Craftzine handmade shoes

If you love shoes and crafts, the latest issue of craftzine is for you! They have some great instructions for making several kinds of shoes, including hand-knitted Converse chuck taylors. Some of the shoes require special tools, but others look fairly easy. I am thinking about trying to make a knitted pair like the ones in the picture. I am considering using a different kind of yarn though. They recommend using a cheap acrylic yarn, but that yarn often does not look very good after a couple of wears. I am not sure if cotton yarn is a good alternative because it stretches out too easily. Wool has natural elasticity, but is too warm for this time of year. I'm not sure what kind of fiber I'm going to use.