Stray Sock Sewing: Making One of a Kind Creatures from Socks [Paperback]

Daniel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 13, 2008

Stray Sock Sewing is a lovable Asian-flavored craft book that blends how-to projects with a whimsical narrative. Readers will learn how to make odd and endearing one-of-a-kind creatures from a variety of sock styles. Eight step-by-step projects are easy enough for beginners, yet so adorable advanced crafters will be eager to make their own cuddly toys.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

After spending 20 years in professional advertising, Dan Ta left the industry to become a full time artist. He is currently collaborating with a creative group based in Los Angeles to import and market his handmade sock dolls. He is also working on a sock doll character that will appear in an upcoming animated film.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: North Light Books; Original edition (October 13, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600611990
• ISBN-13: 978-1600611995
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #266,754 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Instructions not always included, October 22, 2008

By 

Genevieve Hayes (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stray Sock Sewing: Making One of a Kind Creatures from Socks (Paperback)

Stop! If you are thinking about buying this book solely because of the picture of the sock cat on the cover (the reason why I bought it), then you should reconsider your purchase. "Stray Sock Sewing" is yet another one of those highly irritating craft books that include photos of dozens of items that you would just love to make, but only give instructions for one or two of them (and never the one that you've fallen in love with). Yes, that's right; the instructions for the cat doll are NOT included in this book. Admittedly, an experienced sewer should be able to make their own cat doll from the photographs given, but that's not the same as working from instructions and it doesn't help beginners.

What is included in this book is a very cute and very well presented 62 page gallery of 22 of the author's sock creations, all photographed in full colour and in adorable poses. This is followed by a general section on the sewing stitches and techniques necessary to make sock dolls (making this book appropriate for beginners) and then instructions on how to make 8 different sock creatures, most of which were not included in the gallery at the front of the book.

The instructions given in this book are actually very good. They are clear and each step is accompanied by a colour photograph that shows exactly what is required there. If such instructions were given for each toy presented in this book, then I would probably have given this book either 4 or 5 stars. The only misgiving I have about these instructions are that they frequently depend on the use of a particular style of sock which I suspect might either be difficult to obtain, or expensive if you can find it. Nevertheless, because instructions are not given for all of the toys, I couldn't help but feeling ripped off by this book and as a result, my rating of this book went down accordingly.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the king of sock toys, October 26, 2008

By 

Kay K. Gardiner (New York NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stray Sock Sewing: Making One of a Kind Creatures from Socks (Paperback)

It's kind of amazing how many books there are about making toys out of socks. This one is distinctive because of the author's ability to make sock animals that are---dare I say it--art. They are expressive, playful and fun. The cute/winsome factor of the photographs is off the charts. Can an ordinary crafter achieve comparable results? Maybe, maybe not. But the book is inspiring nonetheless. If you enjoy this sort of thing (and someone in my household really does enjoy this sort of thing), the book is worth having just as a gallery of inspiration and possibility. As a free-form crafter myself, I liked that he didn't use plain socks, which would be easier to find; instead he often worked with the kind of weird, embellished socks that seem to always end up without a mate.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Are there two versions of this book?, October 31, 2008

By 

K. M. Williams "Craftoholic" (Woodbridge, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stray Sock Sewing: Making One of a Kind Creatures from Socks (Paperback)

My 13 year old daughters just loved this book! The gallery of photos are amazing and such an inspiration for the very creative. I purchased Stray Sock Sewing by Daniel from a craft club's website. The cover is different than the one Amazon shows. I can't confirm that the contents of the books are identical; i.e., photos, instructions, etc. or that they are the same editions. I did find that the instructions lacked enough detail for the beginner. However, with a little imagination and intermediate sewing skills the sock critters are easy to re-create . The book is worth the purchase. A great gift for mother and daughter projects.