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.

Here's the dark-grey sock cat I made tonight...

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Try again!

Do you use a sewing machine or hand sew? I would love to make one for dd, but do not have a sewing machine but am fairly good with needle and thread, but wondered if that would make it difficult?

I have put a link to the site where I got the pattern, dusty. It would be simple to hand sew, when I was doing my original sock monkeys I broke the sewing machine so it had to get fixed. I hand sewed them for eight days before I got machine back.

I machine sew the legs, tail and top of head (ears), then hand sew the head and tail to body and hand sew features. Good luck and don't forget to post a pic!

Sorry, link is further up the thread.

I find it quicker to hand sew them when I make them, I can also do it in front of the TV when the children are in bed, and when I use the machine I find it jams if I am not very careful.

I used two rows of stitching, a blanket stitch row to prevent fraying, and then a back stitch row.

The only difference between our cats is, that I sew the tail onto the heel of the sock and not the head, I thought that it was that was around on the pattern I found on the internet, but your pattern must have shown it the other way around. It just goes to show that with Sock Toys anything goes.

How much do you charge for yours?, I tend to sell them for £5 each at the School Fetes and all the money goes to the PA to use for the school, so I always on the hunt for cheap socks. Morrisons had some lovely stripy ones in their sale, 5 socks for £1.75, bargain, and Dunelm Mill is the cheapest place I have found for stuffing, a huge bin bag size pack for £7.99, so much cheaper than Hobbycraft.

I am having a month off making any and am knitting a jumper for DC3 instead. My aim this year is over 200 toys made for the school by the Christmas fete at the start of December.

Thank you, will give it a go!

Sixgeese, I must agree with you about the sewing machine jamming. It doesn't do it often, but can mean unpicking the line I've just sewed. This can be almost impossible with some sock fabrics .

I see what you mean. Sixgeese, about sewing the tail on the heel. I couldn't tell from the pictures in the link I posted earlier, so played about with both ends and chose the heel .

When I was raising money for my DD I charged £5 too (and also became obsessed with finding bargain socks with interesting patterns). I also tried making monkey keyrings using baby socks; very fiddly but really cute. I got the metal pieces from Hobbycraft. Try the £1 shop too, they sometimes have lovely fluffy stripey socks (very challenging to sew though) which make soft and cuddly animals.

This pattern for the cat (or dog) is much quicker to do than the one I used for monkeys.

I am aiming to do one each evening. May take them down to mums at the weekend, the hospice who looked after dad is nearby and they have a shop with lots of crafts for sale.

Dusty, give it a go, take your time. Each subsequent one you do will get better and better as you develop better ways to do it.

The latest little one, a leopard sock cat!

Just found this link on fb...

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...for making an owl out of a baby sock.

That's cute, it looks a lot like it is made the same way as the cats head. I might have to go looking for baby socks to try it out.

Sock dog!

I dropped the sock animals off at the hospice yesterday (together with more money that friends and family had donated to mum after funeral) and they were delighted. I have several pairs of baby/toddler socks and am now making owl keyrings. I will post pics once they are completed. I need black felt (forgot to bring it with me to Wales) to finish eyes. These owls are quick to make by hand too.

My cat and owl keyrings.

YANBU!

I have this book Sock and Glove and it has recipes for loads of lovely animals from socks and gloves - perfect for sales-bought gloves and sock in Jan - most popular here was the zebra made from stripey socks and the Panda from black and white gloves.

Thanks for that recommendation, Girl, I've just been on Amazon UK and bought it .

Ok, so I have made my first sock monkey. Please remember it is my first attempt, not happy with the eyes but can make changes as I go along to make them better!

Wow, Dusty, he's a magnificent stripey monkey. After you've done a few you will learn new, effective and quicker ways to make your monkeys then you'll try cats, dogs and rabbits.

My three children are arguing over him, but I think dd (the youngest) is winning! I have said I will make them one each and ds1 said he wants an elephant one! Going to master the monkeys first though! I have ordered some sew on eyes, which will be fine for all my children as they are all over 3. My mum is going to Asda this week and going to look for some socks for me, we live in a smallish town and are limited on where to buy things. I have a pair of socks dd won't wear as they are 'hurty' that I am going to make a smaller one out of and may use it as a present for my great niece!

Dusty, have a google of "elephant sock animal" and you'll find plenty of patterns . Don't forget to post some pics of the elephant now...

I got a commission! Here is browndog, just completed. I have a tiny white dot on the pupil and this really lifts the expression I think.

I got side tracked from monkeys to make baby sock owls (stolen from you middleagedbread, hope you don't mind) for my friends daughter to sell on a stall at school to raise money for a local hospice. I made 9, sold 4 before I even gave them to her and the others sold fast yesterday and they want more! I was very pleased with myself lol!

The dog is very cute!

Dusty, that's great. I am on my phone so don't know if you have posted a pic. if not, can you. I'd love to see your owls .

I'm on my way to hospice bringing some dogs and a supply of owls . The owls are so easy to make aren't they? I have a couple of other commissions on the go and am taking £25 for dogs and owls already sold.

Bought the book recommended up the thread, came this week. Has fab designs using socks and gloves, including an elephant and zebra! can't wait to try them!

Blue lot were the first ones, the pink ones I made last night.