I love this, I bought this kit years ago, cut it out, pinned them, and then put them in a "to be finished" box, and today I am finishing! Thanks for your video, it did help! Need to make them some clothes!
Thank you so much for making this video, I found my grandmothers sock monkey hobby box with all the supplies needed to make sock puppets. Don't think its been touched since the early seventies, I'm almost finished with. My first doll thanks to your video!
That's so nice! I'm sure your grandmother would be delighted to have you carrying on her tradition, and I'm glad I could help out a bit. Thanks for commenting and letting me know! 😊
Glad it was helpful! I've been thinking of doing a video that shows how to make the different variations in sock monkey styles that I have seen over the years. The clothing patterns that I have developed are tailored for the style of sock monkey that I make, and they will probably have to be altered slightly to fit the other styles of monkeys, but it's doable.
This was good to watch an easy to understand. Id never even heard or a sock monkey but now I must make one. Im looking forward to see the clothes you make. thank you so uch!
My friend bought a kit for a sock monkey. Now she’s decided I would be the best person to put him together.😂 Your directions were so much clearer than I could figure out from reading the directions! Thank you! There’s an extra pair of socks so I can make one for my grandson, too. Love your curved needle. The proper tools make a job go so much easier!
@@joycefrank4485 Yay! I'm glad to hear that they turned out well and the kids like them. I guess there's no such thing as a sock monkey anatomist, so the tail could be wherever he wants it... 🤔 That gives me an idea: Maybe I should make a Picasso-style sock monkey! 😁 All the best to you and your grandsons! If you haven't seen it yet, you might enjoy the ninja sock monkey that I made for one of my grandsons: th-cam.com/video/jFeGN2Pd_Gw/w-d-xo.html
Many thanks for your very helpful, and simple video! No measuring, just eye-balling...perfect for me! Going to try making one with my granddaughter on Zoom! Cricket might be a good name!
Thanks for your nice comment! I should add that you don't even need a sewing machine. It makes things faster, but I sewed my first few sock monkeys entirely by hand. Have fun making one with your granddaughter! I'd love to see how it turns out. Tell her that the sock monkey guy sends his regards! 🙂
@@TheSockMonkeyGuy Thanks for your kind response! Fiona (my granddaughter) and I are Zooming on Monday, with plans to make a practice sock monkey. If that works, we'll go forward with more "official" sock monkey's! I'm hoping I'm giving her a special skill that she'll always have fun with...me too! I'll also let Fiona know that you send your regards! Connie
@@TheSockMonkeyGuy I think of making one for my newborn nephew. I bet he would like to cuddle up with one aswell. Thanks for Sharing your knowledge and skills
This is a great tutorial. I am interested in the long narrow tool you use to turn the arms, legs and tail. What is the tool called and where can I source one?
Thanks so much! The tool is a straight hemostat. The one I use is eight inches (20 cm) long, and you can get one here: tinyurl.com/muyzyxdn, or you can get a set of one 8" and one 12" here: tinyurl.com/kw28uxdn. You can also source them from surgical supply companies (may be more expensive), some places that sell scientific equipment, and some electronics tool suppliers. Thanks for watching! 😊🐵
So my BFF’s uncle worked for Redford Sock Co and soon after they began to make them after 1950 she got one from him in the later 50’s. She remembers how excited she was. Soooo i think i need to make one for her birthday
Great idea! She would love it! The Rockford Sock Company is now Fox River Mills, and you can get the socks from them at foxsox.com. Let me know how it goes, and thanks so much for telling us the story! 😊🐵
Thanks for asking! For the arms and legs, the dowel is 1 3/16" (30mm). I make the tail smaller, so that dowel is 7/8" (22mm). They sure save my thumbs! Depending on how you sew your monkeys, the sizes you need may vary slightly. Do what I did, and take an unstuffed monkey skin to the hardware or hobby store. You may notice in the video that I rounded one end, but then I discovered that the flat end works better. But the rounded end fits comfortably in my palm, so I just pretend that I meant to do it that way! 😁 If you get similar dowels, you may find that the surface is not completely smooth and tends to snag on the sock. Give them a thorough sanding with 180 grit sandpaper and they will be fine from then on. Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂🐵
I am so glad I found your channel Sock Monkey Guy! I am trying to make my friend one for her 21st so I was wondering if you had a pattern for a wine glass that my monkey could hold
I'm glad too! 😊 What a great 21st birthday gift! For the wine glass, I have a couple of suggestions. (1) If you know someone who has access to a resin-based 3D printer, I could whip up a 3D model of a wine glass that you could print in transparent resin. Then, I would post the digital file for you to download. (2) Check novelty websites like Archie McPhee for plastic shot glasses that are shaped like a wine glass. That's how I found the beer mug for my Oktoberfest monkey. A third suggestion: I already have a 3D file for a sock monkey wine bottle that I printed on my FDM 3D printer for a Parisian sock monkey that I made a few years ago. The bottle was printed in opaque material, so I painted it green like wine bottles are, and with a custom label it looked quite good. If you have access to either type of 3D printer, you could have that file, or I could simply make the bottle and send it to you. The nice thing about a wine bottle is that it could have a label that makes the monkey personalized in some way to the recipient. Find me on Instagram (the.sock.monkey.guy) and DM me if you'd like to pursue this.
What is that tool you used to turn pieces right side out please? Haha, I answered my own question! It’s a straight surgical hemostat. I just ordered a 12” one on Amazon.
Thanks for asking! At the moment I don't have any kind of outlet where I sell them, but I've been thinking about that. I do make custom monkeys on request, so if you'd like to order one, go to my channel's "About" page and click on the button to get my email address. Thanks!
You have merely to ask! 🙂 I use a large hemostat to turn the monkey right side out, the tools I use for stuffing are sanded wooden dowels, and the curved needle is a quilter's needle. None of these tools are essential; they just make the work easier. (I make a lot of sock monkeys, so I'm always on the lookout for labor-saving tools and techniques!) For a detailed explanation of what I'm doing to apply the eyebrows, search for videos on "needle felting." Here again, this technique isn't essential either. You could just as easily embroider the eyebrows, or even cut them out of felt and glue them on! Any other questions? Just ask! 🙂🐵
I bought a kit today and definitely needed to see video instructions on how to make. Thanks very much for your clear instructions. Now where did you get you cool curved sewing needle and that long tool used to turn the sock parts right side out?
Thanks for asking! The curved needle is one of a set that I bought at my local craft store years ago. You can get one like it here: tinyurl.com/tca2auae Or search your favorite sewing source for quilting needles. The other tool is an 8" straight hemostat. I don't remember where I got it originally but you can get one here: tinyurl.com/muyzyxdn I'm glad the video was helpful! Thanks for watching! 🙂
Thank you for this tutorial. I like to make sock monkeys and this was very helpful. I especially liked doing all the sewing before any cutting. Brilliant! But how to I find those tubes for pushing in the stuffing?
Doing the sewing before cutting is much easier and it keeps the material from unraveling while you are working with it. The stuffing sticks are easy to make. Go to your local hardware store (Ace, Home Depot, etc.) where they have wooden dowels. I got mine at Ace Hardware. The diameter you need will depend on how big you make your sock monkey's arms, legs and tail. I use a 1-1/4" (30 mm) dowel for the arms and legs, and a 7/8" (22mm) dowel for the tail because I make the tail thinner. It's not too critical, though, so don't stress about getting the exact size. Cut the dowels to whatever length you desire; mine are about 14" (35cm) long. If you don't have access to a saw you may be able to have the folks at the store cut the dowels for you. You will need to sand them with fine sandpaper (180 or 200 grit) because they are not smooth enough when they come from the factory and they will snag on the sock material. Once you sand them thoroughly they will be fine. You may have noticed that I rounded one end, but then I discovered that the flat end works better. I hope that's helpful!
Thank you for the tutorial. What is the wooden tool you used to even out the stuffing in the body? Is it just a bigger dowel? If so, I'd appreciate the dimension. Thank you so much
Thanks for asking! It's actually the same dowel that I use for stuffing the arms and legs, although you certainly could use a larger one. I use a 1-1/4" (30 mm) dowel for the arms and legs, and a 7/8" (22mm) dowel for the tail because I make the tail thinner. The sizes you use may need to be adjusted based on how you sew your monkeys' limbs.
It's called needle felting. Search on TH-cam for "needle felting" and you should find tutorials which explain it in detail. The long needles have tiny barbs along the sides. You place a piece of felt on top of another material (in this case, the sock) and repeatedly jab the needles through it as you see me doing in the video. The barbs catch the strands of the felt and push them through the material underneath it, and this bonds the two materials together. This isn't the only technique you can use to create eyebrows by any means - you could embroider them using yarn, for example - it just happens to be the one I like.
Thanks for asking! I neglected to mention that in the video. I found that my Olfa cutting tool was the right size to make the ears that I liked, so I just trace around that. It's 2.5 inches or about 60 mm in diameter, so all you need is to cut a circle of that size out of a piece of paper and then fold it in half, and you have your pattern. If you make more than one or two monkeys, you may develop your own style and then you can alter your pattern accordingly, but that will get you started.
I love your tutorial, very clear and easy to follow. I mistakenly bought a pair of the socks in size X-large 12-13, which yielded a sock monkey with very long legs, which I don't like, and the overall length of the monkey is 23". Can you recommend something I can do to still use these socks and end up with shorter legs? Thank you.
If you haven't stuffed the monkey yet, you can turn the monkey inside out again, measure how much shorter you would like the legs to be, sew a new "bottom of foot" seam across the legs at that point, then cut off the excess and turn him right side out and stuff him. This will result in the white part of the leg being shorter than normal but you might not mind that. If you've already stuffed it, you can still shorten the legs but it's a bit more challenging. Work the stuffing away from the point where you want the legs to end, cut off the excess leg, turn the raw edges inside and stitch them closed by hand from the outside. Then work the stuffing back to fill his toes. Let me know if any of that needs more clarification or if you have any other questions! 🙂🐵
I'm making one now and the legs were too long as well, but I made an indent in the ankle area and pushed his foot up and sewed his foot at angle, so now he has real feet.
@@saxcoversofficial I don't think it's possible directly; probably the only way is to make the photo shareable in Instagram or Google Photos or whatever and then post a link to it in a TH-cam comment. I'm not on Instagram so I don't know exactly how that works. Or, of course, you could shoot a short video and post it on your own YT channel. Thanks for subscribing! 🤗🐵
Thanks for asking! If you are using a sewing machine as you see me doing in the video, it's best to use a stretch stitch if possible. (My machine has a setting called "triple stretch" and that is what I use.) If you use a normal straight stitch, as you would for regular fabric, then when you are stuffing the monkey the sock material will stretch but the stitching will not. The stitching may break while you are stuffing, and even if it doesn't, your monkey's arms and legs will be curved like sausages instead of straight. If your sewing machine does not have a stretch stitch, then you can use a zigzag stitch which will stretch with the sock material when the monkey is stuffed. If your machine doesn't have a zigzag stitch either, then you can stretch the sock material somewhat as you feed it into the machine to create the slack required in the stitching to allow it to stretch later. If you don't have a sewing machine at all, don't fret! A stretch stitch can be done by hand as well. At the links below, Jan Howell shows how to do a stretch stitch by hand. tinyurl.com/Jan-Howell-video tinyurl.com/Jan-Howell-blog When you are attaching the monkey's arms and other parts to his body, they are already stuffed by that point so you don't have to worry about stretching anymore. You can just use a simple overhand stitch as you see me doing. Here, it's best to use a heavy-duty thread and double it for extra strength, particularly when attaching the arms. You see me using a curved needle for this in the video because I find it helpful, but you can use a straight needle just as well. If you do want to get a curved needle, search your favorite sewing source for quilting needles. I hope this is helpful! Please let me know if you have any other questions! 🙂🐵
Needle felting uses special needles that have rows of tiny barbs along their length. If you place a piece of felt on top of another piece of felt (or in my case, a piece of felt on top of the sock material) and then jab it repeatedly with the needle, with each jab the barbs catch strands of the felt and push them into the material below. This starts to lock the two materials together. The more you do this, the more firmly the two pieces are bonded together. You can google "needle felting" for more information and the tools used. However, don't stress about needle felting! It's not the only way to attach eyebrows; it's just the method that I use. You can simply cut your desired shape of eyebrows out of felt and then use fabric glue to glue the eyebrows on. Easy! 🙂🐵
Hi, Margie! I'm working on finding a place to host my pattern files for downloading. When I get it sorted out I'll let you know and I'll put a link in the description. Thanks!
I had to go measure them because I couldn't remember! I use a 1-1/4" (30 mm) dowel for the arms and legs, and a 7/8" (22mm) dowel for the tail because I make the tail thinner. The sizes you use may need to be adjusted based on how you sew your monkeys' limbs. The dowels will need to be sanded with fine sandpaper (180 or 200 grit) because they are not smooth enough when they come from the factory and they will snag on the sock material. Once you sand them thoroughly they will be fine. You may have noticed that I rounded one end, but then I discovered that the flat end works better. Thanks for the compliment, but I'm afraid that it took me much longer than it should have to think of making stuffing dowels. I was using my thumbs to stuff them for the first 15 years and developed arthritis in one of my thumbs as a result. Don't make my mistake!
Thanks for asking! The tweezers are 8-inch hemostats, available at many places but here's a typical example: www.amazon.com/HTS-161S2-Locking-Straight-Hemostat/dp/B000W1Y9YU/ The white tubes are wooden dowels. I guess they look whiter in the video than they actually are. They are typically available at hardware and builder's-supply stores. I use a 1-1/4" (30 mm) diameter dowel for the arms and legs, and a 7/8" (22mm) dowel for the tail because I make the tail thinner. The sizes you use may need to be adjusted based on how you sew your monkeys' limbs. The dowels will need to be sanded with fine sandpaper (180 or 200 grit) because they are not smooth enough when they come from the factory and they will snag on the sock material. After you sand them thoroughly they will be fine. You may have noticed that I rounded one end, but then I discovered that the flat end works better. I'm glad you enjoyed the video, and thanks for watching! 🙂🐵
@@TheSockMonkeyGuy thank you for your rapid response! Your video is the best I’ve seen. And your techniques with the dowels and the hemostat are sooo helpful, too! I found you had answered others with my questions as I read through the comments; sorry to have made you repeat them. So, I’ve already ordered the hemostat, and will head to Home Depot tomorrow for dowels. Next thing I will look up is the felting technique for the eyebrows. I have also seen patterns/instructions on how to make a little hat cut from the sock also. Do you offer instructions on how to cut the socks to include the hat? Thank you so much again!!
@@dbrueckman No problem! 😊 Likewise, the felting needles are available from many sources of craft supplies but here's an example: www.amazon.com/Needle-Felting-Needles-Supplies-Sizes/dp/B08543JP1R/ To make the hat, cut off the toe of the second sock (the one used to make the arms/tail/ears/mouth). The edge of the hat will curl up and hide the raw cut. Then embellish the hat by sewing on a pompom or some other decoration. If you then make the monkey's tail the way I do, the tail will be a bit shorter and it won't have the white tip on the end. What most people do in this case is to cut the tail from the top of that sock from one end to the other, making a long skinny tail. This means that the leg of that sock is divided up between the arms and tail, which makes the arms thinner. If you're going to make this style, I recommend planning ahead and making the monkey's legs the same width as the arms will be. I haven't yet done a video on making this style of sock monkey but I really should. In the meantime, for clarification I will refer you to my "competition" here: th-cam.com/video/hWCWHg4K-oU/w-d-xo.html 😉 Thanks again for your interest, and thanks for subscribing! 🙂🐵
@@TheSockMonkeyGuy oh my goodness, funny you should mention your “competitor.” I viewed that video before yours. I had followed her instructions to a tee, and my monkey’s arms and tail were way too thin for my taste. I had made several monkeys about 5 years ago, but needed a refresher before making a pink breast cancer-themed one as a gift. So I headed to TH-cam, where I found her video. The ones I had made in the past had much fatter arms and tail. Now I need to start all over so my monkey will be more to my liking. Grrr … I really like your felt eyebrows, so before I make a new monkey, I want to learn that felting technique. I enjoyed your video so much! You got right to it; no yip-yap, and no distractions. I do hope you’ll make another with instructions on adding the hat! Thank you again! I appreciate your sharing your knowledge and skills!
@@dbrueckman Thanks so much for the compliments! Yes, the skinny arms and tail are the result of cutting off the toe of sock #2 to make the hat. If you want to get the fatter arms and tail as I make them, and still give the monkey a knitted hat, you have a couple of options. a. Cut off the toe of sock #2 as in the other video, but then make the arms and tail as in my video. As I mentioned, this will result in a shorter tail without the white tip at the end, since that end was cut off to make the hat. b. Make the monkey just as you see in my video, and then cut the toe off of a third sock and use that for the hat. The third sock doesn't have to be a "monkey sock." You can use a contrasting sock for extra color! For a pink monkey, for example, you could use a red sock to make a red hat, and then add a red or pink pompom. I hope that's helpful. I'm glad to answer your questions! 🙂🐵
I love how you make your sock monkeys. However I am new at sewing. Do you have another video so I can learn some of your hand sewing techniques? Also what is the name of the tool that you do the monkey's eyebrows? How about Shane the monkey?
Shane -- that fits him! The tool is called a needle felting tool. Search on TH-cam for "needle felting" and you will find lots of videos about it. Needle felting is a whole craft all on its own, and I'm just using one aspect of it here. Bear in mind that it isn't the only way to do eyebrows. You could also embroider them, or simply cut out eyebrow shapes from felt and glue them on with fabric glue. I use this method because it's faster than embroidery but neater than glue. The only hand-sewing technique I use here is a simple overhand stitch. Simply put the needle in on one side of the seam, pull it out the other side, put it back in on the first side, and repeat this over and over. You'll notice that I'm using a curved quilter's needle, but that's not essential. It just makes the stitch more comfortable to do on a stuffed toy. Now that you mention it, I should probably make a short video about details like these for those who are new to sewing. I hadn't thought of it before, partly because I'm not sure exactly who my viewers are. Thanks for the idea! In the meantime, if it helps you might try slowing the video down. You can do this by holding Shift and pressing the "" key. I hope that's at least somewhat helpful! Please let me know if you have any other questions, and maybe tell me what other information I should put in a detail video.
Yes sir, you've been very helpful! I don't know if I had mentioned in a previous comment that I had started a monkey from directions in a book I have, but it never mentioned to sew the hole before stuffing. My sock frayed so I did get a little practice having to do surgery 😅😅😅. But you make hand sewing look so easy, and I know there's a lot of people who could benefit from a tutorial video. I'm also not sure how you wrap the thread around the needle several times, mine just come undone. Please send me a link if you decide to make a tutorial 😊 Thank you for your reply. I can't wait to finish mine.
Yes indeed! I sewed my first few sock monkeys entirely by hand. Just follow the same lines that you saw me do on the machine. Try to keep your stitches as small as you can, and make sure to secure the thread well at the beginning and end of each seam. And use a strong thread. You can do it!
I'm glad it's helpful, and thanks so much for letting me know! Anthony the 3rd is a great name for a sock monkey. It sounds like he is a "monkey of leisure" who wears a smoking jacket and drinks cognac. 😄🐵
Thanks for asking! You can download it for free. Go to tinyurl.com/Felt-vest and click the download button in the upper right corner of the page. It's a PDF file, so if you need a PDF reader you can get Adobe's reader for free at get.adobe.com/reader/ Enjoy! 🙂🐵
Yes, you can certainly use needle felting to make the eyes. That's exactly what I do when I'm making a sock monkey for a small child. See this video for an example: th-cam.com/video/gVLgzpgJInE/w-d-xo.html I cut the felt eyes by hand. You can trace small circular objects like coins to make patterns for them, and then stick the patterns to the felt with double-sided tape while you cut them out. You can also trace directly on the felt, but that doesn't work so well on black felt.
Thank you for your reply and link to the the felting and making the eyes. I loved them. I searched on Amazon and found a Clover felting pen with three needles. There are other that are cheaper but may not be of same quality. Do you think that it makes much difference? I do not need a felting kit although the whole kits are the same price of just the needle. What do you think?
Yes, the one I use is Clover brand also. My personal view is that it's worth the extra money to get good quality tools. I've bought cheap tools in the past and regretted it. I bought the needle holder by itself because I didn't need the entire kit either. I use two needles in the holder instead of three because that allows me to do smaller detail work on the eyebrows. However, to do felt eyes you might want to use all three needles because it will speed up the work.
There are numerous places you can get them, but this is probably the most convenient: tinyurl.com/bdfp35va I typically use the Large size, although I have used other sizes on occasion. For the other sizes and colors, visit Fox River's website here: tinyurl.com/4wsaawzm
You can download my pattern for free. Go to tinyurl.com/Felt-vest and click the download button in the upper right corner of the page. It's a PDF file, and if you need a PDF reader you can get Adobe's reader for free at get.adobe.com/reader/ Make sure to print the file at 100% scale. Some print drivers default to scaling the file down a bit when printing, and this will cause your pattern to be printed too small. Let me know if you have any questions!
Certainly! Pick a size of needle that you are comfortable using. The easiest stitch is the simple over-under method: bring the needle up through the sock from below, then down through the sock from above, then repeat. Bear in mind that this stitch won't stretch with the sock material when the sock is stuffed. Try to keep the stitches as small as you can. If the stitches are large, the seams will tend to open up a bit when the monkey is stuffed. To secure the thread at the ends, take a couple of stitches in the same spot. Then push the needle underneath the last stitch and wrap the thread around the needle three or four times, then pull the needle all the way through and the loops of thread will tighten into a secure knot. I hope that's helpful. I should probably make a video about sewing a monkey by hand!
Thanks for your question! Google a craft called "needle felting." It uses long barbed needles which you jab into a piece of felt to interlock the strands of the felt with an underlying fabric that you are applying the felt to (usually another piece of felt, but in this case a sock). I put a rectangle of felt above each of the monkey's eyes and then jab felting needles through the felt repeatedly as you see in the video, and with each jab the tiny barbs on the needles catch strands of the felt and push them through the weave of the sock, bonding the felt to the sock. By only applying the needles in an area shaped like an eyebrow, I can gather the square of felt into the eyebrow shape that I want. Cutting the eyebrow shapes out of felt and gluing them on would certainly be faster, but it's difficult to glue a piece that small without glue oozing out from under the edges, and needle felting is more secure than glue. I hope that's helpful! 🙂🐵
George! I like it! I use genuine Red Heel socks from Fox River Mills. foxsox.com/ I typically use size Large unless I'm making something like a child monkey or an elf. Glad you enjoyed the video, and thanks for commenting! 😀🐵
I do sell them. Since they're all hand-made I charge $50 each, and that includes the costume of your choice. Please go to my channel page and click on the "About" tab to get my email address. Thanks!
Thank you so much for your awesome tutorial. so easy to follow and so happy to finish for my first grandson in time for his birthday. Ill be looking for more of your videos.
great tutorial! have you done a bride and groom? if so would love to have a tutorial on that! our Grandson is getting married and i want to make two for them
Yes, I use 19mm buttons. You can use larger or smaller for different facial expressions. If I'm making a monkey for a small child, though, I use felt for the eyes instead.
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoy them! 🙂 Are you thinking of making your own sock monkey? You don't need a sewing machine; you can do all of the sewing by hand. I made my first two sock monkeys that way!
I've never tried it, but it should work. Keep in mind that the sock monkey won't be washable if you stuff it with rice because the rice will absorb the water and become soggy. Also, since the weave of the sock is a bit more open than most fabrics, the sock monkey might shed little bits of rice over time. If you'd like the kind of "bean bag" feel that rice would give you, try this product: tinyurl.com/zrhjdmym
Also beware of weevils infecting a rice filled toy! There are pellets that can be used instead. I’d just put a small bag inside it’s tush so it sits upright nicely. °\(ッ)/° ßÏG HÛGŠ
@@wendyaminzadeh7846 Probably the easiest way would be to cut the toe off another sock and use that as the basis for the hat. You could hem the edge if it tends to fray. You could decorate the hat by gluing a fuzzy pompom on top, or a pompom made out of yarn (look for tutorials for making pompoms). Perhaps you can think of other ways to embellish it. I made a ribbed knit hat once by cutting a couple of inches off the leg of a ribbed sock . I turned the piece inside out, stitched around the raw end with a gathering stitch and pulled it tight to close the end. Then I turned the hat right side out and sewed on a pompom that I made out of matching yarn. It made a great little ribbed hat. I hope those ideas are helpful! 🙂
I do apologize. I didn't realize that auto captions are not available, and I just spent some time trying to figure out how to remedy this. TH-cam's "help" section, predictably, is no help. 😠 I finally found a couple of videos by other TH-camrs that answered most of my questions and I think I've managed to enable auto captions on my existing videos. Apparently the TH-cam engine will take some time to generate them so I'll check again in a few hours to see if they work. If not, I'll add subtitles manually if I have to. Sorry for the difficulty, but I'll get it fixed one way or another! 🙂 Thanks so much for your patience!
Well, apparently TH-cam will only generate automatic captions on videos at the time they are uploaded, so I am adding the captions manually to my existing videos. I have done four out of the six videos that are on the channel as of this writing and I will do the other two tomorrow. And I will be sure to enable auto captions on each future video as I upload it. Thanks for alerting me to the problem, and thanks so much for sticking with me! I am still new to this TH-cam stuff and I have to figure it out as I go along. I am glad to have you as one of my viewers! 😀
I just hate it when they use that sock. Mine are black, and most videos required me to make markings on the sock, which where not visible because i was using a black sock. But anyways, your video seems great. You should have 500 subscribers.
Yes, as you can see I do most of the sewing by eye but I still mark the ears out since I haven't found a good way to eyeball them. Here are two suggestions: 1. Try using white tailor's chalk to make the markings. The chalk can be brushed off when you are done. 2. If tailor's chalk is not effective, you can baste the markings with white thread and then pull the thread out when you are done with the markings. Hope that's helpful. Glad you liked the video! 🙂
You obviously have talent the youtube algorithm is ignoring. Maybe you should sell your monkeys on amazon, and they'll take 99 cents out of every purchase for them. And try adding variety with you videos. Maybe you could try making other simple sock toys like a racoon, snakes, etc. Subscribers don't matter. Please don't let this amazing talent go to waste just because people don't take you channel seriously
@@jasona2007 Thanks for your nice comments! I do sell most of the monkeys I make; I typically get orders for specific monkeys via word-of-mouth and I currently sell them for $50 each. People have also suggested that I sell them on Etsy, but the problem is that at $50 each I make about $4 per hour after paying for materials. Even if I doubled the price to $100 I'd still make only $8 per hour, so there's really no profit in it. I've looked into mass production but the minimum quantities are too high and they would lose their charm (and quality) if mass produced. My channel is only six months old and I have an extremely narrow niche, so I don't really expect a huge number of subscribers at this point. TH-cam currently has 2.3 billion users worldwide, and out of a number that large I'm sure that there are at least a thousand people somewhere who will be interested in what I do, but it will take time for the algorithm to find them all. I'm grateful for each new subscriber that I get because it's one more person that I can give enjoyment to. Thanks for your suggestion about making other sock animals. It's an interesting idea and I will have to experiment with it. I'm going to do something a bit different for the next video, so keep watching! 🙂
I love this, I bought this kit years ago, cut it out, pinned them, and then put them in a "to be finished" box, and today I am finishing! Thanks for your video, it did help! Need to make them some clothes!
That's so good to hear! Enjoy! 😊🐵
Thank you so much for making this video, I found my grandmothers sock monkey hobby box with all the supplies needed to make sock puppets. Don't think its been touched since the early seventies, I'm almost finished with. My first doll thanks to your video!
That's so nice! I'm sure your grandmother would be delighted to have you carrying on her tradition, and I'm glad I could help out a bit. Thanks for commenting and letting me know! 😊
Get this man his 100k subscribers he is awesome
Thank you so much for this tutorial, it was so detailed! I just made one for my friends birthday and I'm sure she'll love it!! :)
I'm glad it was helpful, and thanks for the nice comment! 😊🐵
Very good instructions. I’ve made these before but you have some handy , helpful hints. I’m looking forward to learning to make clothes for them.
Glad it was helpful! I've been thinking of doing a video that shows how to make the different variations in sock monkey styles that I have seen over the years. The clothing patterns that I have developed are tailored for the style of sock monkey that I make, and they will probably have to be altered slightly to fit the other styles of monkeys, but it's doable.
I love sock monkeys!
Priceless and timeless.
This was good to watch an easy to understand. Id never even heard or a sock monkey but now I must make one. Im looking forward to see the clothes you make. thank you so uch!
My friend bought a kit for a sock monkey. Now she’s decided I would be the best person to put him together.😂 Your directions were so much clearer than I could figure out from reading the directions! Thank you! There’s an extra pair of socks so I can make one for my grandson, too.
Love your curved needle. The proper tools make a job go so much easier!
Thanks so much for the nice comment! I'm glad to be helpful. 😊 If you're on Instagram, I'd love to see a photo when he's done! 🐵
My Mom made us kids these sock monkeys when we were young. Thanks for the memory. Cute monkey!
Thanks so much, and thanks for watching! 😊🐵
Thank you! Now I feel confident to begin!
Go for it! Let me know if you have any questions I can answer! 🙂
@@TheSockMonkeyGuy My grandsons love their sock monkeys, although one is wanting me to change the site of the tail! Oh well!
@@joycefrank4485 Yay! I'm glad to hear that they turned out well and the kids like them. I guess there's no such thing as a sock monkey anatomist, so the tail could be wherever he wants it... 🤔 That gives me an idea: Maybe I should make a Picasso-style sock monkey! 😁 All the best to you and your grandsons!
If you haven't seen it yet, you might enjoy the ninja sock monkey that I made for one of my grandsons: th-cam.com/video/jFeGN2Pd_Gw/w-d-xo.html
Great clarity! Thank you!!
Pepsi man approves! Sock monkeys are awesome! 🧦🐵
Yay! Thanks for watching! 🙂🐵
So excited to make this with my grandkids Thank you for sharing your time and talents!! ❤️❤️
You are most welcome! Let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy! 🙂🐵
Many thanks for your very helpful, and simple video! No measuring, just eye-balling...perfect for me! Going to try making one with my granddaughter on Zoom! Cricket might be a good name!
Thanks for your nice comment! I should add that you don't even need a sewing machine. It makes things faster, but I sewed my first few sock monkeys entirely by hand. Have fun making one with your granddaughter! I'd love to see how it turns out. Tell her that the sock monkey guy sends his regards! 🙂
@@TheSockMonkeyGuy Thanks for your kind response! Fiona (my granddaughter) and I are Zooming on Monday, with plans to make a practice sock monkey. If that works, we'll go forward with more "official" sock monkey's! I'm hoping I'm giving her a special skill that she'll always have fun with...me too! I'll also let Fiona know that you send your regards! Connie
I like it alot! They also look very cuddly
They are! Cuddling up with a sock monkey is one of life's great pleasures. Even when you're my age! 😉🐵
@@TheSockMonkeyGuy I think of making one for my newborn nephew. I bet he would like to cuddle up with one aswell. Thanks for Sharing your knowledge and skills
This is a great tutorial. I am interested in the long narrow tool you use to turn the arms, legs and tail. What is the tool called and where can I source one?
Thanks so much! The tool is a straight hemostat. The one I use is eight inches (20 cm) long, and you can get one here: tinyurl.com/muyzyxdn, or you can get a set of one 8" and one 12" here: tinyurl.com/kw28uxdn. You can also source them from surgical supply companies (may be more expensive), some places that sell scientific equipment, and some electronics tool suppliers.
Thanks for watching! 😊🐵
So my BFF’s uncle worked for Redford Sock Co and soon after they began to make them after 1950 she got one from him in the later 50’s. She remembers how excited she was. Soooo i think i need to make one for her birthday
Great idea! She would love it! The Rockford Sock Company is now Fox River Mills, and you can get the socks from them at foxsox.com. Let me know how it goes, and thanks so much for telling us the story! 😊🐵
What size dowels do you use? The arms and legs look nicely stuffed using the dowels! Thank you! Great job making these little guys!
Thanks for asking! For the arms and legs, the dowel is 1 3/16" (30mm). I make the tail smaller, so that dowel is 7/8" (22mm). They sure save my thumbs!
Depending on how you sew your monkeys, the sizes you need may vary slightly. Do what I did, and take an unstuffed monkey skin to the hardware or hobby store.
You may notice in the video that I rounded one end, but then I discovered that the flat end works better. But the rounded end fits comfortably in my palm, so I just pretend that I meant to do it that way! 😁
If you get similar dowels, you may find that the surface is not completely smooth and tends to snag on the sock. Give them a thorough sanding with 180 grit sandpaper and they will be fine from then on.
Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂🐵
Wow the neatest one I’ve seen yet so cute can’t wait to make for my niece and nephew you rock !
I love u Sock Monkey guy. I'm going to make these for my nieces.
Excellent idea! Let me know how the girls like them! 🙂🐵
what are the metal tong device you are using to turn the fabric right side out? I need them lol
That is a hemostat. The one I use is 8 inches long, but they also come in a 12-inch version. Amazon has them. Thanks for asking! 🙂🐵
Epic sock monkey 😊
I am so glad I found your channel Sock Monkey Guy! I am trying to make my friend one for her 21st so I was wondering if you had a pattern for a wine glass that my monkey could hold
I'm glad too! 😊 What a great 21st birthday gift! For the wine glass, I have a couple of suggestions. (1) If you know someone who has access to a resin-based 3D printer, I could whip up a 3D model of a wine glass that you could print in transparent resin. Then, I would post the digital file for you to download. (2) Check novelty websites like Archie McPhee for plastic shot glasses that are shaped like a wine glass. That's how I found the beer mug for my Oktoberfest monkey. A third suggestion: I already have a 3D file for a sock monkey wine bottle that I printed on my FDM 3D printer for a Parisian sock monkey that I made a few years ago. The bottle was printed in opaque material, so I painted it green like wine bottles are, and with a custom label it looked quite good. If you have access to either type of 3D printer, you could have that file, or I could simply make the bottle and send it to you. The nice thing about a wine bottle is that it could have a label that makes the monkey personalized in some way to the recipient. Find me on Instagram (the.sock.monkey.guy) and DM me if you'd like to pursue this.
What is that tool you used to turn pieces right side out please? Haha, I answered my own question! It’s a straight surgical hemostat. I just ordered a 12” one on Amazon.
Well done! It's not an essential tool but it sure does save a lot of time and effort. 🙂🐵
Love your video on this,… quick and simple.❤️
Thanks so much! 😊🐵
Easy to follow instructions and makes a cute gift! 🥰
Where can I buy your sock monkeys?
Thanks for asking! At the moment I don't have any kind of outlet where I sell them, but I've been thinking about that. I do make custom monkeys on request, so if you'd like to order one, go to my channel's "About" page and click on the button to get my email address. Thanks!
Wish he would give what tools he is using!
You have merely to ask! 🙂 I use a large hemostat to turn the monkey right side out, the tools I use for stuffing are sanded wooden dowels, and the curved needle is a quilter's needle. None of these tools are essential; they just make the work easier. (I make a lot of sock monkeys, so I'm always on the lookout for labor-saving tools and techniques!)
For a detailed explanation of what I'm doing to apply the eyebrows, search for videos on "needle felting." Here again, this technique isn't essential either. You could just as easily embroider the eyebrows, or even cut them out of felt and glue them on!
Any other questions? Just ask! 🙂🐵
this was really helpful thanks
I'm glad, and thanks for commenting! 🙂🐵
Thank you for sharing....❤
The monkey that my mother made for me in the early 60s I named Mortimer. I have no idea what ever happened to him, he kept me safe many nights
Mortimer Monkey 🐵
Thanks for sharing such a great memory!
I bought a kit today and definitely needed to see video instructions on how to make. Thanks very much for your clear instructions. Now where did you get you cool curved sewing needle and that long tool used to turn the sock parts right side out?
Thanks for asking! The curved needle is one of a set that I bought at my local craft store years ago. You can get one like it here: tinyurl.com/tca2auae Or search your favorite sewing source for quilting needles.
The other tool is an 8" straight hemostat. I don't remember where I got it originally but you can get one here: tinyurl.com/muyzyxdn
I'm glad the video was helpful! Thanks for watching! 🙂
@@TheSockMonkeyGuy James
James
Sick mnkey
A
Ff
Thank you for this tutorial. I like to make sock monkeys and this was very helpful. I especially liked doing all the sewing before any cutting. Brilliant! But how to I find those tubes for pushing in the stuffing?
Doing the sewing before cutting is much easier and it keeps the material from unraveling while you are working with it. The stuffing sticks are easy to make. Go to your local hardware store (Ace, Home Depot, etc.) where they have wooden dowels. I got mine at Ace Hardware. The diameter you need will depend on how big you make your sock monkey's arms, legs and tail. I use a 1-1/4" (30 mm) dowel for the arms and legs, and a 7/8" (22mm) dowel for the tail because I make the tail thinner. It's not too critical, though, so don't stress about getting the exact size. Cut the dowels to whatever length you desire; mine are about 14" (35cm) long. If you don't have access to a saw you may be able to have the folks at the store cut the dowels for you. You will need to sand them with fine sandpaper (180 or 200 grit) because they are not smooth enough when they come from the factory and they will snag on the sock material. Once you sand them thoroughly they will be fine. You may have noticed that I rounded one end, but then I discovered that the flat end works better. I hope that's helpful!
Best video I have watched. Where did you buy the socks please.
Thanks for the nice comment! There are several places you can get them, but I go straight to the source: tinyurl.com/43hkkfvb
Thank you much.
Excellent tutorial! Thankyou!
You are most welcome! Thanks for the nice comment! 😊 🐵
Thank you for the tutorial. What is the wooden tool you used to even out the stuffing in the body? Is it just a bigger dowel? If so, I'd appreciate the dimension. Thank you so much
Thanks for asking! It's actually the same dowel that I use for stuffing the arms and legs, although you certainly could use a larger one. I use a 1-1/4" (30 mm) dowel for the arms and legs, and a 7/8" (22mm) dowel for the tail because I make the tail thinner. The sizes you use may need to be adjusted based on how you sew your monkeys' limbs.
Brilliant Monkey!! I want 2 make him Now!! 💖🐒🇿🇦 sucha cool demo - thanQ ! I will call him ZEEK.
Awesome! Have fun! I'd love to see a photo when he's done. 😀🐵
This is the greatest channel thank you for existing
Also Hanbei is a great name in my opinion
Hanbei is a really cool name. Where is it from?
It’s the name of an old Japanese doctor a lead scientist in the field of medicine
Can you tell us more about the eyebrow technique?
It's called needle felting. Search on TH-cam for "needle felting" and you should find tutorials which explain it in detail. The long needles have tiny barbs along the sides. You place a piece of felt on top of another material (in this case, the sock) and repeatedly jab the needles through it as you see me doing in the video. The barbs catch the strands of the felt and push them through the material underneath it, and this bonds the two materials together. This isn't the only technique you can use to create eyebrows by any means - you could embroider them using yarn, for example - it just happens to be the one I like.
I love sock monkeys
Great Tutorial!! Do you have a template for the ears? Thank you
Thanks for asking! I neglected to mention that in the video. I found that my Olfa cutting tool was the right size to make the ears that I liked, so I just trace around that. It's 2.5 inches or about 60 mm in diameter, so all you need is to cut a circle of that size out of a piece of paper and then fold it in half, and you have your pattern. If you make more than one or two monkeys, you may develop your own style and then you can alter your pattern accordingly, but that will get you started.
Can’t wait to make one. Thank you
You are most welcome! Enjoy! 🙂
I love your tutorial, very clear and easy to follow. I mistakenly bought a pair of the socks in size X-large 12-13, which yielded a sock monkey with very long legs, which I don't like, and the overall length of the monkey is 23". Can you recommend something I can do to still use these socks and end up with shorter legs? Thank you.
If you haven't stuffed the monkey yet, you can turn the monkey inside out again, measure how much shorter you would like the legs to be, sew a new "bottom of foot" seam across the legs at that point, then cut off the excess and turn him right side out and stuff him. This will result in the white part of the leg being shorter than normal but you might not mind that.
If you've already stuffed it, you can still shorten the legs but it's a bit more challenging. Work the stuffing away from the point where you want the legs to end, cut off the excess leg, turn the raw edges inside and stitch them closed by hand from the outside. Then work the stuffing back to fill his toes.
Let me know if any of that needs more clarification or if you have any other questions! 🙂🐵
I'm making one now and the legs were too long as well, but I made an indent in the ankle area and pushed his foot up and sewed his foot at angle, so now he has real feet.
That's a great idea! 💡
Very good work... congratulations!
Thanks! 🙂
Thank you so much for this!
Yay! A fellow monkey! 🐵🙂 You are most welcome!
Thank you! I have a lot of sock monkeys!
@@saxcoversofficial Awesome!! 😊 Any photos?
IDK how to post photos on TH-cam. BTW, I subscribed!🐵🐒
@@saxcoversofficial I don't think it's possible directly; probably the only way is to make the photo shareable in Instagram or Google Photos or whatever and then post a link to it in a TH-cam comment. I'm not on Instagram so I don't know exactly how that works. Or, of course, you could shoot a short video and post it on your own YT channel. Thanks for subscribing! 🤗🐵
What stitch did you use for the individual parts I haven’t ordered a kit but I’m just using normal socks I’m making one for my friends birthday
Thanks for asking! If you are using a sewing machine as you see me doing in the video, it's best to use a stretch stitch if possible. (My machine has a setting called "triple stretch" and that is what I use.) If you use a normal straight stitch, as you would for regular fabric, then when you are stuffing the monkey the sock material will stretch but the stitching will not. The stitching may break while you are stuffing, and even if it doesn't, your monkey's arms and legs will be curved like sausages instead of straight. If your sewing machine does not have a stretch stitch, then you can use a zigzag stitch which will stretch with the sock material when the monkey is stuffed. If your machine doesn't have a zigzag stitch either, then you can stretch the sock material somewhat as you feed it into the machine to create the slack required in the stitching to allow it to stretch later.
If you don't have a sewing machine at all, don't fret! A stretch stitch can be done by hand as well. At the links below, Jan Howell shows how to do a stretch stitch by hand.
tinyurl.com/Jan-Howell-video
tinyurl.com/Jan-Howell-blog
When you are attaching the monkey's arms and other parts to his body, they are already stuffed by that point so you don't have to worry about stretching anymore. You can just use a simple overhand stitch as you see me doing. Here, it's best to use a heavy-duty thread and double it for extra strength, particularly when attaching the arms. You see me using a curved needle for this in the video because I find it helpful, but you can use a straight needle just as well. If you do want to get a curved needle, search your favorite sewing source for quilting needles.
I hope this is helpful! Please let me know if you have any other questions! 🙂🐵
How do you do the eye brows felting PLEASE
Needle felting uses special needles that have rows of tiny barbs along their length. If you place a piece of felt on top of another piece of felt (or in my case, a piece of felt on top of the sock material) and then jab it repeatedly with the needle, with each jab the barbs catch strands of the felt and push them into the material below. This starts to lock the two materials together. The more you do this, the more firmly the two pieces are bonded together. You can google "needle felting" for more information and the tools used.
However, don't stress about needle felting! It's not the only way to attach eyebrows; it's just the method that I use. You can simply cut your desired shape of eyebrows out of felt and then use fabric glue to glue the eyebrows on. Easy! 🙂🐵
Thank you very much
Love ur sock monkey. Could you put a link to the pattern of the red jacket. Tks
Hi, Margie! I'm working on finding a place to host my pattern files for downloading. When I get it sorted out I'll let you know and I'll put a link in the description. Thanks!
Your use of wooden dowels to stuff the arms, legs and tail is brilliant! What size dowels did you use?
I had to go measure them because I couldn't remember! I use a 1-1/4" (30 mm) dowel for the arms and legs, and a 7/8" (22mm) dowel for the tail because I make the tail thinner. The sizes you use may need to be adjusted based on how you sew your monkeys' limbs. The dowels will need to be sanded with fine sandpaper (180 or 200 grit) because they are not smooth enough when they come from the factory and they will snag on the sock material. Once you sand them thoroughly they will be fine. You may have noticed that I rounded one end, but then I discovered that the flat end works better.
Thanks for the compliment, but I'm afraid that it took me much longer than it should have to think of making stuffing dowels. I was using my thumbs to stuff them for the first 15 years and developed arthritis in one of my thumbs as a result. Don't make my mistake!
ooh i'm gonna go make some of these! :D... I have a sewing machine I need to learn how to use anyway LOL
Can you use a needle to sew for him?
I'm afraid that I don't understand the question... 😥
Where can I find those big tweezers to turn the tail, arms, and legs? And where can I find those white tubes you used for stuffing? Thank you so much!
Thanks for asking! The tweezers are 8-inch hemostats, available at many places but here's a typical example: www.amazon.com/HTS-161S2-Locking-Straight-Hemostat/dp/B000W1Y9YU/
The white tubes are wooden dowels. I guess they look whiter in the video than they actually are. They are typically available at hardware and builder's-supply stores. I use a 1-1/4" (30 mm) diameter dowel for the arms and legs, and a 7/8" (22mm) dowel for the tail because I make the tail thinner. The sizes you use may need to be adjusted based on how you sew your monkeys' limbs. The dowels will need to be sanded with fine sandpaper (180 or 200 grit) because they are not smooth enough when they come from the factory and they will snag on the sock material. After you sand them thoroughly they will be fine. You may have noticed that I rounded one end, but then I discovered that the flat end works better.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video, and thanks for watching! 🙂🐵
@@TheSockMonkeyGuy thank you for your rapid response! Your video is the best I’ve seen. And your techniques with the dowels and the hemostat are sooo helpful, too! I found you had answered others with my questions as I read through the comments; sorry to have made you repeat them. So, I’ve already ordered the hemostat, and will head to Home Depot tomorrow for dowels. Next thing I will look up is the felting technique for the eyebrows. I have also seen patterns/instructions on how to make a little hat cut from the sock also. Do you offer instructions on how to cut the socks to include the hat? Thank you so much again!!
@@dbrueckman No problem! 😊 Likewise, the felting needles are available from many sources of craft supplies but here's an example: www.amazon.com/Needle-Felting-Needles-Supplies-Sizes/dp/B08543JP1R/
To make the hat, cut off the toe of the second sock (the one used to make the arms/tail/ears/mouth). The edge of the hat will curl up and hide the raw cut. Then embellish the hat by sewing on a pompom or some other decoration. If you then make the monkey's tail the way I do, the tail will be a bit shorter and it won't have the white tip on the end. What most people do in this case is to cut the tail from the top of that sock from one end to the other, making a long skinny tail. This means that the leg of that sock is divided up between the arms and tail, which makes the arms thinner. If you're going to make this style, I recommend planning ahead and making the monkey's legs the same width as the arms will be.
I haven't yet done a video on making this style of sock monkey but I really should. In the meantime, for clarification I will refer you to my "competition" here: th-cam.com/video/hWCWHg4K-oU/w-d-xo.html 😉
Thanks again for your interest, and thanks for subscribing! 🙂🐵
@@TheSockMonkeyGuy oh my goodness, funny you should mention your “competitor.” I viewed that video before yours. I had followed her instructions to a tee, and my monkey’s arms and tail were way too thin for my taste. I had made several monkeys about 5 years ago, but needed a refresher before making a pink breast cancer-themed one as a gift. So I headed to TH-cam, where I found her video. The ones I had made in the past had much fatter arms and tail. Now I need to start all over so my monkey will be more to my liking. Grrr …
I really like your felt eyebrows, so before I make a new monkey, I want to learn that felting technique.
I enjoyed your video so much! You got right to it; no yip-yap, and no distractions. I do hope you’ll make another with instructions on adding the hat!
Thank you again! I appreciate your sharing your knowledge and skills!
@@dbrueckman Thanks so much for the compliments! Yes, the skinny arms and tail are the result of cutting off the toe of sock #2 to make the hat. If you want to get the fatter arms and tail as I make them, and still give the monkey a knitted hat, you have a couple of options.
a. Cut off the toe of sock #2 as in the other video, but then make the arms and tail as in my video. As I mentioned, this will result in a shorter tail without the white tip at the end, since that end was cut off to make the hat.
b. Make the monkey just as you see in my video, and then cut the toe off of a third sock and use that for the hat. The third sock doesn't have to be a "monkey sock." You can use a contrasting sock for extra color! For a pink monkey, for example, you could use a red sock to make a red hat, and then add a red or pink pompom.
I hope that's helpful. I'm glad to answer your questions! 🙂🐵
I love how you make your sock monkeys. However I am new at sewing. Do you have another video so I can learn some of your hand sewing techniques? Also what is the name of the tool that you do the monkey's eyebrows? How about Shane the monkey?
Shane -- that fits him! The tool is called a needle felting tool. Search on TH-cam for "needle felting" and you will find lots of videos about it. Needle felting is a whole craft all on its own, and I'm just using one aspect of it here. Bear in mind that it isn't the only way to do eyebrows. You could also embroider them, or simply cut out eyebrow shapes from felt and glue them on with fabric glue. I use this method because it's faster than embroidery but neater than glue.
The only hand-sewing technique I use here is a simple overhand stitch. Simply put the needle in on one side of the seam, pull it out the other side, put it back in on the first side, and repeat this over and over. You'll notice that I'm using a curved quilter's needle, but that's not essential. It just makes the stitch more comfortable to do on a stuffed toy.
Now that you mention it, I should probably make a short video about details like these for those who are new to sewing. I hadn't thought of it before, partly because I'm not sure exactly who my viewers are. Thanks for the idea! In the meantime, if it helps you might try slowing the video down. You can do this by holding Shift and pressing the "" key.
I hope that's at least somewhat helpful! Please let me know if you have any other questions, and maybe tell me what other information I should put in a detail video.
Yes sir, you've been very helpful! I don't know if I had mentioned in a previous comment that I had started a monkey from directions in a book I have, but it never mentioned to sew the hole before stuffing. My sock frayed so I did get a little practice having to do surgery 😅😅😅. But you make hand sewing look so easy, and I know there's a lot of people who could benefit from a tutorial video. I'm also not sure how you wrap the thread around the needle several times, mine just come undone. Please send me a link if you decide to make a tutorial 😊 Thank you for your reply. I can't wait to finish mine.
im gonna be honest, you should sell these.
Can you make the sock monkey by hand?
Yes indeed! I sewed my first few sock monkeys entirely by hand. Just follow the same lines that you saw me do on the machine. Try to keep your stitches as small as you can, and make sure to secure the thread well at the beginning and end of each seam. And use a strong thread. You can do it!
I'm trying to make one for my great nephew, but I'm an armature sewer. I'm going to name him Anthony the 3rd. your video helps a lot!!! TY!!!!
I'm glad it's helpful, and thanks so much for letting me know! Anthony the 3rd is a great name for a sock monkey. It sounds like he is a "monkey of leisure" who wears a smoking jacket and drinks cognac. 😄🐵
Where would I find the printable template for the vest? Thank you
Thanks for asking! You can download it for free. Go to tinyurl.com/Felt-vest and click the download button in the upper right corner of the page. It's a PDF file, so if you need a PDF reader you can get Adobe's reader for free at get.adobe.com/reader/
Enjoy! 🙂🐵
Thanks 🙏🏼
You are most welcome! 🙂 🐵
Can I use felting for the eyes also?
Did you cut the eyes Freeform or did you purchase them?
Yes, you can certainly use needle felting to make the eyes. That's exactly what I do when I'm making a sock monkey for a small child. See this video for an example: th-cam.com/video/gVLgzpgJInE/w-d-xo.html
I cut the felt eyes by hand. You can trace small circular objects like coins to make patterns for them, and then stick the patterns to the felt with double-sided tape while you cut them out. You can also trace directly on the felt, but that doesn't work so well on black felt.
Thank you for your reply and link to the the felting and making the eyes. I loved them.
I searched on Amazon and found a Clover felting pen with three needles. There are other that are cheaper but may not be of same quality. Do you think that it makes much difference? I do not need a felting kit although the whole kits are the same price of just the needle. What do you think?
Yes, the one I use is Clover brand also. My personal view is that it's worth the extra money to get good quality tools. I've bought cheap tools in the past and regretted it. I bought the needle holder by itself because I didn't need the entire kit either.
I use two needles in the holder instead of three because that allows me to do smaller detail work on the eyebrows. However, to do felt eyes you might want to use all three needles because it will speed up the work.
Thank you so much for your help and advice🙏🏽. I’m finishing my first monkey now and will order the Clover needle tonight.
My pleasure! I'm glad to share, and thanks for inquiring! Congratulations on your first monkey! 🙂🐵
Also thanks for responding 😄
Of course! 😄🐵
hmmm... where do you buy the brown socks with the red heel?
There are numerous places you can get them, but this is probably the most convenient: tinyurl.com/bdfp35va
I typically use the Large size, although I have used other sizes on occasion. For the other sizes and colors, visit Fox River's website here: tinyurl.com/4wsaawzm
@@TheSockMonkeyGuy Thank you so much. Your instructions are very clear. This will be a fun project to make!😃
@@epe746 You are most welcome! Have fun making! 😊
Is there a link for the jacket pattern? All done except for the jacket, and I keep cutting it wrong :>(
You can download my pattern for free. Go to tinyurl.com/Felt-vest and click the download button in the upper right corner of the page. It's a PDF file, and if you need a PDF reader you can get Adobe's reader for free at get.adobe.com/reader/
Make sure to print the file at 100% scale. Some print drivers default to scaling the file down a bit when printing, and this will cause your pattern to be printed too small. Let me know if you have any questions!
Where would I find socks like that?
There are numerous places you can get them, but here are two:
tinyurl.com/y5gfd2qn
tinyurl.com/y6lfrkcv
I mean can you sew with a needle?
Certainly! Pick a size of needle that you are comfortable using. The easiest stitch is the simple over-under method: bring the needle up through the sock from below, then down through the sock from above, then repeat. Bear in mind that this stitch won't stretch with the sock material when the sock is stuffed. Try to keep the stitches as small as you can. If the stitches are large, the seams will tend to open up a bit when the monkey is stuffed. To secure the thread at the ends, take a couple of stitches in the same spot. Then push the needle underneath the last stitch and wrap the thread around the needle three or four times, then pull the needle all the way through and the loops of thread will tighten into a secure knot.
I hope that's helpful. I should probably make a video about sewing a monkey by hand!
So what exactly did you do to the brows?
Thanks for your question! Google a craft called "needle felting." It uses long barbed needles which you jab into a piece of felt to interlock the strands of the felt with an underlying fabric that you are applying the felt to (usually another piece of felt, but in this case a sock).
I put a rectangle of felt above each of the monkey's eyes and then jab felting needles through the felt repeatedly as you see in the video, and with each jab the tiny barbs on the needles catch strands of the felt and push them through the weave of the sock, bonding the felt to the sock. By only applying the needles in an area shaped like an eyebrow, I can gather the square of felt into the eyebrow shape that I want.
Cutting the eyebrow shapes out of felt and gluing them on would certainly be faster, but it's difficult to glue a piece that small without glue oozing out from under the edges, and needle felting is more secure than glue.
I hope that's helpful! 🙂🐵
thank you cant wait to make one
Great tutorial! Thank you!
What kind of socks did you use and what size?
You should name him George. 😊
George! I like it!
I use genuine Red Heel socks from Fox River Mills.
foxsox.com/
I typically use size Large unless I'm making something like a child monkey or an elf.
Glad you enjoyed the video, and thanks for commenting! 😀🐵
Do you sell them pre made? I live in Pacific Grove. I need 9 of them.
I do sell them. Since they're all hand-made I charge $50 each, and that includes the costume of your choice. Please go to my channel page and click on the "About" tab to get my email address. Thanks!
Where do you get those stuffers?
See my replies to your other comments for complete information. Thanks so much for commenting, and let me know if you have any other questions! 😊
Thank you so much for your awesome tutorial. so easy to follow and so happy to finish for my first grandson in time for his birthday. Ill be looking for more of your videos.
Thanks so much! And please wish your grandson a happy birthday for me! 😀🐵
مشتركة جديدة من الجزائر جميل جدا افكار ممتازة برافواب
Welcome, my friend in Algeria! And thanks for the nice comments! 🙂🙏
I like this video.
Thanks! 🙂
Hello do you know how to make miniature monkeys and ones for starters
Hello! I'm not sure what you mean by "ones for starters," but no, I haven't yet tried to make miniature monkeys. I should probably look into that!
@@TheSockMonkeyGuy okay 👍 thanks for your time
great tutorial! have you done a bride and groom? if so would love to have a tutorial on that! our Grandson is getting married and i want to make two for them
Hmm, never thought of doing a bride and groom. Great idea! I'll have to put it on the list!
SUPER .... Sehr , sehr schön !!!! 👍👍❤❤🤩🤩🤗🤗
Dankeschön! Grüsse aus Kalifornien! 😀
@@TheSockMonkeyGuy
Waaaw ... Kalifornien !!!
Super !!! Ich liebe Kalifornien !!!
Viele Grüße von mir !!!
Bleiben Sie bitte gesund !!! ❤
@عمر محمد رافت I am well, thank you! I hope you are also. Thanks for watching my video 🙂
Sooo adorable❤
This is really cutee ..I really like this monkey and I wanted to bye from u
Are the eyes buttons
Yes, I use 19mm buttons. You can use larger or smaller for different facial expressions. If I'm making a monkey for a small child, though, I use felt for the eyes instead.
AND NAME IT SAM
We need to get him to 100,000 subs
You should name the monkey throckmorton after the sock monkey from east cliff by the sea
Love your video
Thanks so much! I hope you'll check out some of my others! 🙂🐵
He's name should be MANGO!!
Yeah! He likes to eat mangoes! 🐵
@@TheSockMonkeyGuy awesome mangos are good
I love your videos they have shown me sooo much and I’m only 9
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoy them! 🙂 Are you thinking of making your own sock monkey? You don't need a sewing machine; you can do all of the sewing by hand. I made my first two sock monkeys that way!
Can you use rice as a substitute for poly fill stuffing??
I've never tried it, but it should work. Keep in mind that the sock monkey won't be washable if you stuff it with rice because the rice will absorb the water and become soggy. Also, since the weave of the sock is a bit more open than most fabrics, the sock monkey might shed little bits of rice over time. If you'd like the kind of "bean bag" feel that rice would give you, try this product: tinyurl.com/zrhjdmym
@@TheSockMonkeyGuy thank you so much! :D
@@user-hi1oj6mw5h You are most welcome! 🙂
Also beware of weevils infecting a rice filled toy! There are pellets that can be used instead. I’d just put a small bag inside it’s tush so it sits upright nicely. °\(ッ)/° ßÏG HÛGŠ
@@777sgiles thanks for the tip! ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ
I need to learn to make a hat for my monkey
Hats can be a bit challenging, but I've made several and perhaps I can help. What kind of hat would you like to make?
I wanted to make a simple looking one like a sock hat
@@wendyaminzadeh7846 Probably the easiest way would be to cut the toe off another sock and use that as the basis for the hat. You could hem the edge if it tends to fray. You could decorate the hat by gluing a fuzzy pompom on top, or a pompom made out of yarn (look for tutorials for making pompoms). Perhaps you can think of other ways to embellish it.
I made a ribbed knit hat once by cutting a couple of inches off the leg of a ribbed sock . I turned the piece inside out, stitched around the raw end with a gathering stitch and pulled it tight to close the end. Then I turned the hat right side out and sewed on a pompom that I made out of matching yarn. It made a great little ribbed hat.
I hope those ideas are helpful! 🙂
Im gonna make a sock monkey tommorow
Yay! Post a photo of it somewhere when it's done! I'd love to see it!
This videos amazing
Thanks so much! 😊 I hope you will check out some of my others! 🧦🐵
@@TheSockMonkeyGuy already am doing
@@megster1986 ❤️😊
@@TheSockMonkeyGuy definitely making a witch
@@megster1986 Yay! Let me know how it turns out!
so cute
Thanks! 🙂
Super👍
Please enable Auto captions on your channel. I am deaf and would love to learn from you
I do apologize. I didn't realize that auto captions are not available, and I just spent some time trying to figure out how to remedy this. TH-cam's "help" section, predictably, is no help. 😠 I finally found a couple of videos by other TH-camrs that answered most of my questions and I think I've managed to enable auto captions on my existing videos. Apparently the TH-cam engine will take some time to generate them so I'll check again in a few hours to see if they work. If not, I'll add subtitles manually if I have to. Sorry for the difficulty, but I'll get it fixed one way or another! 🙂 Thanks so much for your patience!
Well, apparently TH-cam will only generate automatic captions on videos at the time they are uploaded, so I am adding the captions manually to my existing videos. I have done four out of the six videos that are on the channel as of this writing and I will do the other two tomorrow. And I will be sure to enable auto captions on each future video as I upload it.
Thanks for alerting me to the problem, and thanks so much for sticking with me! I am still new to this TH-cam stuff and I have to figure it out as I go along. I am glad to have you as one of my viewers! 😀
All videos now have captions. Thanks again for watching! 🙂
can it please be Tulip love ur videos
Tulip is great! I'll have to put a bow on her head. 🙂I'm glad you like the videos!
THTHHHHHHHAAAANNKKKK YOOOOUUUUUU
It sounds like I've released a bit of frustration on your part!
Marvin❤
I just hate it when they use that sock. Mine are black, and most videos required me to make markings on the sock, which where not visible because i was using a black sock. But anyways, your video seems great. You should have 500 subscribers.
Yes, as you can see I do most of the sewing by eye but I still mark the ears out since I haven't found a good way to eyeball them.
Here are two suggestions:
1. Try using white tailor's chalk to make the markings. The chalk can be brushed off when you are done.
2. If tailor's chalk is not effective, you can baste the markings with white thread and then pull the thread out when you are done with the markings.
Hope that's helpful. Glad you liked the video! 🙂
You obviously have talent the youtube algorithm is ignoring. Maybe you should sell your monkeys on amazon, and they'll take 99 cents out of every purchase for them. And try adding variety with you videos. Maybe you could try making other simple sock toys like a racoon, snakes, etc. Subscribers don't matter. Please don't let this amazing talent go to waste just because people don't take you channel seriously
@@jasona2007 Thanks for your nice comments! I do sell most of the monkeys I make; I typically get orders for specific monkeys via word-of-mouth and I currently sell them for $50 each. People have also suggested that I sell them on Etsy, but the problem is that at $50 each I make about $4 per hour after paying for materials. Even if I doubled the price to $100 I'd still make only $8 per hour, so there's really no profit in it. I've looked into mass production but the minimum quantities are too high and they would lose their charm (and quality) if mass produced.
My channel is only six months old and I have an extremely narrow niche, so I don't really expect a huge number of subscribers at this point. TH-cam currently has 2.3 billion users worldwide, and out of a number that large I'm sure that there are at least a thousand people somewhere who will be interested in what I do, but it will take time for the algorithm to find them all. I'm grateful for each new subscriber that I get because it's one more person that I can give enjoyment to.
Thanks for your suggestion about making other sock animals. It's an interesting idea and I will have to experiment with it. I'm going to do something a bit different for the next video, so keep watching! 🙂
I want to see a monkey with a bmw
Yes, I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to keep that promise... 😳🤔
I like the name Moe Joe
I like it!
Name him Twig
Twig the monkey! ❤
Name him Rockey (the sockey monkey).
I love it!
Dr. I want to bye this monkey
He seems like a jack to me
Someone suggested "Roscoe" too.
You can call him Peejay...
That's cute! 😄