Sock Monkey hat tutorial - Basic Sock Monkey Beanie

Welcome to my little celebration of Sock Monkey hats!  The first installment will be the Basic Sock Monkey Beanie.  This is just a beanie.  If you would like ear flaps, please go here for my tutorial on ear flaps!

So, on with the show!

Basic Sock Monkey beanie

You can use whatever yarn you please, of course, but my personal suggestion is Vanna's Choice in Taupe Mist and Linen.  I think they look closest to an actual brown Rockford Red Heel sock.  I buy mine at Hobby Lobby, but I have seen it at one of our local Walmarts (I live in AR, so there is one on just about every street corner) that has a large craft section.  My usual Walmart does not carry it, so chances are, if your Walmart doesn't carry fabric, they probably won't have it.

A few notes:

I would like to suggest that you learn how to make a magic ring, if you don't know how already.  It's tricky at first, but you will be able to tighten up the holes much better this way.  There are tons of videos on youtube to help you.

I'm giving you a pattern to make a child-sized beanie.  At the end, I'll give some suggestions for sizing it up or down, and if you ask me really nicely with a pretty please, maybe I'll write up a different size for you.  The pattern is how I make a beanie - if you already have a tried and true basic beanie pattern you love, by all means, use it.  Just make the first half of the rows in Linen and the second half in Taupe Mist.  Then you can skip to the Parts section.  For the rest of you....

Supplies:
Vanna's Choice in Linen (or another worsted weight yarn in a beige shade)
Vanna's Choice in Taupe Mist (or another worsted weight yarn in brown)
Small amounts of worsted weight yarn in black and red
H hook
Yarn needle
Polyester fiberfill (very small amount)
Safety pins (optional)
Pompom maker (optional)

R1:  With Linen, make a magic ring and hdc 10 times into the ring OR ch4, 10 hdc in 4th chain from hook.  Sl st to join (10)
R2:  ch1, 2 hdc in each hdc around, sl st in first hdc to join (20)
R3:  ch1, *hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc, repeat from * around, sl st in first hdc to join (30)
R4:  ch1, *hdc in next 2 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc, repeat from * around, sl st in first hdc to join (40)
R5:  ch1, *hdc in next 3 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc, repeat from * around, sl st in first hdc to join (50)
R6:  ch1, *hdc in next 4 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc, repeat from * around, sl st in first hdc to join (60)
R7-10:  ch1. hdc in each hdc around, sl st in first hdc to join (60)
R11:  ch1.  hcd in each hdc around, sl st in first hdc to join, fasten off (60)

R12:  Join with Taupe Mist, ch1, then hdc in each hdc around, sl st in first hdc to join (60)
R13-21:  ch1, then hdc in each hdc around, sl st in first hdc to join (60)
R22:  ch1, then hcd in each hdc around, sl st in first hdc to join, fasten off (60)

Beanie is complete.  Weave in your ends.  I like my beanies to cover the forehead, but if you feel that this beanie has too many rows for your liking, I would reduce the number of rows you make in Linen.  You need at least 11 rows of Taupe Mist for the face to fit.

Time to make the monkey parts!

Eyes (make 2)
R1:  In black, make a magic ring and sc 6 times into the ring OR ch4, 6 sc in 4th ch from hook.  sl st to join (6)
R2:  2 sc in each sc around.  sl st to join.  Fasten off, leaving a long tail for stitching (12)

Ears (make 2)
R1:  In Taupe Mist, make a magic ring and sc 8 times into the ring OR ch 4, 8 sc in 4th ch from hook.  sl st to join (8)
R2:  2 sc in each sc around.  sl st to join. (16)
R3:  *sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc.  Repeat from * around.  sl st to join.  (24)
R4:  *sc in next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc.  Repeat from * around.  sl st to join (32)
R5:  *sc in next 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc.  Repeat from * around.  sl st to join.  Fasten off, leaving a long tail for stitching (40)



Mouth
The first row of the mouth is worked on both sides of the chain - when you get to the end, you will work on the bottom loops of the chain to work back towards the beginning.  It's hard for me to explain, so if this isn't clear, let me know so I can try to clarify!
In red, ch 16
R1:  Starting with 2nd ch from hook - sc, sc, hdc, hdc, dc, dc, tc, tc, tc, dc, dc, hdc, hdc, sc, 3sc (beginning to work on the bottom from here) sc, hdc, hdc, dc, dc, tc, tc, tc, dc, dc, hdc, hdc, sc, sc.  join with first sc with a sl st and finish off

Can you see what I'm doing here?  You just work in the loops at the bottom of the chain.

R2:  Join with Linen  - sc, sc, sc, hdc, hdc, dc, dc, tc, tc, tc, dc, dc, hdc, hdc, sc, sc, 3sc, sc, sc, hdc, hdc, dc, dc, tc, tc, tc, dc, dc, hdc, hdc, sc, sc, sc, sc, join with sl st to first sc, finish off, leaving a long tail for stitching.

Pom Pom
If you have a pom pom maker, use it!  I think they make the most  uniform-looking pom poms, but if you don't have one, don't fear!  Here is a quick run down on how to make one with just yarn, scissors and your hands, if you have nothing else.

Take your red yarn and wrap it around the fingers of your hand, not too tightly, about 80-100 times.  The more times you wrap, the fuller the pom pom.   Cut about a 10-12 inch length of yarn.  Slip it between your hand and the yarn and tie it tight.

