P037 Felted Bunny Baby Booties

How to Knit Felted Bunny Baby Booties

Create a sweet pair of soft baby booties finished with felted bunny ears. The booties are knitted flat, shaped through the toe and upper foot, then folded and seamed before being felted in the washing machine.

The ears are made separately from two knitted colour panels, felted and cut to shape using the template supplied with the original pattern. Once dry, they are sewn securely to the front of each bootie.

Finished Measurements

What You Will Need

Yarn

The original pattern uses Ficio Coaster yarn in 50 g balls:

• Main colour: 1 ball for all sizes
• Contrast colour: 1 ball for all sizes

Needles and Equipment

• One pair of knitting needles
• Stitch holder
• Wool needle for sewing seams and weaving in ends
• Scissors
• Laundry bag or zippered pillowcase for felting
• Small amount of laundry detergent
• Fray-stop product or suitable fabric glue
• Bunny-ear template from the original pattern

Tension Before Felting

Before felting, work to the following tension:

17 stitches and 22 rows over 10 cm in stocking stitch.

Make and felt a test swatch before beginning. Felting rates vary between yarns and washing machines, so a sample is the safest way to predict the final size.

Abbreviations

• K: Knit
• P: Purl
• K2tog: Knit two stitches together
• Kfb: Knit into the front and back of the same stitch
• P2tog: Purl two stitches together
• Pfb: Purl into the front and back of the same stitch
• Sl1: Slip one stitch purlwise
• SSK: Slip, slip, knit
• RS: Right side
• WS: Wrong side
• St or sts: Stitch or stitches
• St st: Stocking stitch

Construction Overview

The booties are made in the following stages:

1. Knit the flat sole and lower foot.
2. Decrease across the centre to shape the upper foot and toe.
3. Work a short cuff.
4. Fold and sew the back and sole seam.
5. Knit and assemble the two-colour ear fabric.
6. Felt the booties and ear fabric.
7. Cut out the ears and sew them securely to the booties.

Begin the Bootie Base

Using the main colour, cast on:

• 0–6 months: 35 stitches
• 6–12 months: 39 stitches
• 12–18 months: 43 stitches

Knit the first row. On the following increase rows, work four increases evenly across the row to widen the base.

Alternate the increase rows with plain knit rows until the stitch count reaches:

• 0–6 months: 51 stitches
• 6–12 months: 55 stitches
• 12–18 months: 59 stitches

Continue knitting every row through Row 19 to create the lower foot and sole section.

Shape the Foot

The foot is shaped by decreasing symmetrically around the centre stitches. The outer sections remain relatively stable while the middle section narrows to form the toe and upper foot.

On right-side rows, use SSK decreases on the left side of the centre and knit-two-together decreases on the right side.

On wrong-side rows, work the corresponding purl decreases to maintain the shaping.

Continue the sequence until the stitch count has been reduced to:

• 0–6 months: 27 stitches
• 6–12 months: 31 stitches
• 12–18 months: 35 stitches

Knit one row after completing the final shaping row.

Work the Cuff

Continue in stocking stitch for:

• 0–6 months: 2 cm
• 6–12 months: 2 cm
• 12–18 months: 3 cm

Finish after a wrong-side row, then cast off and secure the yarn.

Assemble the Booties

1. Fold each bootie in half with the right sides facing.
2. Match the back cuff edges and continue along the lower sole edge.
3. Sew the back and bottom seam using the main-colour yarn.
4. Fasten the yarn securely and weave in every loose end.
5. Turn the bootie right side out.

Knit the Ear Fabric

The ears are cut from a two-layer felted fabric made in the main and contrast colours.

1. Using the main colour, cast on 18 stitches.
2. Work in stocking stitch until the panel measures approximately 10 cm.
3. Leave the stitches on a holder.
4. Using the contrast colour, pick up 18 stitches along the cast-on edge of the first panel.
5. Work in stocking stitch until the contrast panel matches the length of the main-colour panel.
6. Graft or seam the two panels together at the live edge.
7. Sew the side edges together to form one double-layered piece.
8. Weave in every yarn end before felting.

Felt the Booties and Ear Fabric

Place the completed booties and ear fabric inside a laundry bag or zippered pillowcase.

For a small load, add an old towel or pair of jeans to increase agitation. Add approximately one teaspoon of laundry detergent and run a short hot wash cycle.

Remove the pieces before the spin cycle begins. Spinning may create permanent creases or pleats in the felted fabric.

1. Check whether the stitches have blended sufficiently.
2. Repeat part of the wash cycle when more felting is required.
3. Roll the wet pieces in a dry towel and press gently to remove excess water.
4. Stretch and shape the booties while damp.
5. Allow all pieces to dry in the shade.

Cut Out the Bunny Ears

1. Place the original ear template over the dry felted fabric.
2. Cut two matching pairs of ears.
3. Position the contrast colour so it appears as the inner ear.
4. Apply fray stop or a small amount of fabric glue around the cut edges where necessary.
5. Allow the product to dry fully before attaching the ears.

Attach the Ears

1. Position two ears at the upper front of each bootie.
2. Check that both ears sit at the same angle and height.
3. Sew the lower edge of each ear securely to the bootie.
4. Work several small stitches through the felted fabric so the ears cannot be pulled loose.
5. Hide the yarn ends inside the bootie.

Alternative Yarns for This Project

This project relies on felting, so the yarn must contain animal fibres that will shrink and lock together during a hot wash.

• Non-superwash pure wool – the most reliable choice for predictable felting.
• Non-superwash merino wool – creates a soft felted fabric, although some merino yarns may felt very quickly.
• Wool and alpaca blend – produces a soft, warm finish but should be swatch-tested carefully.
• Wool and mohair blend – creates a softer, slightly fuzzy felted surface.
• Untreated wool blend with at least 70% wool – may work well when the remaining fibres do not prevent felting.

Yarns to Avoid

• Superwash wool
• Machine-washable wool treated to resist shrinking
• Pure acrylic
• Pure cotton
• Pure bamboo or plant-fibre yarn
• Blends with a high synthetic content

These fibres generally will not felt in the same way and may leave the booties too loose or the cut ear edges unstable.

Colour Ideas

• Cream with blush-pink inner ears
• Soft grey with white inner ears
• Caramel with pale beige
• Pastel blue with cream
• Lilac with pale pink
• White with light grey inner ears

Baby Safety

These booties are decorative footwear and should be checked before every use. Ensure the ears are sewn securely and that no loose yarn, glue or embellishments are accessible.

Do not add buttons, beads or other small detachable decorations to booties intended for babies.

Care

Once felted, gently hand wash the booties in cool water. Avoid hot washing, vigorous agitation and tumble drying, as these may cause further shrinkage.

Reshape while damp and dry flat in the shade.