Maribel Made

Mars Sock Monkeys for Boys!

maribelmade — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 04:44:48 +0000

Here’s something the boys might like. This group of rambunctious sock monkeys were especially made for them. I used red, purple and yellow with touches of green, brown, blue and even pink! These sock monkeys with their boyish good looks are just as cute as the girls. :)

Shawn Mars Sock Monkey

Nick Mars Sock Monkey

Tomie Mars Sock Monkey

Scrap yarn needle holders

maribelmade — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 18:18:39 +0000

With every move comes a new work space and some organization. I’m always looking for ways to repurpose anything so my bits of scrap yarn were perfect for making a couple of holders for my knitting and crochet needles.

The pattern is pretty simple. Once you have a starting loop, single crochet (sc) all around adding 2 sc in one stitch every other row to allow the circle to expand without curving. When its time to go up, sc 1 in every stitch or try skipping stitches to shape the motif into a bowl. When you reach the desired length bind off and hide loose ends. To avoid tipping, just add some acrylic/polished rocks to the bottom for extra weight. ;)

Make shorter ones for loose change, office supplies, even candy!

Seba, Mimi and Honty Mars Sock Monkeys

maribelmade — Sun, 29 May 2011 18:17:35 +0000

Meet my most recent rainbow sock monkeys, Sebastian and Mimi. Working with rainbow socks is great because there’s an endless array of color options when it comes to making the hoodie. I also found sock monkeys make great thank you gifts. You can also never go wrong with giving your girlfriend a cute stuffed animal. :)

Also, check out this googly eye sock monkey I made for some friends at London Hackspace, a non-profit organization which provides space and equipment to make/hack on pretty much anything you can imagine. I actually spend a little time there making Honty while checkin out the place. Neat stuff!

Sebastian Mars Sock Monkey

Mimi Mars Sock Monkey

Honty “The Hackspace” Mars Sock Monkey

Fun times at The Martha Stewart Show

maribelmade — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 01:08:48 +0000

This week was a whirlwind! I got the opportunity to sit at the 1,000th show of The Martha Stewart Show! Actually, the Twitter section of the audience, which of course meant live tweeting from the show and getting some VIP treatment.

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.

Steeking and New Knit Mars Sock Monkeys

maribelmade — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 03:05:04 +0000

When I first read about steeking, it was hard to imagine such an unconventional knitting technique. Wikipedia says:

“In knitting, steeking is a shortcut used to knit garments such as sweaters in the round without interruption for openings or sleeves until the end.”

But cutting holes in knit fabric? To leave openings for sleeves? Sounded crazy to me. I mean think about the unraveling. Yet, this clever technique had a comforting solution: sewing around the cut to secure the stitches! And instead of knitting 6 separate hoodie pieces, I can now knit 3 and speed up my knitting. :)

As a matter of fact, my newest Mars Sock Monkeys Loni and Samie come in the re-invented knit hoodie! These rainbow striped sock monkeys can be adopted at Maribel Made on Etsy.

Loni Mars Sock Monkey

Samie Mars Sock Monkey

Check out my new Moo cards! They come free with purchase. :)

New Goodies in the Shop

maribelmade — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 21:18:27 +0000

Happy 2011 everyone!! This first week flew super fast, but I got to stuff lots of sock monkeys! There’s good news too. I have a new sock monkey with a hand-knit heart hoodie. Samie is inspired from the original Samantha Mars Sock Monkey, which everyone loves! I also listed new striped sock monkeys Haden, Jack and Maddy plus polka dot lady Roxy. These and other Mars Sock Monkeys are available for sale on Etsy. :)

Samie Mars Sock Monkey

Haden Mars Sock Monkey

Jack Mars Sock Monkey

Maddy Mars Sock Monkey

Roxy Mars Sock Monkey

New Paisley and Fruits Mars Hoodies

maribelmade — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 18:55:18 +0000

My Christmas shipping is all done! Making cute things isn’t. Earlier this week I sewed some hoodies with some fabric I ordered from Spoonflower! These super cute hoodies were made with a Scattered Fruits fabric designed by Berrysprite and a Power Paisley fabric designed by Heather Dutton. They’re both adorable! They’re also available for sale on Etsy. :)

Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas! I hope everyone enjoys their new Mars Sock Monkeys!

BUST Craftacular Holiday New York 2010

maribelmade — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 21:36:40 +0000

It was really interesting going to a big NY fair like this year’s BUST Craftacular Holiday. For one it was pouring like crazy and when I got there the line was wrapped around the building to the other side of the block! Of course I slept in, but the line moved fast and it was fun chatting it up Girl in Gotham Designs. :)

There was a ton to see! Two levels of wonderful, crafty goodness including Amy Sedaris doing a book signing on the 2nd floor. Her book Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People looked pretty hilarious.

