We all know and love sock monkeys. But for a couple in Hudson, Wis. it is much more than just a hobby. It is a passion and part of everyday life and work.
That is Gary and Dee Lindner’s passion – sock monkeys as told by them to The Bismarck Tribune. Dee is a photographer and for her sock monkeys are more than simple stuffed animals. They are a muse, too.
“The giggles and smiles my work generates and the sentimental stories I receive across the miles are my reward,” noted Lindner. “Sock monkeys are known to be good luck charms, and one can certainly say that a fair share has come my way.”
She is known as The Sock Monkey Lady as she has turned her passion into a career. Dee is making sock-monkey “action photography” which recreates the stuffed animals in various situations, poses, settings. You can see her sock monkeys in banks, greeting cards and various other settings and photos.
Dee has written three books dedicated to her passion. The last one is dedicated to showing the creative possibilities for sock monkeys. You can learn new tricks in DIY, photos and many more. She not only makes sock monkeys, she collects them.
The biggest one, no pun intended, is a 7-foot-2-inch tall sock monkey that weighs 10 pounds. It is called Nelson and has been seen flying across the country in promotion of the red-heel sock monkey tradition. The whole collection totals over several hundred sock monkeys, Dee notes.
By now you’ve probably guessed that the inspiration for the sock monkey craze is Dee. Her husband Gary is also in on the fun, though. He is a writer and uses the pen name Nicholas D. Charles. He helps Dee with her promotions and photography sets. Sometimes he even poses for the pictures, too.
He is writing a mystery novel set in 1930s Chicago which will feature some sock monkeys too. According to Dee it is a perfect match since sock monkeys originated in the same time frame.
Want to get in on the fun and make your own sock monkeys? Here is a tutorial that will help you out.
