Homemade Leather & Knit Shoes

Have your child stand on some leather (insides up) and draw the outline of their feet. Draw a 1/2 inch allowance around this outline (round off the toes neatly - no 'bumps') and cut around the allowance line.  I had planned to use 1 piece of hard leather for the sole and 1 piece of soft leather for the insole but in the end I went for 1 piece of soft leather only.

Now use this as a template to cut two more pieces from softer leather (insides up). Make holes as large as to fit a knitting sewing needle through, around the softer leather pieces, 1/4 inch in from the edge and at about 5mm apart.

Now take your sewing knitting needle and thread a base yarn through the holes, starting at the center of the heel. One round in and out and tie off at the heel then another round going through the holes missed the first time, round and tie off under the heel (trying not to have them tied at the same point). If one breaks the other should hold and two makes it more secure.

Now, pick-up the loops created and knit them onto three circular or double-ended sock needles:
1) Center of heel to big toe (the longest run)
2) Big toe to little toe corners (shortest)
3) Little toe to center of heel

 Here's the pattern, including the colours I used

Rows:
Cast on Cream
1: Purl (Cream)
2: Knit (Cream)
3: Purl (Pink)
4: Knit (Pink)
5: Purl (Pink)
6: Knit (Purple)
7: Purl (Purple)
8: Knit-2-Together x1 at end of Heel-Toe needle and Slip-Slip-Knit x1 at beginning of Toe-Heel needle. (Purple)
9: Purl (Blue)
10: Knit-2-Together x1 at end of Heel-Toe needle and Slip-Slip-Knit x1 at beginning of Toe-Heel needle. (Blue)
11: Purl (Blue)
12: Knit-2-Together x1 at end of Heel-Toe needle and Slip-Slip-Knit x1 at beginning of Toe-Heel needle. (Green)
13: Purl (Green)
14: Knit-2-Together x1 at end of Heel-Toe needle and Slip-Slip-Knit x1 at beginning of Toe-Heel needle. (Green)
15: Purl (Yellow)
16: Knit-2-Together x1 at end of Heel-Toe needle, Knit-2-Together x2 at beginning of Toe-Toe needle, Slip-Slip-Knit x2 at end of Toe-Toe needle and Slip-Slip-Knit x1 at beginning of Toe-Heel needle.
17: Purl (Yellow)
18: Knit-2-Together x1 at end of Heel-Toe needle, Knit-2-Together x2 at beginning of Toe-Toe needle, Slip-Slip-Knit x2 at end of Toe-Toe needle and Slip-Slip-Knit x1 at beginning of Toe-Heel needle. (Orange)
19: Purl (Orange)
20: Knit-2-Together x1 at end of Heel-Toe needle, Knit-2-Together x2 at beginning of Toe-Toe needle, Slip-Slip-Knit x2 at end of Toe-Toe needle and Slip-Slip-Knit x1 at beginning of Toe-Heel needle. (Orange)
21: Purl (Red)
22: Cast off LOOSELY (Red)

Glue the hard leather (if you use it) onto the soles of the sandals covering the base stitches and voila, new shoes!