Garden Dancing Shoes

When I first got Adorable Crochet for Babies and Toddlers, one of the first patterns that caught my interest was for Dancing shoes, designed for babies 3-6 months old. As my niece, Ms. L, is just 3 months old, I thought this would make a very cute Christmas present.

You may remember this yarn from my Garden Monkey socks that I had knit from Mind's Eye Yarns April sock club yarn. Lucy said that her original inspiration for this colorway was a field of flowers. I am so glad that this affect translated as well into crochet as it did in knitting.

Pattern: Dancing Shoes by Lesley Stanfield
Pattern Source: Adorable Crochet for Babies and Toddlers
Yarn: Mind's Eye Yarns Merino/Tencel
Hook: 3.5 mm / E / Size 0 steel hook
Buttons: found in the button box at Windsor Button

The pattern with recommended gauge is supposed to produce a 4" long show, which looks significantly longer than the average 3-6 month-old's foot to me. Better to grow into them thn for them to be too small though.

Even so I had a little trouble with gauge. Even going up from the recommended 2.5 mm hook to a 2.75 mm hook, I made a sole that would only make a 3" long shoe. So be careful with your gauge on this one. Be aware though that the finishing will increase the size of the show slightly though accoding to external measurements.