Ballerina Sock Monkey

This ballerina sock monkey was made for my niece Macie, who is just 4. She is a tiny (her mom says she is not even on the growth chart) little red-hed with a chirruppy, perfectly-articulated little munchkin voice. She's adorable and sweet.

I made a ballerina sock monkey for her, because I wanted something with soft colors and all sweetness and huggability. (She does not like little, yappy dogs or scary-looking animals -- like the turtle her cousins caught and kept in a cardboard box under the deck).

Note the little toy bunny this sock monkey carries. Her tutu and slippers are off-the-shelf doll clothes. Her top and hat are made from an old pair of my socks. I just cut and rolled the fabric -- nothing easier! But I thought it was to nice effect. I was tempted to use the other sock to make leg warmers, but sock monkeys kind of have their own built-in leg warmers with the white part of their legs. So, I forced myself to keep it simple, and I'm glad.

Construction Notes:

With this monkey, I think I finally solved my eye problem. I bought some felt that was JUST the shade of the creamy part of the sock, and used that for eyelids. You still get a little of the froggy effect with the lighter colors, but I think, with time, I can mitigate that with changing the shape of the eyes and getting embroidered eyeliner or lashes on the lid. I did the more child-proof eye construction -- sew on the base, glue the wiggly eye onto the felt, then glue the felt eyelid onto the wiggly eye (with intense gun-glue which is clingier than a psychotic girlfriend).

Also, with this monkey and the cheerleader monkey, I got into a new accessory -- neck ribbon. I saw this concept mentioned in several of the older, classic instructions. If you tie some yarn around the neck, the sock monkey looks a little less like a football player on steroids. At Michael's craft store, I found a little display called "bobbin ribbon". I think the bobbin part refers to its little small shape, because it surely would not fit in a sewing machine bobbin. Anyway, this ribbon had several colors, patterns and sayings on it. I bought several. The ballerina monkey's ribbon says "Imagine . . . " on it. The cheerleader (previous post) says "Best Friends".

Cheerleader Sock Monkey, for Miah

This cheerleader sock monkey is for my spirited niece, Miah. Whenever I think of her, I think of her in motion -- skipping through the house, shooting across the pool, laughing and flitting about. So, I wanted her monkey to be reflective of that energy.

AND, she informed me, with her missing front teeth "I was in cheerleading classes!"

This was the first monkey I made for a child that I have witnessed the child's reaction upon opening the gift. I was nervous. In this age of electronics and mass-produced toy lines made for every popular T.V. show and movie character, could a child appreciate an unknown character hand-made from a pair of socks?

Well, the answer is yes, but differently. It's a little slower appreciation (not the big ooh/aaah at initial opening, but a nice building appreciation). Miah took the doll out of its wrapping and examined it. When I told her there was a prayer inside it for her, she immediately started feeling around in the stuffing for it. (Of course! Why didn't I think of that. It might be fun to put a small object inside and have the child feel for it and guess what it is). When her younger sister opened hers (next post), she was attracted to that one more. (By the end of the night they had switched). During the course of the evening, at various times Miah noticed things and commented on them (like, "hey, there's another sock monkey!" from my collection. Then I showed her mine and told her why I made them the way they were). She was also intrigued with the "made from socks" concept.

At the end of the night, when she and her family were leaving (the kids all jammied up with coats and boots over jammies), Miah was clutching her sister's sock monkey doll. "HOW do you make them?" she said to me, with just a note of awe. "I will teach you sometime," I replied, much gratified, and thinking that that is the true gift of the sock monkey -- a shared experience built on love and the age-old gift of creating.

Dress-up Sock Monkey, for Katja

This is a sock monkey for my sweet little niece, Katja. She is a beautiful little girl with dark, silky curls, and has an interesting story to her name. Her parents spent a summer in Norway before she was born. One of the stops they made was a museum which featured the work of Edvard Munch (you know, the Scream guy). Anyway, the second floor contains painting of a woman named Katja, and they were intrigued with that and brought the name home with them.

Little Katja has diverse interests. I intended to make her a "dress-up" monkey -- one that you could play with like a doll and put on different clothes and hats, etc. And that's what she is, but every time I look at her (the monkey), that old 70s song goes through my head -- "Delta Dawn, what's that flower you have on? Could it be a faded rose from days gone by? And did I hear you say, he was a-meeting you here today, to take you to his mansion in the sky-ahhhhhh". So, I think some where in that pair of socks was a crazy lady dying to come out (but darn happy about being crazy!), and it must somehow be Katja's destiny to own her. Who am I to question the fates?

Classic Sock Monkey, for Nico

This sock monkey was made in the classic style (just a cap) for a very special little boy named Nico, my nephew. Nico was born on 7/7/07 (thus the number on his heart). He and his family have faced a lot of struggles just getting him born and keeping him strong (he has a hole in his little heart), but he is doing very well, and will have corrective surgery in the spring, and he is much beloved by his big sister and the rest of his family and extended family.

