thank you for writing in! I have contacted you at your email address regarding this question. Again, thank you contacting us!
Best wishes,
Kumeko
I would like to do those nice littles booties,but where is the written pattern, Sorry Thank You.
Hi Marie-Reine,
Thanks for writing in! The pattern in located in Elizabeth Zimmerman’s book The Opinionated Knitter. We do not currently carry the book but you can certainly find it elsewhere.
Happy knitting!
Cassy
I have made Elizabeth Zimmerman surprise baby sweater many times. Thank u for this pattern looks and sounds crazy but I am sure it will turn out great
Merci pour ce beau modèle coloré et ces belles photos 😉
What are the total sts left after picking up 12 sts off each end piece? When I follow row 1 on the K12, M1 row it seems as if I’m left with too many sts.
Hi RoseAnn,
Thanks for reaching out! You should have 27 stitches total after picking up both sets of 12 stitches.
Happy knitting!
Julianna
estoy en Perú , y me gustaría contar con el gráfico para tejer estos lindos escarpines o botines para bebes y niños, ahora que se aproxima la época de invierno y como estoy en cuarentena por el COVID-19 necesito estar ocupada en casa y hacer cosos provechosas para mis nietos.
gracias
Hi Luz,
Thanks for reaching out! You can find the pattern for these adorable booties on page 108 of The Opinionated Knitter by Elizabeth Zimmerman!
Happy knitting!
Julianna