Crocheting your own shoe uppers can be a fun and creative way to make personalized footwear. With soft rubber outsoles that have pre-punched holes, you can easily crochet the perfect fit for your shoes. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of crocheting a soft rubber outsole for women’s shoes, from creating the foundation to adjusting the fit based on your shoe size.

Materials You'll Need:

Soft rubber shoe sole with holes around the perimeter

Crochet hook (1.0).

Yarn (velvet yarn).

Stitch markers (for marking key positions during the crochet process).

Scissors (for cutting the yarn at the end).

Step 1: Preparing the Rubber Sole

Start by placing your rubber sole with the holes facing up. On the right side of the sole, you’ll find a vertical line marker. This will be your starting point.

Create the Foundation Chain:

Insert your crochet hook into the marked hole at the right side of the sole.

Prepare the yarn and create the first loop.

Yarn over and pull through to create a chain stitch (ch).

Continue inserting your hook into each hole, working a single crochet (sc) into each hole around the sole until you reach the starting point.

Joining the First Round:

When you complete one round, join the last stitch to the first with a slip stitch (sl st).

To secure the round, pull the yarn through and tighten it, making a knot.

This completes the foundation round for the shoe sole.

Step 2: Marking Stitches for the First Row

The number of stitches you need to crochet will depend on the size of the shoe. Here’s how to mark the stitches for the first row:

For Women's US Size 4-7.5: Mark 7 stitches for the first row.

For Women's US Size 7.5 and above: Mark 8 stitches for the first row.

How to Mark the Stitches:

Find the central point of the toe area. There’s usually a marked line on the rubber sole indicating the center.

Use a stitch marker to mark the center stitch.

For 7 stitches, count 3 stitches to the left and 3 stitches to the right of the center and place a stitch marker on these stitches.

For 8 stitches, count 4 stitches to the right and 3 stitches to the left for placement (the left sole is the opposite).

Step 3: Crocheting the Upper Part

Once you've marked your stitches, you can begin working the upper part of the shoe.

 Start with the First Stitch:

Remove the right stitch marker and pull over the yarn .

Insert the hook into the first stitch and draw out a loop.

Yarn over and pull through to complete a half double crochet (hdc).

Work a second half double crochet (hdc) into the same stitch to create an increase.

Continue Crocheting: 

Repeat the increase (2 hdc in each stitch) for every stitch until the last one in the row.

Work a slip stitch into the last stitch to complete the first row.

Mark your last stitch with a stitch marker to help you keep track.

After completing the first row, if you started with 7 stitches, you should have 5 diamond-shaped patterns. With 8 stitches, you’ll get 6 diamond patterns.

Step 4: Controlling the Height of the Upper

Now that you've completed the first row, it’s time to adjust the height of the shoe upper to ensure a comfortable fit.

Control Yarn Placement: 

Lay the yarn across the first row, ensuring that it's neither too tight nor too loose. The tension of this control yarn will determine the height of the upper.

If the yarn is too loose, the upper will become too high and cause the shoe to be too loose to wear comfortably.

If the control yarn is too tight, the upper will sit too low, making it difficult to slip your foot in.

Continue Crocheting:

With the control yarn in place,start the row with a chain stitch, then continue working half double crochet increases into each stitch until you reach the last stitch of the row.

Before completing the last half double crochet, with 3 loops on your hook, make sure to join the previous remaining loop with the current one.

After finishing the last half double crochet, work a slip stitch to complete the row.

Step 5: Skipping Stitches for Proper Fit

To ensure that the slope of the shoe upper fits properly, you’ll need to skip certain stitches in specific rows, based on the shoe size. 

Skipping stitches at specific rows:

For Women’s US Size 4-6: Skip a stitch on rows 5, 8, 10, 13, and 14.

For Women’s US Size 7-7.5: Skip a stitch on rows 5, 9, 11, 14, and 15.

For Women’s US Size 8-10: Skip a stitch on rows 6, 10, 13, 15, and 16.

By skipping stitches, the shoe upper will maintain a proper slope and avoid becoming too high or too loose. 

Step 6: Symmetry and Final Touches

As you progress, ensure both sides of your shoe remain symmetrical. If one side isn’t aligned with the other, use a single crochet stitch to adjust the alignment. 

Aligning the Sides:

If you skip a stitch on the right side, make sure to skip the same stitch on the left side to keep the shoe symmetrical.

After skipping a stitch, crochet a single crochet stitch into the skipped stitch to keep both sides even. 

Step 7: Completing the Last Row

When you reach the last row, it’s time to finish off with a twisted single crochet.

Twisted Single Crochet:

Start by working a chain stitch.

If you skipped a stitch, work a single crochet into the skipped stitch.

Insert the hook into the first stitch of the previous row, yarn over, and pull through a loop.

Rotate your wrist and hook to complete a full circle, then yarn over and pull through to finish the twisted single crochet.

Repeat the twisted single crochet for each stitch until the last one.

Final Touches:

When you finish the last stitch, work a single crochet (if needed) and finish with a slip stitch.

Cut the yarn, fasten off, and weave in the ends to secure them in place.

Conclusion

With these steps, you can easily crochet a custom fit for your rubber-soled shoes, creating beautiful, comfortable footwear. By adjusting the number of skipped stitches and carefully monitoring the tension of your yarn, you can achieve the perfect fit for any shoe size. Enjoy crocheting your new shoes, and feel free to experiment with different yarns and designs to make them truly unique!