Iris – rainbow sock creature

Iris thinks of herself as a Greek goddess with her lush lips and impatient stance … it’s why she always seems to have her hands on her hips, no doubt tapping her toes. The truth of it though is that she is more messenger than goddess, her purpose being to take those dreams that are lovingly whispered in her ear and help make them come true, she’s on first name terms with the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus and, most important of all, the Fairy Godmother. Of course the more cuddles and love she gets the more likely she is to pass on your hopes and dreams.

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sock creatures

As promised – the sock creatures I was working on last weekend…I was very busy, although I must admit that the sock monkey took the best part of two weeks (between real work, you know, the one that pays the mortgage!)

First up, that sock monkey.  A real labour of love.  They are very easy to make but take what seems like forever.

This very scary looking rabbit was supposed to be cute but turned out a bit Donnie Darko.  I blame my disturbed mind!

This is Red Wetty from the book Make Your Own Stupid Sock Creatures by John Murphy, the one I talked about in my previous post.  He’s the easiest of the creatures in the book and mine would have looked like the one in the book had I not decided to use a really small child’s sock as opposed to the recommended adult sock.  I also wasn’t brave enough to add teeth, which he has in the book.  Still, he’s got a certain charm.

Finally Owlsley, again from the book and, again it’s not the same as the one in the book.  John Murphy recommends a sort of hanging tag type thing made with an offcut of a tie, but we don’t have any ties and I thought it looked a bit too silly so I forewent it.

So, there you have it…all four sock creatures, all different and all very enjoyable to make.  You can make these from any sock although I tend to use knee high socks…just let your imagination run wild or go buy the book and follow the instructions.

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work in progress – more sock creatures

I took delivery of the book, Make Your Own Stupid Sock Creatures by John Murphy this week and was inspired to make some more sock creatures.  I started, and finished, two of them yesterday but the light is so poor here again it’ll be later in the week before I can show you the finished articles.  In the meantime here’s a flavour of a sock monkey I finished that isn’t included in the book but is made of socks and is a creature nonetheless.

The book comes with instructions for basic sock creature creation as well as very detailed instructions for 5 of John Murphy’s stupid sock creatures and enough materials (socks and stuffing) to make the character, Zarzak the Silent Terror, who is pictured on the front cover.

I would say this book is good for those with experience and beginners alike.  I’ve made a few sock creatures in my time now and I found a few tips in the book to help speed up the process.  Since I hand sew all of my creations this was very welcome.

One thing I would caution is that. no matter how hard you try, your creatures won’t look exactly like John’s, and why would you want them too really?  The joy of making sock creatures is definitely seeing the character come to life and never quite knowing what it’ll look like until the final stitch is stitched.

You can see more of John’s creatures on his website, enough to keep anyone busy for a very long time.

Sock creatures

Jolene’s been busy with her needle and thread, pulling up her socks, and putting together some more of her cute and cuddly creatures.  Stripes seem to be a recurring theme, but the first cuddly creature featured here is a luxurious little soul made out of angora …

As much as I love the soft autumnal colours in the angora creature above, the vibrant summery colours of the creature below are also rather fab.  We had pretty much decided that this one had something a pig-tailed school girl about it, but now I look at the pictures here I can’t help thinking it looks more like the irritated mother of a naughty school girl, hands on hips!

Meanwhile, I’ve also been finishing off my second and, I promise you, final sock creature … it’s no great work of art, but it’s definitely got character!

Sock creatures, a monstrous diversion!

Sewing is really Jolene’s thing, obviously I’m far more interested in manly arts and crafts rather than these silly women’s past-times!  Obviously I jest, but sewing isn’t really what I do … other than from a utilitarian stand-point it’s not a craft I’ve ever felt the need to refine, alas, with time to kill and the workshop outside getting colder and colder as winter sets in I was persuaded to have a go at making a sock creature or two.

This is my first effort, and whilst I don’t think it’s a complete failure …

… I can’t help thinking that she looks like a bit of an old slapper!

We’ll be selling Jolene’s ones at our forth-coming craft fayres, we’ll announce dates shortly.

Sock Creatures

These fun chaps were supposed to be sock monsters but they just aren’t at all scary.  In fact, they are so cute it hurts me to look at them so I think they must be banished to the sock drawer from wence they came!  (They didn’t really, they are brand new non-smelly socks).

This is something of a brand new obsession for me and I can’t seem to stop making them, which is unfortunate because I should really be making up a stock of birds for the upcoming craft fairs.  There are so many possibilities and since making these two at the start of the week, I’ve made a further two that are entirely different despite being fashioned from the other sock in each of the pairs.  It’s so much fun seeing your creation come to life, it’s a bit addictive.

This happy chap is known to his other sock friends as Ben the Bovine.  His peculiarly dimpled lips make him look somewhat like a cow and he is teased daily for this unfortunate feature.  In reality he is a sheep (or at least that’s what our three year old thinks) and he needs a loving home where he can be supported in the pursuit of baa-ing.

Sergeant Slim here at your service…stiff upper lip and no messing around.  See the thin yet ever so carefully crafted moustache?  He spends hours every morning grooming his facial hair.  Those who know him better, see a twinkle in his eye though and we all know that when no-one’s looking he’s as batty as the rest of the sock creatures.

These and the other sock creatures I create will be on sale at the craft fairs we’re attending this winter…details soon.