After trying these both seamed and seamless in fingering weight yarn I am doing a seamed version that borrows techniques from both and adds my own twist.

1) I used @missingma’s “Booties in an hour” as a base to translate to DK weight yarn, casting on 23 (vs. 31). I followed her lead, on the rest of it, but I reduced the back of the foot to 8 stitches (instead of 10), and CO 8 (instead of 10) stitches for the strap.

2) I used Fleegle’s Seamless Saartje Booties knitted cast-on technique (actually really a cable cast-on), to reduce extra ends when making the straps. Easy peasy. Use a cable cast-on or a knitted cast-on, but just say no to two-stranded cast-ons in this setting - it makes no durn sense!

3) My own “cheat” to make the buttonhole loops and not have to weave in ends: When you reach Saartje’s directions for row 28, the bind-off row, knit the first stitch. Take the stitch now on your right hand needle and transfer to a crochet hook and chain stitch until desired loop length. (For me this was 5 stitches in DK yarn.) Transfer last loop back to R needle, then continue to bind off. The last chained stitch will be taken up in the first bind-off stitch. Voila! Fewer ends to weave in.