It was great to see one of my favorite chefs, Mario Batali, make pasta and cocktails. He also brought us arugula seeds. :) The best part though was meeting Martha in person! I took a truly amazing NY experience home with me. Plus a sweet Ball® Canning Kit and a Vitamix 5200 blender! Good stuff, good stuff. Follow my tweets at maribelmade.

I’ve already ordered some Mars Sock Monkey postcards and they look great! It’s like ordering from a print house, except I can get 1 or 8 postcards. ;)

There’s more Mars Sock Monkeys in sundresses coming out this weekend! I’ll also show you my latest custom sock monkey Felix! Now it’s back to work on a romper for a boy sock monkey…

Samantha, Lauren, Mochi and Kit Kat Mars Sock Monkey Postcards

Earlier this week I attended my very first session: Stenciled Cards. There was  a demonstration by Ed Roth using stencils from his new Stencil 101 Stationery Kit, which I used to make a couple of greeting cards. I made a Thank You card and a Birthday Card for my soon-to-be birthday boy. I can’t wait to go to next week’s Reversible Totebag class.

I’m really happy I’ll have more crafty projects to share with you. I’ve already received my new sewing machine so it won’t be too long before you’ll see some Brooklyn raised Mars Sock Monkeys. They’re on the horizon!

Weedy and Laurie will also be living in their hometown city of Seattle, where I created the very 1st Mars Sock Monkey back in 2007. Today, being that it’s also my last day of living in the rainy city, marks Weedy and Laurie as the 84th and 85th Mars Sock Monkeys made in the history of Maribel Made! I’m really excited to see what new sock monkey adventures await for us in Brooklyn.

If you’re interested in a custom Mars Sock Monkey you can email me at maribelmade at gmail dot com for more info. Stay tuned for more cute sock monkey madness. :)

Weedy Mars Sock Monkey

Laurie Mars Sock Monkey

Get your sock monkey now because these may be some of the last sock monkeys I make before I try relocating to NY. Wish me luck! “Spring” Mars Sock Monkeys are available on Etsy.

Tyler Mars Sock Monkey

Davina Mars Sock Monkey

Terry Mars Sock Monkey

Tim Mars Sock Monkey

Esther Mars Sock Monkey

I’m really excited about lots of things right now and one of them is a new outfit I’ve designed for my custom Mars Sock Monkeys! This outfit’s for the girls. Yay! Be back in a couple of weeks. I’m heading off to London to scout some socks, yarn and so many other things. Then it’s to Texas for some home made food and craft supplies. ;)

Btw I have new clothing labels! :D

I used a technique called needle felting to add the small detail like the eyes and nose to the animal faces. I then embroidered their little mouths and attached the final pieces to the hoodies. I also tried something different by switching the heel part of the sock on some of the sock monkeys, which gave them different colored mouths.

This group of sock monkeys was fun to make. There were so many ideas that didn’t make it, but I’m sure I can incorporate them into next year’s sock monkeys! This Winter 09 batch of Mars Sock Monkeys are for sale on Etsy. As always, each of my Mars Sock Monkeys are one of a kind and handmade. Have a look. :)

Knitting needles: One of my favorite tools are my Addi Turbo circular needles. I love them. I use size US 3 needles, which allow me to do some of the color work on the front of the sweaters. I also like that they’re circular because they don’t fall and there’s no hassle switching between them. My needles were bent, but they still get the job done! :)

Crochet hook: I saw a lot of these while growing up since my Mom is an avid crocheter. She uses some pretty small sizes for her work! As for me, I use a Clover aluminum crochet hook size C. It’s perfect for picking up stitches, adding finishing to the edge of knitted fabric and tidying those loose yarn ends. Also nice for making winter hats. The crochet hook has become such a useful tool for me.

Tapestry needle: Once all my pieces are complete I use a tapestry needle to sew the seams together. It has a curved tip which is nice for sewing knit fabric; the tip peaks out from the puffy stitches. The large eyelet works great on double knit (DK) worsted yarns. I own a set of Clover Chibi jumbo darning needles. They’re nice and big and come in a little capsule so I don’t loose them easily. ;)

Stitch holder: I used to use stitch holders to put my projects on hold, but these days I get some proper use out of them. They work like extra needles which secure knit stitches in place. I use one to hold stitches at the top the hood. While one half of the stitches are on hold I knit the other half of the hood using my circular needles. After both ends are done I connect them at the top using the  kitchener stitch. I have a set of 6″ and 7″ extra large Clover aluminum stitch holders.

Thread cutters: I fell in love with these cutters as soon as I got them. They’re cute and they’re the tool I use the most besides my knitting needles. They work great on thread and even thick yarns. I use them when I sew on the sewing machine because they’re not bulky like big scissors and they’re quick to grab. I bought these from an old Edmund Scientifics catalog but I recently ordered one and they’re nowhere to be found. :( I’d like another cute pair like these…I also have a pair of  these. :)

Yarn: I wasn’t going to forget about yarn itself. It keeps my sock monkeys nice and warm. I’m still learning about weights and types because there’s lots to know about yarn. I use double knits. They’re somewhere in between baby yarns and yarns for adult clothing. I also like to use cotton mixes and I prefer strong bright colors! I keep my yarns in a large clear plastic bag so I can see them when choosing color.

I hope you enjoyed my knitting tools write up! If you’re a beginner or advanced knitter, I’d highly recommend the tools above. Knitting is like many trades when it comes to using the right high quality tools. I’ve bought some cheap stuff and it doesn’t work as well as the higher-end stuff. :)

Thanks to Toby for taking some of these photos!

In her blog, La Carnima writes about Japanese pop culture, fashion, music, cute things…everything I admire! It’s no wonder I immediately fell in love with her blog. She’s also author of two books, Crazy Wacky Theme Restaurants: Tokyo and her newest book on cute food recipes called Cute Yummy Time.

La Carmina is always up to something! This time she’s giving away 5 autographed copies of Crazy Wacky Theme Restaurants: Tokyo to a lucky random winner who answers “If you had to open your own theme restaurant, what would it be?”…

Of course, mine would have to be a sock monkey themed restaurant! This wacky restaurant would be staffed by people and their sock monkeys pets. You’d be able to choose from a variety of sock monkeys to wait on you and your group depending on your mood and taste for the evening since each sock monkey would be dressed in a different style of clothes, which would match the waitress’ or waiters outfit! I would personally choose a kimono sock monkey or day of the dead sock monkey. I would also display books, artwork, fashion and interior design specifically related to sock monkeys.

Some of the things you could possibly see in my restaurant would be:
Rebecca Yaker’s sock monkey dresses (my favorite being the couture dress)
Super Sammy, one of the world’s largest sock monkey
And who could forget real monkeys! Snow monkeys. :)

Now that would be my kind of wacky theme restaurant!

Here’s a photo of me in my Sweet Lolita costume after a night of trick or treating with my friend Lisa Lovejoy, who’s also a sock monkey maker! I made the bow on my hair, dress and scarf. I also wore my pink Heart Knit Ring. Pictured with me are Lauren Mars Sock Monkey and my Waffle Ice Cream Cone by Laimee. Kawaii! :)

These 10 hooded companions are the beginning of a new era of sock monkeys for Maribel Made! Just like their original ancestors with knitted hoodies, these little guys are also handmade by me so you know they’re made with great care and quality products. :)

These and more Mars Sock Monkeys can be purchased online on Etsy. Remember, not one sock monkey is alike so if you see one you like grab it before it’s gone!

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