(Kind of tricky one-handed, so you might need some help)  

Pull the yarn off of your fingers and then wrap the tying piece around the middle of the whole

bundle.

Cut the loops and shape.

 

Assembly:
Fold the hat in half, with the joining seam running up the back. (Do you know how to make your seam almost invisible?  If you need me to give a tip, let me know!)

Take an ear, line up the diameter of the circle and the side of the hat and safety pin it in place.  Stitch to the beanie up the middle of the ear.  Fold the ear in half and whip stitch around the edge to close it up.  Fasten off and repeat for the other ear.

 

Line up the ear

Stitch up the middle (where the yarn is laying)

Fold ears and sew closed

Line up the bottom of the mouth close to the brim of the hat.  Pin the sides of the mouth in place with safety pins to keep it from traveling while you stitch it to the beanie.  Begin at one corner of the mouth and stitch the bottom on.  Stuff the mouth - lightly.... if you overstuff, it will show through the stitches - and finish stitching the mouth on.

Pin mouth in place

Don't overstuff!

Eyes - pin them in place and just stitch them on!

Sew the pompom on top and you are done!  Slip it on a cute little head and giggle at the cuteness!

Sorry, no picture of this monkey on a cute little head.  They are in bed.  =)

Next up will be the Punk Monkey.  Hopefully I'll get that up tomorrow night.

Pattern is for personal use only.  Please contact me if you have any questions!

Shamelessly self-promoting here:
                    

The Last Minute Basket

Last year, I made fabric Easter baskets for the girls.  The intention was to have something special they'd use forever.  But they turned out much, much, MUCH too big to be really practical.  And I kinda have fallen out of love with the color scheme.  And somehow some fabric scraps and my in-progress Babette blanket seem to have taken up residence in them.  I could have just taken the stuff out of them for a few days to use them, but I just really wanted to make them something else.  I had seen a few things that I had considered making that would work or could be adapted to work, but nothing that I really was happy with.

So I just sat down and made it up using bits and pieces I've learned in all my adventures crocheting.



It only took me about 2 hours from start to finish, so I thought it would be something fun to share for anyone who was thinking about crocheting an Easter basket, but had procrastinated.  I made all three baskets for my girls in under 24 hours.  I used super bulky weight yarn (on the label of most brands is a picture of a skein of yarn with a number on it... you're looking for a 6), which worked great for two reasons:  It worked up super fast and it makes the basket a little bit stiffer than if I had used worsted weight or even bulky.  And nobody wants a floppy basket.


Yes, those are preschool scissors.  Shush.

Supplies:

• 1 skein super bulky weight yarn (approx. 81 yards) *
• N hook **
• Yarn needle

*  I only needed one skein per basket, but depending on your personal tension as a crocheter, you might need more.  Plus, the yardage on a skein of yarn tends to be approximate.  I used Lion Brand Hometown USA and used almost every inch of it. 
**  If you generally crochet pretty loose, you may want to go down a size.  You need your stitches to be tight to avoid having a really floppy basket.

Row 1)  6 sc in a magic ring and join with sl st in first sc OR ch 4 and join in the 4th ch from hook and 6 sc in the loop and join with sl st in first sc  (6sc)

Row 2)  ch 1, 2 sc in each sc around, join in first sc with sl st (12 sc)

Row 3) ch 1, *sc, 2 sc in next sc*  repeat around, join in first sc with sl st (18 sc)

Row 4) ch 1, *sc x 2, 2 sc in next*  repeat around, join in first sc with sl st (24 sc)

Row 5)  ch 1, *sc x 3, 2 sc in next*  repeat around, join in first sc with sl st (30 sc)

Row 6)  ch 1, *sc x 4, 2 sc in next* repeat around, join in first sc with sl st (36 sc)

Row 7)  ch 1, *sc x 5, 2 sc in next* repeat around, join in first sc with sl st (42 sc)

Row 8)  ch 1, *sc x 6, 2 sc in next* repeat around, join in first sc with sl st (48 sc)



Row 9)  ch 1, sl st in BACK LOOPS ONLY around, join in first sl st with sl st (48 sl st) (this puts a more definite break between the base and the sides)



Now we will begin the sides of the basket.

Row 10)  ch 3, 2 dc in same stitch, skip 2, *3 dc in same stitch, skip 2* repeat around, join in the top of the ch 3 with sl st (16 dc clusters)



Row 11) sl st to the space between the first and second dc cluster in previous row, ch 3, 2 dc in the sp, *3 dc in next dc cluster space* repeat around, join in the top of the ch 3 with sl st (16 dc clusters)



Row 12 -13)  Repeat row 11

Row 14)  ch 1, * sc 2, sc in space between dc clusters*  repeat around, join in first sc with sl st (48 sc)

Handle)  ch 1, sc 2, ch1 and turn - repeat until you reach your desired length or are close to running out of yarn.  Attach handle to the other side by either finishing off and sewing it on or you can slip stitch into the stitches where you want it attached.  I don't know how to really explain this, so if you know what I'm talking about, great, if not... it's just as easy to sew it on.



Weave in your tails, stuff with Easter grass (or green tissue paper... I prefer that myself) and candy and eggs!

I have plans to embellish these a little with probably some felt roses and I need to put name tags on them because Iz and Zo need to take theirs to school Wednesday for their school egg hunt.