Baby bootie help!!!!

[ajp2181]

I am really confused as to how I am supposed to do the top of this baby bootie. It is marked with the stars. Please help! Can anyone explain how to do this part? Thanks!!

Cast on 10 sts and knit 18 ridges (36 rows) of garter stitch for the sole. Leave the 10 sts on one needle, and on a second, pick up 10 sts at the cast-on edge. Pick up 18 sts along each side on two more needles-56 sts in all. Be careful to keep working around in the same direction. Purl 4 rounds, knit 4 rounds, purl 4 rounds, knit 4 rounds, purl 4 rounds.

*****To shape the toe at one of the 10-st ends, knit and purl short rows back and forth. Work the 10th St together with the closest stitch on the adjacent 18-st needle at the end of each row 16 times (decrease 8 sts per side). You do this by slipping the 10th St to the RH needle purlwise, then back onto the 18-st needle. Knit or purl the first 2 sts on the 18-st needle together. Then turn and work back across the 10 toe sts to the other side.*****

Now knit around the 40 sts at the ankle for 3 rounds. To prevent a hole at the end of the 1st round, pick up 1 extra st and knit it together with the lst St on the 2nd round. Make eyelets for the ties on the 4th round: *K2, yo, k2tog* 10 times. Finally, knit 22 rounds, and bind off. Thread crocheted yarn ties or ribbon through the evelets.

[ah]

These are cute. I've made them several times. I switched the cuff to ribbing and they stay on even better.

[psquidy]

Christines baby booties! I love these. I read those same instructions online and was confused as well. The person who posted it just explains it in a strange way. I probably can't do it any better but here goes.
So you have four needles holding all your stitches and you are working those with a fith needle. Once you finish the k4 p4 stuff for the bootie you are ready to make the toe!
First thing you need to know is what a short row is. That means that you will work to the end of the ten stitch row and then you turn your work and work back along the same row again. OKAY?
So you knit to the end of the ten stitch row and all you are doing is knitting two together. You knit the last stitch on the ten stitch row with the first stitch on the eighteen stitch row. How you do it is up to you.You just have to get the last stitch on the ten and the first stitch on the eighteen side by side so you can knit them together. Once i do that I put that stitch back on the ten stitch needle. So you always have ten stitches on the ten stitch needle and you can count your decrease on the eighteen stitch needle. You do your decrease at the end of every short row, so it's 8 per side and 16 all together. It's really fun and goes SUPER fast. Try it! I hope this helped, let me know how it goes.