Sock monkeys make perfect presents for little ones. With so many fun sock patterns to choose from at the dollar store, you’ll be sure to find a sock that will match the tastes of the kiddo or parents! Just keep in mind that button eyes should only be used on monkeys given to older children who no longer put things in their mouths. For a baby-appropriate sock monkey, simply draw or stitch the eyes on with embroidery floss instead. [how to sew a sock monkey]

Project estimate:

• 1 pair of socks, $1 and up
• Felt scraps, on hand
• Buttons, on hand or $1
• Embroidery floss, on hand or $1
• Polyfill stuffing material, $3 for a large bag
• Batting scraps, on hand or $1 and up
• Sewing machine, on hand

Total: $4 and up

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One of  the craft blogs I follow very closely is Craft Hope.  The site organizes various crafting-for-charity projects throughout the year, each time collecting a specific handmade item to donate to a different cause.  They have just announced their 15th project, creating sock monkeys to distribute to children in Texas.

It was a very, very hot summer in Texas, and the resulting dry conditions have paved the way for devastating wildfires.  Entire towns have burned to the ground, leaving whole communities with not a possession in the world.  Craft Hope founder Jade lives in Texas, and will be personally handing out the monkeys to children whose families were among the over 1,600 who lost their homes this summer.   The mailing deadline for the project is November 24, 2011.  [read more about making sock monkeys for Texas children]

I’ve already headed to Dollar Tree and bought a few pairs of socks.  If you want to help as well but have never made a sock monkey before, here is a list of tutorials (all pretty much the same) to get you going:

• Sock monkey tutorial at Craft Stylish (excerpted from the Craft Hope book)
• Sock monkey tutorial at Craftbits
• Sock monkey tutorial at Super Sock Monkey
• Sock monkey tutorial at Web Goddess

For something a little different, I also found sock monkey knitting and crochet patterns from Patons Yarn (scroll to the bottom of the page for pattern links).

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In case you need a reference point, the sock monkey in question is here:

Here’s a head-to-toe photo of the sock monkey (it’s a  cardboard cut-out but you get the idea). Photo from Camp Sock Monkey.

Rhonda said:
If you can find enough thrifted wool sweaters in the right colors, you could felt them, cut them apart, and use them to sew the costume.

Here’s what I think:

Halloween costumes are all about illusion, so this sock monkey costume doesn’t have to look fabulous from up close. That means losing the knitted texture, and just going with the suggestion of sock monkey.

Project Estimate:

• Brown sweatshirt and sweatpants, $10 and up
• Simply Spray or spray paint, $1 and up
• Masking tape, on hand
• Pair of white tube socks, $1 and up
• Thrifted white sweater, $1 and up
• Punch balloons, $1
• Old newspaper and flour for papier-mache, on hand
• Felt yardage, red, $1 and up
• Acrylic paint, brown, white, and red, on hand or $1 and up
• Screen door mesh, $1 and up
• Hot glue, on hand
• Red yarn, $1 and up
• Optional, polyester batting, $3 a yard (buy on sale or with coupon at fabric store)

Total: $18 and up

Body: I would buy brown sweats and then use white spray paint or fabric spray paint (like Simply Spray) to make the white arm & leg sections (tape off the line where you want those sections to start to make a clean line between the brown & the white).

Alternately, for a more knitted look, use a pair of white tube socks to make the white arm sections. Cut the socks off at the heel, sew them up, and then pull them over the arms. Take a white knitted sweater from the thrift store and pull sleeves over feet and calves, mark where to cut sleeves off, and add a couple inches. Then cut off, and sew up. Tea dye if you want them to be off-white. If you need to, add elastic around the top of the leg sock things so they’ll stay up.

Embellishments: For the red and black, felt embellishments would probably be cheapest (including for the red stripe on the butt). Attach with hot glue. Make a long red i-cord for the neck tie (or just braid a few strands of red thread).

Head: For the molded head, how about blowing up two punch balloons (get them at the dollar store) and papier-macheing them. When they are dry, cut one to fit onto the other one as a mouth, and glue them together. Then papier-mache over the joined section. Then paint the sock monkey head brown and add felt features and make sure he can see out of it with strategically-placed eyeholes — probably in the monkey’s mouth — painted screen works well for this. Cut a hole in the head where the eyes should go. Glue in screen, and paint over it. I made a Grover mascot in high school, and we used a couple pieces of foam that we carved into a head shape, but I think papier mache would work a lot better!

Glue felt embellishments to the head.

If your son is really committed, buy polyester batting by the yard and wrap his arms, legs, and torso in the batting before he puts on the costume, to create the smooth stuffing illusion.

Time: This project will take you several hours, and you will spend most of your time on the head! Plus, the head will take 1-2 days to dry, so make sure you don’t wait to start on it.

Anyone else have any great ideas?

Update: Emily made a sock monkey for her son a couple years ago. Here’s what she said:

A few years ago, my Kindergarten aged son wanted to be a sock monkey, here is the costume I sewed (I have very basic skills!) I used an old Easter Bunny costume, that was the right size for my son, I used that for the body piece of the costume, and traced it onto newspaper for a pattern.  I forgot to mention the fabric was in the clearance section at my local material store, and I have seen it there often since.

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Make a slightly untraditional sock monkey for the kiddos on your list with a pair of thermal boot socks from the dollar store. (Source: retro-redux)

Project Estimate:

• Pair of socks $1
• Buttons & Thread (on hand)

Total Cost for One Monkey: $1

Okay, you really can’t beat that, considering the Red Heel socks, traditionally used for sock-monkeying cost about $5 a pair or more.

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