Here’s a list of my handpicked artists from the New York 2010 event. Enjoy because there’s a ton of cool stuff in there! :)

kg + ab - Ceramics handmade in Brooklyn

Corky Mansfield - Good clean humor to the world through tees and funky characters

Brooklyn Brine Co - Hand packed organic produce paired with simple ingredients and “damn fine pickles” in Brooklyn, NY

Twig. - Moss terrarium and other small wolds

Gramkin Paper Studio - Personalized stationery, invitations, announcements and other paper goods and gifts

Return to Me - Customizable necklaces, wristcuffs and t-shirts

Maybe You Should Die - Sweet declarations of hatred and ill will in the form of paper goods, apparel, plushes and Mean Bags™

Dea + Bean - Unique wedding invitations and paper goods the old-fashioned way

Made With Awesome - Original, off-the-wall slogans and cool tee designs

Beacon Bookmarks - Handcrafted Wooden Bookmarks from the Hudson Valley

McBitterson’s Tasteless Wares - Dedicated to spreading peace and joy to all the peoples of the world through adorable, affordable, hand-crafted goods

Grovius - Cute animal illustrations on wood

Twinko - Infant and toddler line of organic tees, onesies, and accessories with cute graphics

Gnome Enterprises - Men’s + Women’s + Kids Tees | Handprinted in BKLYN NYC

My Secret Music Box - Musical jewellery and pocket-sized enchantment

Shara Porter - Hand printed fine found objects

Las Delicias Patisserie - Boutique Gourmet Bakery

Herban Lifestyle - Hand crafted natural and organic bath and body products

webbedware - Textile jewelry and accessories handmade by Courtney Webb

Tharp - Illustrator and obsessive dreamer

Mochimochi Land - Original knitting and cross-stitch patterns

Not Just Tea - Boutique specialty tea company specializing in new tea blends

Amigurumi Kingdom - a place where cupcake bears rule and little creatures are glued to their ipods (literally)…

Caseybot - Plush, hats and friends

My Zoetrope - Painting, patterns, doodles and more

Rag Trader - Vintage jewelery reborn

Bubbledog - a cute-opia of t-shirts, accessories, & stationery

De*Nada - Accessories line, specializing in handmade knits for women and men

Dirty Ass Soaps - Almost edible vegan food and video game soaps

SPIRITelemental - Live in joy and be free terrariums and illustrations

Isabel Roxas - Books, tees, paper goods and art prints with very nice illustrations

Ashley Buchanan - Jewelry and metals

Fernworks - Jewelry encasing a real found object or painted scene in resin

Bacon Neckwear - Handmade, Custom and Wedding Neckties Bowties Necklaces

Torch Song Metal - Metal adornments by Emily Postula and Ashley Harris

Brooklyn Charm - Custom designed jewelry and supplies in Williamsburg, NY

Erica Weiner - locally made, affordable vintage-inspired jewelry, designed with a sense of humor

Les Enfants Sauvages - It is is all about texture, shapes and colours

Grand Marie - Fine silver earrings molded from antique buttons

Yummy & Company - Handmade jewelry and wedding gifts

Smoke & Daggers.com - Weapon inspired jewelry

Max Steiner Design - Original and unique jewelry designs

Glittery Blue - Vintage made new jewelry

Rock Love Jewelry - Handmade sterling silver jewelry with the alternative edge

By Natalia - Geometric inspired jewelry pieces with an architectural aesthetic

AMH Design - Contemporary needlepoint

Molting Yeti - Super fun knits

New York Couture - One of a kind clothing straight from New York

I ’m Your Present - Handmade clothing & accessories

Experimenting with Fingerless Gloves

maribelmade — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 20:09:28 +0000

Earlier this fall I started a new project to help improve my glove knitting skills. This time I set out to learn how to knit gloves in the round as opposed to knitting them flat, which is how I made my very maribelmade.com/index.php/2008/11/fingerless-gloves" onclick="">first pair of gloves.

The newest edition of Vogue Knitting Mittens and Gloves helped me accomplish just that with the Rainy Day Fingerless Gloves pictured below. These gloves were knit in the round with size 3 dpns and Rowan Handknit DK yarn. I also used colors I already had so I ended up with a new color scheme! The hardest part about knitting these gloves were the color changes and the M1R increasing, but I discovered a little secret to making these increases easier: use a crochet hook to pick up the yarn in between stiches. This made increasing a breeze!

Later I made these simpler pair of gloves, which got me thinking of new ways to knit clothes for the sock monkeys! Maybe I’ll list some of these gloves in the shop since they were pretty fun to make. What do you think? :)

BUST Christmas Craftacular London 2010

maribelmade — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 22:50:21 +0000

I’m back from a frosty vacation in London where I got the chance to check out this year’s BUST Christmas Craftacular! Set in East London’s Bethnal Green neighborhood, I took a quick no 8 bus to see what’s shaping up the current London craft scene. I was also happy to receive an Etsy UK goodie bag!

I must have looked at each stall more than twice, picking up a bunny tee from Brat & Suzie, a “game boy” gingerbread cookie from Maid of Gingerbread, some fabric from Beyond Fabrics and a How to Make a Cloak instruction book from DIY Couture. I also got a nifty Moo discount. People were also getting their craft on at diy stations offered by The Make Lounge, Fabrications and Prick Your Finger.

I can’t wait for the New York Craftacular happening this Sunday, Dec 12th in Chelsea. I hear there will be nearly 300 artist participating. Wow!

Here’s a list of my handpicked artists from the London 2010 event. Enjoy. :)

crafty people

Brat & Suzie - www.bratandsuzie.com

Me Me Me - www.madebymememe.com

A Alicia - www.aalicia.bigcartel.com

Tatty Devine - www.tattydevine.com

DIY Couture - www.diy-couture.co.uk

Licie Ellen - www.lucie-ellen.com

Maid of Gingerbread - www.maidofgingerbread.co.uk

Xiang Zeng - www.freerangedoodle.com

Vic Lee - www.viclee.co.uk