Tag: toys

Oscar Contest has officially launched

Oscar Contest 2006
It’s that time, folks! The Fourth Annual Web-Goddess Oscar Contest has officially launched. I’ve added a few more awards categories this year (to hopefully lessen the odds of a tie) but otherwise it works exactly the same. Go here to enter.

But Kris, you ask, what do we win? Hold on to your hats. If you manage to reign supreme this year, you will win none other than your very own pair of gay sock monkey cowboys. (I know! You’re like, “She didn’t.” But I totally did.) They’re rainbow… They have cowboy hats and boots… And they share the love that dare not speak its name. They are my greatest sock creations of all time. What to see more?I’m calling them Ennis and Jack, but you are, of course, free to rename them.

Ennis and Jack

A close-up of their faces. As you can see, I left off the mouths. These are men of few words.

Close-up

They’re knockin’ boots! Check out that embroidery work. I even put spurs on them!

Boots

Like I said, go here to enter.

Frequently Asked Sock Monkey Questions:

  1. Do you have these for sale?
    No, unfortunately I don’t. I’ve sold sock monkeys in the past but, to be honest, the amount most people are willing to pay doesn’t nearly cover the effort involved. They’re surprisingly labor-intensive! Tha’s why I only give them away as prizes now. Of course, you’re welcome to make me an offer I can’t refuse…
  2. Are these knitted?
    Nope! While I can knit socks, these sock monkeys are actually made out of cheap knee socks purchased at K-Mart.
  3. Where did you get the hats and boots?
    I managed to find the hats at the last minute at Spotlight at Birkenhead Point, but it was the third or fourth store I tried. You should probably ring around. (I was soooo happy to get them. They really “make” the whole project.) For the boots, I first played around with some paper templates til I had a boot shape I liked. Then I cut them out of felt and hand-stitched them together. I also added small silver star charms for spurs and decorative stitching.
  4. How can I make my own?
    Easy! Just check out my tutorial.
  5. Can I put these pictures on my website?
    You’re welcome to put my pictures on your site as long as you give me credit for them, and you save them to your own webserver. I pay for all my webhosting out-of-pocket so I can’t afford to subsidise your bandwidth. So right-click and save the images to your own hard-drive, and then upload them to your own webspace. Thanks!

Eggbert the Easter Chick

Eggbert the Easter ChickEggbert the Easter Chick
Check out my new favorite holiday creation! A nice lady came in the shop the other day looking for wool to duplicate a little knitted chick a friend had given her. I squealed like a girl, especially once I turned the chick over. How cute is that? The lady told me I could copy her handwritten pattern if I wanted. That night I whipped up a prototype and set to altering the pattern (so as not to infringe copyright; I don’t know where the customer’s friend got the pattern in the first place). My version has a slightly rounder head and short rows in the tail to make it flip up. The pattern is currently available for free in the shop, but I’ll reproduce it here for the rest of the world. They’re really quick to make; I’ve done four already. Hooray for stash-busting! Happy knitting…You need:

  • scraps of 8-ply (worsted weight) yarn
  • 3.75mm needles
  • cotton ball or other stuffing for head
  • bodkin or wool needle for sewing up
  • cardboard for beak
  • egg, chocolate or real!

Cast on 32 stitches.

Row 1: K1, increase 1, K to end.
Repeat first row until you have 44 stitches on the needle.
Knit four rows plain.

Short row tail:
Row 1: K4, slip next stitch as if to purl, yfwd, move slipped stitch back to left needle. Turn.
Row 2: K4 to end.
Row 3: K3, slip next stitch as if to purl, yfwd, move slipped stitch back to left needle. Turn.
Row 4: K3 to end.
Row 5: Cast off 15 stitches, K to end.

Repeat previous five rows for the other side. You should end with fourteen stitches left in the center of your knitting.

Head:
Knit three rows plain.
Row 4: K1, K2tog, K to last three stitches, K2tog, K1.
Row 5-6: Same as Row 4.
Knit two rows plain.

You should now have eight stitches remaining on your needle. Cut the working wool leaving a footlong tail. Thread the tail onto your sewing needle and run it through the remaining stitches, cinching them tight. Then use the tail to sew up the head, back, and underside of the duck (leaving a hole to insert your egg!). Stuff the head and use some scrap wool to cinch the neck. I used contrasting wool to make knots for the eyes, and the beak is a sewn on piece of cardboard. You can get pretty creative embellishing these things! Have fun…

Soctopus Attacks Oscar, Film at 11

Soctopus Attacks Oscar, Film at 11
As you probably read elsewhere, the 2005 Oscar nominations were announced this morning and you all know what that means… The Third Annual web-goddess Oscar Contest has offically launched! This year the first prize is a one-of-a-kind, never-before-seen sock creation: the Soctopus! (Thanks to Christopher for suggesting the concept.) Second and third prizes are the ever-popular mini sock monkeys. Remember, do your research and take as much time as you need before you enter because you can’t go back and change your entry later! But don’t wait too late, because ties can be broken based on who put in their guess first… Good luck everyone!

Oh, and if you want to see more pictures of Soctopus in action, here are some shots of him attacking the Snook. (Matt used them to create the awesome promo image for the contest this year.) In terms of his construction, he’s a slight cheat since I actually used two pairs of socks. The skinny black tie was a joke reference to the modern tuxedos worn by guys like Brad Pitt, and the hat just seemed like the perfect accessory. Matt thinks it makes him look like a “ska-topus.” I can see that.

Soctopus   Eek!   Ack!   Squelch...

Craftiness

More craftiness…
As Robert finally received his “Get Well” package from me today, I can now display the contents without ruining his surprise. First up is the official Version 2.0 of my iPod Jumper pattern. The striped one was sent off to my friend Kel, while the “Catboy” design was obviously for Rob. These are both knit in cotton, which seems to hold its shape a little better than the wool I tried before. They feature a velcro closure and a hole for the headphone jack. (Anybody else want one? I take commissions!) Next is a genuine, authentic Rockford Red Heel sock monkey. I really like how he turned out. I’d make more but unfortunately I don’t have any more of the socks; they’re so nice that I’ve kept the other pairs to wear!

iPod jumpers     Monkey!

Sock Monkey Tutorial

Sock MonkeySock Monkey Tutorial
As folks are always asking me how I make my monkeys, I finally took the time to document it in a tutorial. That’s everything you need to know from start to finish. A few of the pictures are a little blurry but I think you’ll get the idea. Let me know if you make your own!

Incidentally, the demo monkey seen here (in these season’s hottest color combination, of course) is for sale if anybody wants it…

Cupcakes and Monkey

It was a creative kind of night. I finished yet another sock monkey (a Christmas gift for the daughter of co-worker Dean) and a big tray of cupcakes for our Christmas Eve office luncheon. They’re yellow cake mix – from scratch! – with flavored frosting and “hundreds and thousands” on top. (That’s what Aussies call “sprinkles”.) I know the blue isn’t really seasonal, but I ran out of red food colouring during the whole Halloween “bloody cupcake” debacle and I didn’t feel like running out for more. Based on the samples the Snook and I had tonight, they’re pretty darn tasty regardless. Please imagine that if I was next to you right now, I’d be handing one over this instant. Merry Christmas!

Monkey     Cupcakes

Two More Monkeys…

Two more monkeys…
I had hoped that this week would finally mark the end of my sock-monkey-making labours, but it’s not to be. I made the fellow on the left there for my friend Kyrenia, who’s leaving our company and moving to Melbourne with her boyfriend. (Check out his jaunty wool scarf; it gets cold in Melbourne!) To my chagrin, the entire office fell in love with him and I had requests for three more. I couldn’t say no. I’ll be sewing blasted sock monkeys til I die! The rockstar monkey on the right is at long last being shipped off tomorrow to Adrien. His scarf is knitted from eyelash yarn and it’s so tomorrow, you know. If I have to make the damn things, I can at least make them fashionable. 🙂

Kyrenia's Monkey     Adrien's Monkey

Oscar the Sock Monkey

Oscar MonkeyMy Oscar Contest has officially stopped accepting new entries, so I figured I’d better show you all what you’re playing for. Meet Oscar the Sock Monkey! As you can see he’s all dressed up in black tie and silver sparkles. He’s got googly eyes and a big grin, and he’s even got his own little Academy Award!

As the response to the contest was about ten times what I was expecting – 144 entries? Who the heck are all you people? – I’m also providing regular sock monkeys for second and third place. The Awards start at 5:30 PM Pacific time Sunday, which means 12:30 PM Monday afternoon here. As I’ll be at work all day at the draconian, no-Internet unnamed printer company, you’ll have to wait til I get home for the results to be tallied. Basically, plan on the winner being named about five hours after the Awards start. Good luck everyone!