Nelson Knitting Company Legacy
Nelson Knitting Company, Rockford, Illinois, USA, originally trademarked the famous red-heel sock feature that charmed America.
Nelson Knitting Company, formed in 1880, distributed their colorful red-heel socks to major retail stores, touting them as America's work socks. A crafter saw the shape of a whimsical sock monkey within the folds of these socks, sewing one of the red-heels as the monkey's smile and the other red-heel as the monkey's bum. In the 1950's, the Nelson Knitting Company secured a patent for the sock monkey and their pattern to make the monkey was available shortly after.
Generations later, crafters continue the nostalgic tradition of fashioning hand-made red-heel sock monkeys. Adored for their unique one-of-a-kind characteristics, these pop culture soft-sculptured icons have made their way into hearts and homes, seemingly taking on personae of their own. Their intrinsic value making them highly desirable and collectible.
Dee Lindner, the Sock Monkey Lady ®, voices this wonderful legacy the "Red-heel Sock Monkey Tradition". She has evolved this past time of make-believe in her photography, creations, and works, capturing the spirit behind these soft sculptured pals--parodying everyday happenstance in our own lives--for generations to enjoy. Her efforts and products have stimulated world interest in the marketplace to "monkey around." Instrumental in helping to make Rockford, Illinois, Home of the Sock Monkey through her efforts with the Midway Village Museum in Rockford, Dee fashioned "Nelson," a gigantic red-heel sock monkey. Nelson, over 7' tall, has been seen flying around the country and is resident at the museum.
Sock monkeys attract a diversity of people of all ages, classes, gender, and ethnicity, and are a great medium to bring people together regardless of cultural and social differences. Dee's vision to lay a platform from which one-of-a-kind sock monkeys can be created by anyone, including individuals in educational and non-profit institutions for the good of their communities has been realized with the publishing of her craft book "Sew Cute and Collectible Sock Monkeys". This detailed how-to book raises the monkey bar and aide's crafters in breaking through creative barriers and demonstrates how monkeys can be a part of family life and be invaluable sole mates.
To the delight of sock monkey enthusiasts, the popularity of the Red-heel Sock Monkey Tradition continues to grow as these unique hand-crafted creations sockitize the world with their whimsy. Today, red-heel sock monkeys are immortalized in a plethora of products--books, clothing, jewelry, figurines, toys, art, stationery, home decor, confectioneries, and more. Dee's latest book, "Sock Monkeys: Cakes, Cookies, Crafts & More" is a showcase jam-packed with all things sock monkey. Never before has it been easier to participate in such a wonderful tradition with such creative inspiration at your fingertips!