Monica - 4ply baby shoes or slippers

Monica 4ply Baby Shoes and Slippers by Jennifer Lee

What is Being Made

Monica is a pair of knitted baby shoes or slippers designed to fit infants from newborn through nine months old. The pattern includes four size options to accommodate growing feet, ranging from 7cm (2¾ inches) to 10cm (4 inches) in length. These shoes feature a distinctive decorative opening on the top of the foot, adding both visual interest and practical ease when putting them on and taking them off a baby's feet.

Craft and Project Type

This is a knitting project suitable for crafters with intermediate skill level, though the pattern itself is rated as easy to follow. The shoes are constructed using fundamental knitting techniques that make them accessible to knitters who have mastered basic stitches and shaping methods. The downloadable PDF format allows you to work at your own pace and reference the pattern as needed throughout the project.

Stitches and Techniques Used

The Monica pattern employs garter stitch as the primary stitch throughout the construction. Garter stitch is created by knitting every row, producing a textured, reversible fabric with horizontal ridges that is ideal for baby garments due to its durability and stretch. The pattern also incorporates the following techniques:

• Make 1 (M1) – an increase technique where you pick up the loop lying before the next stitch, place it on the left-hand needle, and knit into the back of the loop to create a new stitch
• Slip stitch (sl) – slipping stitches from one needle to another without working them
• Pass slipped stitch over (psso) – a decrease method used to shape the shoe
• Knit (K) – the fundamental knit stitch used throughout

These techniques work together to create shaping that forms the shoe's structure while maintaining the simple, textured appearance of garter stitch.

Materials and Yarn Requirements

The Monica pattern calls for 4ply yarn, which is a lightweight yarn weight ideal for delicate baby garments. The recommended yarn is Patons Big Baby 4ply, supplied in 100g balls with a yardage of 420 meters per ball. You will need one ball of yarn to complete both shoes, regardless of which size you are making. The 4ply weight provides a soft, fine fabric suitable for a newborn's sensitive skin while remaining easy to work with.

Needles and Tools

Construction requires a pair of 3.25mm knitting needles (UK size 10, US size 3/4). Additionally, you will need a wool needle for sewing up to join the shoe pieces together and finish the garment. The 3.25mm needle size works in conjunction with the 4ply yarn to achieve the correct tension and fabric density.

Tension and Gauge

The pattern specifies a tension of 27 stitches and 54 rows to 10cm (4 inches) measured over garter stitch using 3.25mm needles. Achieving the correct gauge is essential for ensuring the finished shoes fit properly across the four size options. The pattern notes that quantities of yarn may vary between individual knitters and different yarn types, so checking your tension before beginning is recommended.

Pattern Structure

The shoes are constructed by casting on between 35 and 53 stitches depending on the desired size. The pattern uses alternating right-side and wrong-side rows, with the wrong-side rows (odd-numbered rows) worked entirely in knit stitch to maintain the garter stitch texture. The right-side rows incorporate increases using the M1 technique to shape the shoe's foot and create the decorative opening feature. You will make two identical shoes using the same pattern instructions.