KnitWits

Last week, we went to Las Vegas for a concert. While we were there, we stopped in at FAO Schwarz in the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace. Take a guess at what they are selling. Yep, stupid sock monsters. I couldn't believe it. They are called KnitWits and cost $25 apiece. At first, I was disappointed to see that the sock monsters were being mass produced and sold in a retail store, but then I got excited by the many ideas they inspired. I am particularly excited about how these sock monsters were given eyes and lips. I am also going to make my ears or horns longer like the KnitWits, and I think displaying them from a clothes line with a clothes pin is so cute and a fabulous idea. I am excited to incorporate these ideas into my monsters. I wish I had the same source of socks that the KnitWit makers have. They have fun socks and great ideas for their monsters.

Alec & Zagit

Alec lives next door. He is in high school and is currently learning to sew in home ec. Alec was over last Saturday talking computers with my husband when he saw the sock monsters, and asked if he could make one. I was surprised that Alec really wanted to spend his Saturday sewing and even more surprised at how much Alec knew about sewing and how much he seemed to be enjoying what he was doing.

Alec picked out the pattern and socks he wanted. He did all the machine sewing and hand sewing. He also picked out the eyes and the name. He even stuffed the monster himself, which is the part I like least. So, say hello to Zagit. I think he turned out great and that Alec did a super job sewing Zagit together. Good job Alec.

Meet the Newest Member of the Family

Say Hi to Sprog. He is the newest member of my sock monster family. He is my first attempt to use anklet socks to make a sock monsters. I bought some knee high socks for sock monsters that came paired with matching anklet socks. I don't wear anklets so I am trying to use them in the sock monster creation. He is not quite done yet. One of his eyes is loose and needs to be sewn on again, and he needs a collar to hide his neck stitches. I learned several things about sock monster sewing in the creating of Sprog. I am not happy with the way his legs and tail turned out. I stuffed his legs and tail first and then sewed them to his body. Next time I will sew the legs to the body and stuff the legs and body at the some time. I think he would stand up if I had sewn his leg this second way. I tried to make him smile by making his upper lip smaller than his lower lip. It did not really work. I have given quite a bit of thought to how to make the monsters smile, but still do not know quite how to stitch the mouth to get a smile. It is not as easy as it look due to the design of the heel piece of the sock. I also did not make the neck darts on Sprog, and I wish I had. It would have shaped his head instead of just being one long piece. Yet, even with these issues, I think he is pretty fun and I am happy to have him in the sock monster family. Coming some day, a distant relative from a foreign county. Stay tune.

The newest addition to the family

I would like you to meet LaGwenna. She is my third sock monster. She is different from Norbit and Stretch because she is entirely hand sewn. As mentioned before, socks, once they are cut, tend to run and fray very easily which makes machine sewing difficult. Hand sewing also allows for smaller seam allowance than machine sewing. With her long skinny ears and arms, I was trying to get the largest tube I could. Normally, I would not take the time to hand sew even with the advantages just mentioned, but with the long car ride to see my parents, I had plenty of just sitting time. Luckily, hand sewing in the car did not make me car sick. As with any project, I learned a lot. I have not done much hand sewing so it was good to see what stitches held and what stitches did not. I am also new to the whole stuffing game. I had a real fight getting her tiny arms and ears stuffed. I am still not 100% happy with the job I did. I will need to do some research on stuffing items. Does anyone have any suggestions? All in all, LaGweena was a lot of fun to make, and especially to accessorize.

Stupid Sock Creatures

Stupid Sock Creatures is a great book. I have made 2 monsters, as I like to call them, so far. Stretch lives at my sister's house. He is made of knee high sock so came out a little long. Norbit is pictured below. He is made of anklets so a little shorter. Norbit was named for his teeth, get it Nor(bit), big teeth. I will have to admit that these guys do take some time and work to create. The thinner sock fabric is not that easy to work with, watch for runs and fraying, and there are some seams that are probably better off being hand stitched, but it is amazingly fun to let your imagination run wild and see them come to life as you sew. I am excited to make a whole clan of monsters. The instructions in the book are easy to follow, and the ideas are endless.

My Sewing Room and Me

Hi! My name is Lanita and I just love to sew.

Sewing is just a hobby for me, no professional sewing here. I have three machines. I have a Brother ULT 2001 that I use for my sewing machine, and a Brother Innov-is 4000D that I use for my embroidery machine. Both machines are usable as sewing and embroidery machines, but each has features that I like better for either sewing or embroidering. My third machine is my serger, a Viking Huskylock 1001L. It is an older serger, but it does a great job, so I have seen no need to upgrade.

My sewing table is new, and I am totally enjoying it. I got the cabinets and counter top from Home Depot. My custom made table was a little expensive, but it was still less expensive than the manufactured sewing tables that come in sizes and shapes that you cannot choose.

My machines are protected by Norbit, the sock monster. He keeps the dust bunnies away.