Knit in the round, with these mods:
Cast on as written, join to knit in the round, and knit rib on smaller needles.
Switch to larger needles for the rest of the bootie.
Bootie foot, after the instep: on round 7, dec 4 sts, two at toe, two at heel.
Round 8: (p1, p2tog) twice, p2, (p2tog, p1) twice and repeat once.
Knit one round.
(P1, p2tog) 3times, p1. Repeat.
Kitchener closed.

These mods made the booties much more “foot-shaped” and attractive. Yay!