As you may already know, socks are one of the most important accessories of anyone's life. Socks are what keep your feet warm and cozy in those cold winter months, and let you stand for hours on the treadmill without having foot pain. However, socks do have a lot going for them but they do not always stay like that. With their sense of adventure and love for comfort, people do find some fun ways to alter their socks. If you are wondering about how exactly you can revamp your old socks then this article is just for you.
Sock bun.
As many a beauty expert has pointed out, the sock bun is a great way to keep your hair in place—and it's also a fun project that lets you repurpose those old, holey socks. It’s a style that can work on any length of hair and holds tight all day long. All you have to do is cut off the end of an old sock, roll it into a donut shape and secure it with a hair tie. Then wrap your hair around the sock bun and fasten it with bobby pins for an easy look that will last all day.
Sock puppet.
- Use an unmatched, long sock that is big enough to cover the hand and wrist. Make sure that the bottom of the sock is wide enough so that it can be filled with wool, stuffing, or other soft material. The more cushion in your puppet's underside, the more unsettling its face will appear.
- Be creative! Sock puppets are perfectly suited to host a variety of looks and appearances; they're great tools for self-expression and imaginative play. Consider adding buttons, eyes made of felt or googly stickers, pom-poms for hair—the options are endless. You can even customize your sock puppet's costume by gluing on pieces of cloth from an old T-shirt or scraps from another project you've been working on.
- If you have kids at home and want a way to keep them busy for a few hours (or days) on end, consider setting up an arts & crafts station with supplies dedicated just for making these creations. Even adults will enjoy this low key activity; it's relaxing and meditative in its simplicity yet also encourages imaginative expression through design choices.*
Sock monkey.
Turn socks into toys
Most everyone has a pile of tired socks lying around, just waiting to be upcycled. An excellent way to do this is by turning them into beloved childhood toys. All you’ll need are scissors, a needle and thread, and some stuffing. You can have fun making these with your friends or with kids in the family. Get creative.
Make a sock monkey
Your first step is to cut off the foot end of one sock, right where it starts to get thinner. From there, follow our easy tutorial below:
Cut out all the pieces as shown on the pattern (make sure they’re mirror images).
Pin them together with right sides facing each other. Sew along the top edge of each piece (leaving openings at marked areas), then turn inside out. Stuff head and body firmly through neck opening; fold raw edges inward along neck opening and stitch closed by hand. Turn sleeve pieces inside out; sew side seams together for arms, legs and ears and fold raw edges inward along neck opening; stuff firmly; close openings by stitching by hand. Cut an 18" length of black yarn for tail; knot ends together to form loop; pull through center of tail piece between marks on pattern; knot securely on both sides of fabric to hold in place. With four strands doubled over, make an ankle-length braid for scarf (we braided red strand with two yellow strands). Tie scarf around monkey’s neck as shown in photo left. For eyes, sew two black buttons onto face as shown at left or use 1/4" white buttons sewn above 1/2" black buttons if desired (as shown in photo at right). Embroider mouth following dotted lines on pattern using embroidery floss or yarn in color desired.
Boo boo teddy bear ice pack.
- Fill a sock with rice.
- Tie off the end.
- Heat in the microwave or oven until warm.
Place on an aching body part, such as your wrist after you've been typing too long. The rice will hold its heat longer than an ice pack would because rice is a better heat conductor.
Coffee cup cozy.
As a way to upcycle old socks, consider making a coffee cup cozy. This is a simple project that can be completed in just a few minutes. A coffee cup cozy works to keep drinks warm and help prevent hands from getting too hot when holding a warm drink. Using an old sock as the material for the coffee cup cozy makes it easy to make sure it fits any size cup. In addition, this project is great because coffee cup cozies are reusable and easy to clean after use!
Pillow.
By far one of the easiest ways to repurpose a sock is to stuff it with other old socks and make a pillow. Find a sock that has a pattern you like and begin stuffing. You can even use old tee-shirts if you do not have enough stuffing available. Once stuffed, sew up the last bit and add any embellishments you would like to your new pillow. This is extremely easy, quick, and uses items that are most likely already in your home. If you plan on making several pillows, or even giving them as gifts for friends or family, try using other colors of socks for different patterns so that each one looks unique.
Slippers.
Now that you have collected all your old socks, it's time to start crafting. Here's a quick and easy way of making a pair of slippers:
- Use an old sock as the template for your slipper.
- Pick out some fabric that matches the color scheme of your living room or bedroom. Use the sock to cut out a shape about 2 centimeters bigger on each side than the sock.
- Sew on some buttons for decoration!
- Cut out a small circle from felt, using a cookie cutter or other round object as a guide. Glue this circle onto the back of one end of your fabric square so that it sticks up about 3 inches, like the heel part of a shoe. This is also where you'll glue or sew all your buttons down. You now have one slipper base!
- Cut out another piece from felt—this time, make it 4 cm wide by 50 cm long. Fold it in half lengthwise into a thin rectangle and sew together along three edges (on two short sides and one long side). Leave one edge open so that you can turn it inside out later. Now you've got something like an oblong pillowcase! Glue or sew this case around the edge of one side of your slipper base so that you can slip in another sock to act as padding when you wear them on cold floors. Voila—one cute and cozy slipper! Repeat until every pair is complete and try not to get any glue on yourself while doing so; otherwise, spend hours trying to remove glue from cloth with alcohol and eventually have no choice but to just throw away those pants.
Arm warmers.
- Cut off the foot part of the sock in a straight line.
- Slide your hand into it to check if it's too big or too small, and adjust as needed by sewing or tying a knot at the end.
- Have fun decorating them! Use fabric paint or markers to draw pictures on them, or even sew on buttons or beads.
Canning jar covers.
You can make all sorts of decorations and drinkware with repurposed canning jars, many of which are available in various tutorials online. One thing you might not have considered is making covers for them out of old socks. Although this is a bit more difficult than merely washing and sealing the jars, it's an easy-to-follow and satisfying project that will add a homemade touch to your storage containers or gifts.
There are so many fun things you can make with some old socks so don't throw them away yet.
There are so many fun things you can make with some old socks. Don't throw them away yet. These projects are all easy and cheap, and most of them are great activities for kids, who enjoy crafting as a way to pass the time. This is also a great way to make fun gifts for your family members and friends. You can even use these crafts as a way to make your home look nicer. There are tons of great ideas online that you can try out.