AIBU to expect sock monkeys to be made out of socks?

[middleagedbread]

Last year I helped my DD raise lots of money for charity by making and selling sock monkeys; it was a great way to spend my time and I also adapted the pattern to make cats and dogs and keyrings. They are made out of a sock or pair of socks and are jolly little things.

Anyway, I was passing though a store at the weekend and saw a display featuring large sock monkeys but they weren't made of socks just machine knitted and not a patch on mine .

Surely they can only be called "monkeys" rather than "sock monkeys"? I know it's an extremely trivial complaint but I keep going back over it in my mind and decided to ask mners if I'm unreasonable to be miffed.

Seems entirely reasonable to think that sock monkeys should be made from socks.

Absolutely they should be socks! Otherwise they are just knitted monkeys

DD got a microwaveable 'hottie' sock monkeys for Christmas.

It's not a sock monkey, it's just a monkey, there's nothing 'sock' about it

It's probably because of the CE marking regulations - all toys on sale have to be CE marked and that means you have to know exactly what all the materials are made out of, flammability etc before selling them, probably impossible if you're using socks rather than virgin fabric.

Phew, glad I'm not unreasonable . At the weekend I found a new sock pattern on t'internet to make sockcats. The cat is lying down with legs outstretched this time. They look lovely and the pattern can be adapted to make dogs too. Not sure yet what charity to raise the money for; Alzheimers or a local hospice who helped my parents recently, I think.

You might want to read this before you start, make sure you don't end up in trouble with trading standards. CE marking.

That's handy information, WhoKnows, I use socks, cushion stuffing and hand-sew the features (don't use plastic eyes/noses). Most of my animals were bought by adults as 'mascots' rather than by/for children.

It was the hospice that originally got me involved because my dad bought me a sock monkey from their shop (he was a day patient at the time) and I loved it. When my DD wanted to raise money to teach abroad (with a charity) I wondered what I could do to help (rather than just give her money). I remembered the sock monkey that dad had bought me from the hospice shop and I decided to have a go myself. The first took me six hours , but eventually I got quicker (four hours). I made nearly one hundred altogether, working solidly evenings and weekends.

There are loads of tutorials on youtube so it's worth having a look at what's out there. But yes, creating a safe animal is important too.

Yes, it seems like a lot of red tape, but safety in toys is so important, well done to you for doing so much for charity. I make crochet animals myself, but only for my own DCs at the moment.

Here is my newest sock cat, made this evening.

Here's a whole body pic...

YANBU

I love the sock cat!

Although now I want a sock monkey

Here you are Millions, found an old photo of some of my sock monkeys .

YANBU they are only sock monkeys if they are monkeys made from socks. Do you have a link for the sock cat pattern please? its way better than my attempts.

I want to learn how to do that! I have all sorts of fun and colorful socks that aren't being worn anymore. Maybe I'll make mini ones from DD's old socks. We'll see though, they are pretty tiny.

OP Bear in mind that the CE Marking rules apply to anything that could be a toy, so it doesn't matter if you're selling them as a 'mascot' or whatever. Basically, if a child would reasonably think it was a toy and play with it,the CE rules apply.

That'd be everything, then. My child thinks the coal in the fireplace is a toy!

I love the sick cat!

Thanks predictive text. Sock cat!!

Yanbu. I quite agree and have some lovely sock monkeys for my dc. But they sit out of they way on a shelf as they really aren't toys.

The ladies who made them used to do it as a business but unfortunately because theirs were all unique, the issues with CE marking meant they stopped making them as it was impractical to get every single pair of socks tested.

The only way to get round it would be to use one particular type and colour of sock. And then would you have as much fun making them?

YANBU.

People are trying to cash in on the adorableness of true sock monkeys with their mass produced tat. They clearly don't understand the nature of the true sock monkey's individual and handmade appeal.

Love the sock cat!

Bramwell, here is the link : (hope it works)

starshapedandshiny.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/sock-cats-and-dogs.html

There are a lot of knitting patterns for "sock monkeys". I have to agree - they may be sock monkey style toys, but they're not sock monkeys unless they are made from socks. (Though the knitted ones do also have handmade appeal and, having made both, take a lot more work than one made from socks.)

I make sock cats and monkeys too to raise money at the school fete and I agree that they should be made by using a new pair of socks (my preferred size is 9 - 12)

My proudest moment last term was when in one of the Y1 classes my sock toys were the show and tell item for three different children in the same week.

I have ordered a monkey knitting pattern and would quite like try that too.

Personally I prefer the monkeys to look at, but the cats are so quick to make.

They look great op! I particularly love the cat!

I usually use ladies ankle socks, but I have a dark-grey pair of men's socks with a lovely nubbly texture that I will use next time (just off now to surprise weekend treat with DH ). And yes, I always use new socks except once when I was given a special pair by a colleague to make up. They had belonged to her young DD; she'd died tragically years before.