Meet... Marvin the Monkey!

Before I was even pregnant with Fern, I bought this book from Dymocks:

I couldn't resist. It was so cute and quirky and I had never seen soft toys like it anywhere else at the time. Every toy in this book is simply made with little more than socks and gloves!

I brought it home and thought I'd begin making immediately. Except, I couldn't. Do you think I could find the socks and/ or gloves... anywhere?? Disparaged, the book has been on the shelf for the past couple of years, gathering dust.

Until now! At the recent Stitches and Craft Show in Sydney, my fabbo MIL scored me some 'Red Heel Socks' (avail here) specially designed with this specific purpose in mind! Yay!

So.... from this:

Today -- I made this!

Can you believe he is literally just a pair of socks?!!?!... and I do love him so. His ears are crooked. His stitching is uneven. His eyes are lopsided. And to me he is perfect, because I didn't buy him from a shop and because he was made with love and my babies in mind. He was actually made for my baby-to-be, but Fern discovered him (or the half of him that was finished) and fell immediately in love. So, I am going to make her one too. Because everyone surely needs a little Marvin-the-Monkey in their lives?

If you havn't made a softie before, this one could be a good one to start with. You literally cut out all the pieces from a pair of socks, and just machine/ handsew the lot together with some stuffing. The only additions in my case were a couple of buttons and a scrap of ribbon! If you look up 'sock monkey' on the net, you'll find instructions for making your own creation. Go on -- it's a lot of fun!

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