Dude, this HGTV Soctopus is scary.
Tag: sewing
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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.
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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!
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Oscar Sock Monkeys
I’ve finally managed to finish this year’s prize monkeys for the Oscar Contest. Pretty cute, huh? That’s 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place from left to right there. Please be patient, winners. I promise I’ll have them in the mail this weekend!
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At least it’s not another monkey, right?
My sock animal repertoire has grown… It’s my first sock doggie! Snookums has named him “Snuggles”.
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Sock 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…
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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!
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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. 🙂
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Storm at Sea Quilt
It’s done! Today is the wedding of my friends Kenya and Sal, and this is the quilt I made for them. It’s a traditional American pattern called “Storm at Sea”. I started it just over a year ago (but I took a bit of break in the middle of the summer). The top was machine-pieced but I quilted the whole darn thing by hand. I also used a bias binding for the edge, which was a first for me. All in all I’m really proud of how it turned out. And isn’t the basket cute? I saw it in a shop yesterday and realized it was the perfect way to package the quilt.
Here’s a shot of the quilt pattern itself. As you can see, it’s all made up of triangles and squares but somehow they kinda fool the eye into seeing curves and waves.
The Snook is actually standing on a chair and holding the quilt up here (and hiding behind it) so you can get an idea of how big it is. It’s probably about queen-sized, I’d say.
I suck at embroidery, but it’s sorta tradition that you personalize the quilt for the receiver. Here’s my, uh, “rustic” attempt at adding their initials.
Like I said, I’m proud of it. And hey, that’s one more thing I can cross off my crafty backlog!
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Oscar the Sock Monkey
My 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!
