Rib Cuff Baby Booties - sorry so long!

I’m knitting the Rib Cuff Baby Booties from knittingonthenet.com. I’ve done the cuff and top of the foot, but I’m stuck on the edge. The pattern reads:

pick up 8 sts from left side of food
k9 from the cuff (this section is now the heel)
p9 from next needle
pick up 8 sts from right side of food
p6 sts across the toe and then back to the heel (40 sts)

The last line is where I’m stuck. This is the first time I’ve picked up stitches, so I don’t know if maybe I did it wrong. But I can’t figure out how to p6 across the toe and then back to the heel. I’m not sure I know where the toe is, and the way I’m reading it, it says to turn and p6 back and then just keep going because there are only 40 sts OTN.
There are also 6 sts that I didn’t pick up on the right side of the foot. I’m not sure what happens with them, either.

Here are a couple photos of where I am. I would REALLY appreciate some advice. I’ll take it down to my LYS tomorrow if I can’t figure it out.

It looks like those stitches that are not picked up are the toe stitches.

It looks like you should pick those up and then continue around to the heel. Do you think that would work?

Hmm, that might work. At least it’s something I haven’t tried yet.

Wouldn’t the pattern have said to pick up all stitches on that side then, instead of just 8?

:?? Good point. It looks like it should work, though. You can’t just leave those stitches empty. :shrug: