How to Make a Gonk: An Easy Sock Gonk

What you need

Materials

• One clean adult sock for the body. Thicker, plain socks work best.
• One contrasting sock, or a square of felt, for the hat. Long socks give tall, floppy hats.
• Uncooked rice or dried lentils, about half a cup, for weight.
• Toy stuffing (polyester fibrefill).
• Two or three strong elastic bands, or needle and thread.
• Faux fur fabric, or fluffy yarn, for the beard.
• A pom-pom, wooden bead or felt circle for the nose.
• Optional: a small pom-pom for the hat tip, bells, ribbon, felt shapes.

Tools

• Sharp scissors.
• A glue gun or strong fabric glue.
• Needle and thread, if you prefer to sew.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Cut the body sock

Lay the sock flat and cut straight across, just above the heel. Keep the foot end: the toe will be the bottom of your gonk. Save the leg tube for another gonk or a hat.

2. Add weight

Pour about half a cup of rice or lentils into the toe. This gives the gonk a heavy base so it sits upright. For a lighter gonk you can skip this and use stuffing only, but it may topple.

3. Stuff the body

Fill the rest of the sock with toy stuffing, pushing it down firmly until you have a plump egg shape. Leave enough fabric at the top to close it.

4. Close the top

Gather the open end and wrap an elastic band tightly around it, or sew it closed with a running stitch pulled tight. Trim any excess and tuck the ends down. The top will be hidden under the hat.

5. Make the beard

Turn the faux fur over and draw a long teardrop or "U" shape on the back, roughly two-thirds the height of the body. Cut through the backing only, using small snips, so you don't cut the long fur. Glue the beard to the front of the body, with the wide end at the top.

6. Add the nose

Glue a pom-pom, bead or felt circle just above the top of the beard. Pink, peach or red noses look most gonk-like.

7. Make the hat

Take the second sock and cut a tube from the leg, long enough to cover the top of the body and stand up tall. Close one end with an elastic band or stitches to make the point, and fold the open end up to make a brim. A felt cone glued into shape works too.

8. Fit the hat

Pull the hat down over the top of the body until the brim sits just on top of the nose. That hidden face is what makes it a gonk. Glue the hat in place around the inside of the brim.

9. Decorate

Add a pom-pom to the tip of the hat, a bell, a felt heart or a few stitched dots. Let the glue dry fully before you display your gonk.

Tips for a better gonk

• Fluff the beard with a comb or old toothbrush once the glue is dry.
• Make a gang by using socks of different lengths for different heights.
• Bend the hat: push a pipe cleaner inside the hat before closing it if you want the tip to flop in a particular direction. Keep wire well covered.
• Add plaits by braiding wool and gluing it either side of the nose instead of a beard.

Seasonal variations

• Christmas: red or white hat with a white pom-pom and a fluffy white beard. See Christmas gonks.
• Halloween: black hat with a felt brim, orange or striped body. See Halloween gonks.
• Easter: pastel hat with felt bunny ears glued to the sides. See Easter gonks.
• Valentine's: pink hat and a felt heart held in front.

Making gonks with children

Children can choose socks, stuff bodies, pick noses and decorate, while an adult cuts and uses the glue gun. Remember that a rice-filled gonk with glued-on parts is a decoration, not a toy, and isn't suitable for babies or toddlers, who could choke on small parts or filling if it comes apart. For gonks little ones can play with, see are gonks safe for children?

Prefer a kit?

Gonk knitting, crochet and sewing kits include patterns and materials, and make good gifts for crafters. Browse craft kits or see more gonk gift ideas.