These cute booties may not be very practical (I am not sure how well they would stay on tiny feet), but they sure are cute! They take a teeny tiny bit of yarn- a ball a bit larger than a walnut for the dk version, and slightly less for the sock/light dk weight yarn. Based on Chaussons Mignons (scroll to the bottom for the english version), with some big changes. Instead of casting on a few stitches and knitting rows and rows with just a few stitches to form a T and having to sew up the sides, I knit mine in one piece, with picked up stitches to avoid seaming. I also don’t like knitting back and forth across just a few stitches, so I knit the sole sideways instead, which also made picking up stitches easier.
Note: the changes I made really require you to use a circular needle or several dpns, since picking up stitches around the heel and the first few rows after won’t work well if knit straight across, the booties are simply too small. If you want a truly invisible edge, use a provisional cast on (I didn’t bother and the seam is barely noticeable). If you only have straight needles handy, I recommend what several of the commenters did- cast on and knit from the top of the “T” down.
DK yarn and size 4 needles
Knit in 1 piece, so the only seaming is at the toe.
Cast on 14 stitches.
K 16 rows.
Pick up and knit 8 stitches (1 for each ridge).
Pick up and knit 14 stitches across cast on. [36 stitches total]
Knit 16 rows.
Bind off loosely.
Sew toe seam at front.
Sock or light DK yarn- size 2 needles.
These are tiny, maybe suitable for a newborn.
Cast on 12 stitches.
K 12 rows.
Pick up and knit 6 stitches (1 for each ridge).
Pick up and knit 12 stitches across cast on. [30 stitches]
Knit 12 rows.
Bind off loosely.
Sew toe seam at front.
PS- this is how the stitches are picked up from the base:
