Flashback: Sock Monkeys!

Over the weekend, I was thrifting and came across this super fun fabric.  The selvage is helpfully labeled; it's called "5 Funky Monkeys" by Erin Michael. She's got a whole line of monkey fabrics that you can see here at Moda Fabrics.

Anyway, the pattern reminded me of the two sock monkeys I made a few years ago. I dug them out for a photo shoot, and I still think they're pretty cute- even though their faces are a bit odd looking.

Crafters have been making sock monkeys since the 1930s when the Nelson Knitting Company started making the original Rockford red-heeled socks. Mothers in the Great Depression saw a great opportunity for a new kind of homemade toy. The sock monkey bandwagon is still going strong today- if you need proof, check out all the variations for sale on etsy. Whoa.

If you'd like to make your own, it's extremely easy. The hardest part is acquiring the socks, and they are for sale on a variety of websites. Here's an example on Amazon. I'm certain that I got mine at Fleet Farm, although it was a few years ago, and they came with directions for a sock monkey as well as a sock elephant. Of course, you don't need to use Rockford socks to make your monkey. It's their homemade nature that makes them so cute, and any color or pattern combination can do that!

As for what I'm going to do with the "5 Funky Monkeys" fabric, I'll let you know when I figure it out. Regardless, how can it not turn out cute?