I'm hoping this monkey will get as many hugs as I'm sure he will give to Nico. And each one will be blessed with my own special prayer for Nico, which floats in his chest. I printed his prayer to the right here, with the monkey, as I am sure he wouldn't mind the publicity (being so young and nonverbal and all).

On a construction note: His eyes are my evolved attempt at baby-proofing. First I sewed 2 felt circles on where the eyes would go (lots and lots of little stitches to keep those babies on!) And then I glue-gunned the wiggly-eyes on to the felt. They seem to adhere so much better to the flat felt than the knit material of the sock. So, Nico will be my kid-tester to see if they are truly as little teeth proof as I believe. I'm sure his parents will closely supervise the consumer-product testing.

Biker Chick Sock Monkey

This monkey is a Christmas gift for Karla at Fox River Mills. She loves Harley motorcycles, so I had to make her a biker chick sock monkey. She's got a naughty word on the back of her vest, so don't look at the final picture at the end of this blog entry if you are easily offended or are one of my young or very old relatives.

Making the Sock Monkey

The biker chick employed all my best practices learned thus far from making sock monkeys. She is a size Large Rockford Red Heel Sock. She has my new ears. To make my new style ears, I cut them out as shown on the instructions. I put a very small amount of stuffing in, then I hand-close the opening with invisible stitch. I then sew an inner circle with my machine about a sewing foot away from the edge. Finally, I fold the two sides together and stitch them at the edges. This gives a smaller attachment point to the ears and gives them all the weird, bendy shapes you expect from ears.

And one last anatomical point I may as well make here (since Biker Chick already has a naughty word on her). I shall try to say this delicately, but I don't know if I can. I learned the hard way that one does not want a big stuffed tail. In fact, I've stopped putting any stuffing in them all together. They look nice kind of limp and skinny. I noticed in some of the things I read, the grandma-type ladies who have been making them for years mentioned that they were careful not to overstuff the tail. OK. Here's the thing. At best, the overstuffed tail looks like a third leg. Now think of the euphemisms for third leg. I realized this as I proudly posed my first sock monkeys for their first pictures. Sock monkeys sit. They're not big on standing. And, when you sit on a large tail, it naturally finds a place tilted upward a bit between the two legs. I scared myself more than once with this. Enough said.

Dressing the Biker Chick

For this one, I could not find a ready-made doll or bear outfit at the craft store. So, I had to sew!! If you read my earlier posts, you know this is a bit traumatic for me. But I had some help. Fox River sells a book called "How to Make the Original Red Heel Sock Monkey and Other Toys" ( we do not currently sell it on our website, but if anyone posts a comment here asking for it, I will make sure that we do). I found the book a little dated, slightly politically incorrect, but very charming, in a retro-I-found-this-in-my-grandma's-attic kind of way.

Anway, page 28 has 'Jackets and Aprons', inluding a sleeveless jacket I used for the vest. Page 29 has 'Pants 'N' Skirts", including chaps, which I used for chaps.

These were quite simple, and I didn't use the measurements, but just eyeballed things and laid pieces over my monkey. I used some more left-over beading and craft supplies to get the effect of studs on the leather. I affixed them to my faux leather with a glue gun (love that thing!). I couldn't resist using some of the letter beads I had to create a little word on the back of the vest. Karla and I have a running joke where we call each other this name (adults may also know this word as female dog), because, well, we are (Monday mornings especially).

Underneath biker chick's vest is a t-shirt I made from an old throw-away t-shirt of my husbands. I thought it should be kind of ripped and ragged looking, for a biker. I cut out a piece that had the word 'madness' on it, but just took the 'mad' part, as that is all that will fit. It had 'Iowa' on another part, so I just cut that out and sewed it on. (Karla works at the Fox River offices in Iowa.)

I used some faux-tiger felt to make a headband and found the perfect pair of little sunglasses to complete the outfit. She's so cute, I've been keeping her in my office instead of mailing her away. I decided I will have to deliver her in person.

Just to keep things in balance, I should state that she has a prayer inside her as well. This makes her just like Karla -- sometimes prickly and tough on the outside, but a real good-hearted sweetie inside (she will cringe when she reads that -- too sentimental for her tastes).

To conclude, I will leave you a picture of the Biker Chick corrupting the younger sock monkeys with her wild ways (and the picture of the back of her vest).

White Christmas and Green New Year Sock Monkeys

This pair of sock monkeys was created as a Christmas gift for the owner of Fox River Mills, John Lessard, and his wife, CFO, and Chief Environmental officer, Becky Lessard. Since Fox River is the manufacturer of the Rockford Red Heel sock, the sock monkey holds a special place in the lore and culture of Fox River. These two are "White Christmas" (the girl) and "Green New Year" (the elf boy).

Fox River's dedication to ecologically-clever manufacturing is the reference to "green" new year.

Some Notes about the monkeys' construction and packaging:

The monkey pair was made with one pair of Large socks and one pair of extra large (both John and Becky are very tall people, and I wanted them to have that look). I also wanted the "boy" to be a little taller than the girl, for that nice "couple" look.

