Tutorial: The perfect sock-gifting container

If you’re like me and you like to knit and gift socks, then this project is for you. 

When my resourcefulness kick began, I started saving interesting-looking containers, even when I wasn’t sure how I’d use them.

I was about to wrap socks I’d knitted for a friend’s belated Christmas gift in a plain old clothing box with wrapping paper until I remembered my collection of cool containers. (Duh! What had I been saving them for, anyway?)

So I blew the cheese dust out of this container of baby puffs and turned it into the perfect, coordinating sock-gifting container. Here’s how.

1. Gather your materials:

A short, cylindrical container (taller oatmeal containers also work well)

Scrapbooking or other patterned paper that coordinates with the color of the gift socks

Coordinating tissue paper

Craft glue (or Modpodge for decoupaging)

A ruler

Scissors or paper cutter

And of course, hand-knitted gift socks

2. Measure the height of the cylindrical container and carefully cut the paper to fit.

3. Start gluing your paper to the container with tiny dabs of craft glue. Place three dabs along the length of the cylinder and hold the paper tightly to the container for a few seconds to make sure it holds before moving onto the next section.

I kept my dabs very small so they wouldn’t make the paper wet and show through to the other side. While the glue is still wet you can slide the paper around to get the best placement.  I only used glue in about 4 or 5 locations around the container. Less is more!

4. Once the glue is dry (it shouldn’t take long, since you used such tiny dabs of glue, right?), line the container with coordinating tissue paper. Stack the socks one on top of another and, starting at the toe, roll the socks up into a compact cylinder.

5. Close the tissue paper over the socks….

6. …cap ‘em… and gift ‘em.

Now your precious gift comes in its own unique, coordinating container for your giftee to admire, reuse around the house or regift to someone else. And the best part – you used materials you already had, didn’t have to spend any money and didn’t have to wrap the gift!

Disclaimer: My 12-inch scrapbooking paper wasn't long enough to go around the whole circumference of the container, so I had to cheat and make up the difference.  I still think it looks nice and neat, even if the pattern wouldn't line up.

Have fun keeping your handmade gifts truly handmade!