Our socktopus teacher
a craft and a puzzle for your Sunday...
We’ve been on a short break, Frog Troublers—traveling to the beach (all of us), going to day camp (Bea and Harriet), and getting reading for the new semester (Belle). But during this time we’ve also gathered up some good ideas for you, including this fun summer craft from Bea. She’s been teaching all of us to make adorable homemade stuffies, and now she’ll teach you.
Take it away, Bea:
This summer, I was lucky to go to Toys and Games Camp at Clapping Hands Farm with my cousin Marlo. At Toys and Games camp, there are two morning classes. One is Games and one is Toys. During Toys, they announced that we’d be making sock toys. You can get some instructions from a book or you can go your own way. At first, I tried making a hamster from book instructions, but that didn’t turn out too well—it looked more like a blob. Then, I made a sock squid, who I named named Taki, from my own mind—and I loved him. Once I finished making Taki and his accessories (a hat, a scarf, and tentacle warmers), I started making more aquatic creatures out of socks. I finally ended up with my simplest, anybody-can-do-it homemade toy, great for making for friends or even for pets: the socktopus.
Here’s how to make one:
First, you need some socks. You can look in your drawers for worn-out socks, socks with no mate, or buy some socks from the thrift store (in other words, don’t use your good socks or your parents might get mad). You also need some batting, which can be polyfill or the cut-up or unraveled rest of the sock (save some for the accessories), a hot glue gun (we use a low-temp one), scissors, and either markers, buttons, or beads. Tip: It’s a good idea to use an old piece of cardboard to protect your work station from hot glue drips. We save cardboard and reuse it for this purpose.
When you’ve got your supplies assembled, choose your sock. Put your hand inside the sock, and pull your hand out to stretch and flatten the sock (heel down). Flip the sock over, still flattened, and cut all the way across, just above the heel.
Next, stuff the sock with batting. Leave about 3/4 of the socktopus body without batting. This will be the tentacles. Don’t overfill your sock..
Turn the bottom of your sock inside out. Push the stuffing toward the toe of the sock. With your glue gun, carefully draw a line of hot glue along the inside of your sock. Press the glued seam together—if you worry about burning (I haven’t burned myself doing this), you can wear socks on your hands.
Next, use your scissors to cut toward but not through the line of hot glue. These will be tentacles—real octopuses have eight tentacles, but it’s okay if you have more than that. For cute, curly tentacles, cut the side tentacles into two.
Hot glue beads or buttons for eyes. Try on different beads and buttons to see which one looks right for your socktopus. If you’re giving your socktopus to a pet, draw on your eyes with a marker.
Use the sock cuff remnants to make adorable accessories: a sash, a belt, a purse, or a headband. A bottlecap can be wrapped with fabric and turned into a cute hat and glued on at an angle. Harriet used a pink ribbon to make a bow for her pink and white soctopus, and also drew on a smile.
That’s it! I’ve made socktopuses for some of my camp friends, and I’m making one now for Mamie and Grampa’s new puppy. Here’s some of the socktopus family:
Do you have any fun crafts you’ve worked on this summer?
We’ll be back during the week for info about how and why to attend school board meetings, some vegetarian back-to-school recipes, and more news and info about a special kind of plant called an epiphyte.
P.S. This Heated post, about how human-caused climate change and colonialism destroyed Lahaina’s wetlands, is a must-read.
P.P.S. Richard has a puzzle for you this week—email your answers to us at belleboggs@gmail.com and we’ll choose a prizewinner!
Each answer to the following clues is 4 letters long. Answers 2 - 6 each differ from the previous answer by one letter. Answers 1 and 6 are opposites. What are they?
1. Time of day _ _ _ _
2. Briefly submerge _ _ _ _
3. Uncomfortably moist and cold _ _ _ _
4. Time of day between 1 and 6 _ _ _ _
5. Repair by stitching _ _ _ _
6. Time of day _ _ _ _
Have you guys read Goblin Mode? I just listened to it on books on tape while unpacking our new house, it's a great, quick read and I think you would all really enjoy it!
xox
I am hopeless when it comes to following diractions for crafts, Bea, but yours are so clearly written with such great photos that I actually think I can make a socktopus. I will let you know how it goes. Your socktopuses and Harriet's are adorable. I am going to try this craft with my grandson, your cousin, Miles, if my solitary attempts prove successful. Thank you for another wonderful FTT. My love to all of you.
P.S.
I don't even want to try your dad's puzzle. I will becoment frighteningly obssessed until I think I have figured it out. Think ..... days...even weeks maybe.