tutoriall!you will need:
--one crew or knee sock
--eyelash yarn and a worsted weight yarn
--large (8-10mm) knitting needles or crochet hook
--sewing implements. you can machine sew, but some things have to be done by hand.
--scrap of felt/fleece for the nose
--something for eyes. step 1: chop up your unsuspecting sock
the ears are made by flattening the toe out the other way and cutting in half.
all cut up, and it looks like a critter already!step 2: sew the body parts
right sides together, pin, sew, you know the drill. i used a 1/4 seam allowance, but you can use whatever as long as you have sturdy seams.
clip excess sock, corners, curves, etc.
--body: sew the top of the head
--arms: sew both long sides and one short side, curving to make a paw.
--legs: fold one edge down to the other diagonally and sew one edge. because the ribbing is stretchy, fold/sew the other leg so it's a mirror image of the first. otherwise you'll have lopsided legs.
--ears: stick a couple of loops of the eyelash yarn in the top of the ears. most of the yarn should be inside the ear. sew sides and top.step 3: make the tail
this is the part you get to wing. holding both yarns together, knit or crochet a squirrel-shaped tail. single layer will give you a thin "summer" tail, and double layers will give you a big fat "winter" tail. leave a long tail of eyelash yarn for sewing up the tail if applicable, and attaching to body. i knit my tail, double the width i wanted, then folded it in half and sewed up the side.
here's all the pieces so far:step 4: construction
this is the tricky part. you'll be eyeballing and cutting holes in the body for attachment. always cut the holes/slits about half the size of the body part, because the sock will stretch and unravel. double-check before you sew, because if you have to rip out a seam, you'll likely destroy one or both pieces. but hey, you've got the other sock for spares. the body will remain INSIDE OUT the whole time. the body parts are all RIGHT SIDE OUT.
--ears: lightly stuff ears. cut a horizontal slit on either side of the head. (my ears are too far forward.) fit the ear into the slit so that most of the ear is inside the head. sew.
--arms: if you want floppy arms, stuff them now, cut slits on the body, insert the arm so it's on the inside, and sew. if you want arms like mine, cut a small hole, insert the arm so it's on the inside, and hand-sew around.
--legs: flatten the body out so you're looking at it head-on. cut a slit from the bottom up for each leg, through the top layer only, about like so:
your sock squirrel should now look like this:step 5: finishing
stuff to your liking and sew up the bottom. if your squirrel needs a little fine-tuned shaping, use a matching heavy duty or doubled thread to tuck things in where you want. i took in the legs and put a couple of stitches in under the chin.
use a sharp darning needle to sew the tail on. a couple of BIG stitches centered on the bottom half of the tail are all you need.
attach eyes and nose, and voila!