Their clothing was ready-to-wear bear-wear from Michael's. I had to take a stitch here and there to affix the bear clothing to their more slender monkey bodies. However, I have to say that the tail opening in the red velvet bear shorts was ADORABLE with the monkey tail coming out. I have quickly learned that bright red is a wonderful clothing color for sock monkeys. There is something just perfect in the contrast of the bright red heel, the heathery brown and the baby-cream toes and uppers of the sock.

I did some experimentation with the eyes, because two of the sock monkeys I have yet to complete are going to an infant and a very, very, very early walker. Until they get past that teething phase, any non-embroidered eye is a choking hazard, as they can come off so easily. I pretty much still suck at embroidery (but I keep trying, and even got some tips from Karla at Fox River, who was shocked and dismayed that I lacked this womanly art -- if only she knew just how MANY domestic skills I lack!) I love the wiggly eyes. I just think they add so much personality to the cute monkey faces. Those of you of my age may remember the movie, Chucky. To you, I admit there is a slight ooky to the eye that suddenly moves when the monkey is still, but it's hard to imagine these soft creatures doing anything more horrific than hugging you if they were suddenly to come to life. So, my plan was to use a glue gun to glue a wiggly eye on to some felt, and then sew that felt on. In this way, you can have an upper eyelid too if you wish to lessen the wide-eyed innocence of the monkey. I had some success with this, in terms of securely fastened eyes. However, a couple of pointers: 1. Dark brown felt is going to make the eyes look kohl-rimmed, and may be a little too Bratz for some tastes. 2. Pale beige felt make the eyes look washed-out and a little froglike (this worked ok for an elf, but notice the arched eyebrows I gave him to make him look a little more clever). 3) Glue-gun glue dries VERY, VERY hard, so you don't want it to go out to the edges of the felt, or you'll have a heckuva time getting a needle through it to affix it to the face.

These monkeys were my second and third to have personalized, secret prayers within their stuffing. I just LOVE doing this! (see MN Love monkey to read more about this).

Finally, I had a lot of fun packaging these two up, as they had to be mailed to Iowa (I office in Minnesota). First of all, I took their pictures in various settings. I took them outside to the snow and posed them, and I also set them on our Christmas Tree (photo above). I then took the photos to make a card. If you've never tried this, it is SO easy. I use a simple package called the Print Shop ProPublisher, by Broderbund. I also posess (being in the field) the much more expensive Adobe Creative Suite, with Photoshop, Illustrator, etc., but I can get so much more done quickly in ProPublisher, that I use it for most of my personal stuff. (Mental note: Next year I should do a sock monkey calendar!) Anyway, I created the card and carefully posed/packaged the pair in amongst green tissue in a beautiful gift box I found at Party America. I got it off at the (very crowded) post-office today, and I hope Becky and John like them even 1/10 as much as I do!

Minnesota Love Monkey -- For Patsy

My MN Love Monkey was the first of my 2007 Christmas Sock Monkey Gifts to be completed. I might add that she was completed under duress while my husband tapped his fingers waiting to finish up the gift package for the entire family, so he could ship it off to California. Here she is.

I love my sister-in-law Patsy. She comes from Minnesota, and looks it. She is tall, slim, blonde and understated. She has a quiet grace. Years ago, she drifted down to Colorado and California and did the free-spirt thing, kicking off her shoes and vowing to keep things that way. But, she somehow ended up pregnant and barefoot in the kitchen, as does happen from time to time with free spirits.

Anyway, four wonderful, beautiful boy-children later, she is married to my husband's brother, still out in California, and presumably barefoot, and still tall and blonde and Scandinavian. So, I miss her and wanted to send her some monkey love for Christmas, and thus the origin of the Minnesota Love Monkey.

A couple of details about this monkey. Patsy is very creative and kind of all-american, core Christian values, etc. So, I wanted to go with the traditional monkey, with a cap made from socks and button eyes. I made the button eyes hearts and ironed-on a USA heart to reinforce the LOVE. I made the cap longer than traditional to look more like what we Minnesotans wear to stay warm in the winter, and embroidered (poorly, still!) MN, for Minnesota, on the cap.

Finally, with the MN Love Monkey, I started a new "thing" which I am doing with all my sock monkeys now. I wrote a prayer for Patsy, and printed it up on vellum and used scrap-booking scissors to make the edges all fancy. And then, I folded it up tiny and pushed it up through the stuffing into the heart-area of the monkey, where it will sit quietly and prayerfully for the life of the monkey, emanating my love, thoughts and prayers for Patsy. I think these prayers are pretty private, but I don't think Patsy would mind me sharing hers, just to give you the idea of the kind of thing you could do for your loved ones, with your sock monkeys:

Dear Patsy,
My prayer for you is that God will grant you even more strength and love than he has already generously endowed you with. I have always admired your grace. You deserve great joy.
Love, Janeen

Finally, I'll close with a picture of the MN Love Monkey cavorting about with the other Christmas monkeys. She kind of lorded it over them, as they are all still sightless (and many of them naked) at this point. Well, and she was leaving for California, so, can you blame her?