12 Crafts You Can Make with Old Socks

Do you have a few loose socks that are left without a pair and you don't know what to do with them? In this article, we'll show you different crafts you can do to give your old socks a new life!

Making crafts is one of the best ways to pass time with children and stimulate their creativity. However, it’s something that you can also enjoy as an adult – and it helps you to reuse things! In this article, we’ll share 12 crafts you can do with old socks!

There are many physical and emotional benefits of this activity, especially for children. It helps them develop their imaginations, develop patience, improve their self-esteem, strengthen family bonds, and develop dexterity, according to an article on Oxfam Intermon.

Also, it’s useful for children’s development, since crafts allow them to recycle things. In fact, this actually helps to promote a circular economy. This is a concept that hopes to make a change in the forms of production and consumption to make products last for a longer time.

Let’s take a look at some things you can make from old socks.

1. Puppets with old socks

Puppets are one of the crafts that you can do with old socks that have captured the attention of children for many generations. Sock puppets stimulate creativity because they help children to learn about fantastic stories. In fact, it’s really fun to create characters with old socks!

To get started you should look for yarn, thread, buttons, markers, ribbons, or any element that will help you bring life to your characters. The end where your toes go will be the head and mouth of your puppet. So, it’s best to put your hand in the sock to determine where to put each decorative object. By moving your hands, you’ll simulate the puppet talking.

2. Dolls’ clothes

Games that allow you to develop your creativity are the best. For that reason, getting children to make clothes for their dolls with old socks is a great idea! You can make skirts, shirts, scarves, blankets, or any other item that your imagination allows.

3. Animal shaped dolls

With a pair of old socks, it’s very easy to make dolls in the shape of a bear, a rabbit, or a dog. You just need to cut the socks in the shape that you want and then stuff them and tie them with a needle and thread. The toe part can work as ears and the bulk of the sock can be the body.

4. Cleaning cloths

One of the more useful crafts you can do with old socks is making clothes you can use to clean the house. Common socks are really good for wiping away dust.

To get your surfaces shining, nylon socks or old tights are fantastic. Alternatively, bedsocks or heated socks are perfect for cleaning wooden floors and collecting pet hair.

5. Fragrant bags for your wardrobe

With old socks, you can make little bags filled with potpourri for your wardrobes to stay smelling sweet. You can make potpourri with various dried fruits, flowers, or aromatic plants that hold and emit a pleasant aroma. You can put them in drawers and replace the filling every so often.

6. Hair ties with old socks

Tights and nylon socks can break easily. However, you can reuse them to make hair ties and extend their useful life.

Due to their elastic material, they’re fantastic to create hairstyles like ponytails. Also, they’re easy to hide because they’re usually dark brown or black.

To get these ties, cut the socks from the ankle bit to the top, in slices of 1.5 inches. Because of the material, they tend to form a hair tie themselves. If you’re using tights, you can use the part around the hips to create hairbands.

7. Fingerless gloves

In the winter, having cold hands is really annoying. However, sometimes gloves can be a nuisance because they don’t let you use your cell phone or type on a computer. An excellent alternative is to create fingerless gloves using old socks. They’ll keep you warm and you won’t have to waste any money!

8. Toys for your pets with old socks

Toys for your dogs or cats are usually expensive. However, your pet will likely destroy it in a couple of hours or even minutes. For that reason, a great alternative is to make your own using old socks.

To do this, it’s enough to simply fill the sock with other socks and tie a strong knot. You can decorate it to make it look like an animal, a fish, or a ball. Another option is taking a large sock and tying a knot on each end. This way it’ll work as a chew toy for your dog.

9. Sleeve protector

When small children are learning to eat, they usually stain their sleeves with food. If they draw a lot, they stain them with crayons or dye.

For that reason, taking some old socks and cutting them at the toe will help to create sleeve protectors that’ll protect your clothes. Also, it’s a comfortable idea that won’t annoy the children.

10. Decorations for plant pots

There are many ways you can decorate a plant pot to give it a special touch. If you have some nice and colorful old socks, you can use them to line the pots. This is especially good for small and medium-sized ones, like those for succulents.

11. Boxes with old socks

With a pair of tights or socks, you can make multiple boxes like holders or even little pockets for objects. If you have some cute baby socks, you can fasten them shut to make them work as purses.

With some larger stockings, it’s possible to make a pencil case. To do this, just cut one of the sides and sew it shut with a zipper.

12. Stocking worms

There are two crafts that you can make using old socks to make stocking worms. And these are very fun for children. The first way to do this is by making several balls of socks and putting them together to create a worm. To make it look prettier, you can add paws, antennae, and eyes!

The other option to make a worm or snake is to fill several old socks and close the ends. After, join each part together until it’s as big as you want it to be. Then, you’ll have a large worm that you can roll up and then unroll to play with.

Use your creativity

So, we’ve just told you the 12 crafts that you can do with your old socks to enjoy in your home, with your pets, or to entertain your kids. However, the possibilities are endless!

Let your imagination loose to give those socks that have been left without a pair, have a hole in, or simply have been replaced by a new pair a brand new life!