Thelonia Cerfette de Monk

I know what you're asking. Just who is Thelonia Cerfette Monk, and why should I be interested in her? The answer shows just how powerful the internet can be, how generous total strangers can be, and how an idea can grow like wildfire when the minds of talented people come together.

For several years, I've been a member of the internet newsgroup alt.crafts.professionals. The purpose of this group is to share ideas and thoughts on the business problems that all craft professionals face. In the past, topics have ranged from what credit card company to sign up with, to what tents people recommend for craft shows, to how to become motivated when you hit an artistic slump, to the tips and tricks that help make a website work. Amongst all the serious business chatter, "regulars" to the newsgroup also find it the perfect place to commiserate about all the little things we find annoying at shows. Occasionally we even get a bit silly.

On one such occasion, the sock monkey made it's debut. It started as a simple running joke, and evolved into a discussion about how fun it would be to pass said monkey from one member of the group to another, with each contributing his or her own artistic touch to the results. During the discussion, the idea was proposed of donating this artistic treasure to an artist auction.

And thus was Thelonia Cerfette de Monk born.

Some 40 artists from across the USA have donated their time and talent creating what is perhaps the most artistic sock monkey ever made, to be auctioned at the Buyers Market of American Craft in Philadelphia, February 18-21, 2000. Proceeds will be donated to the Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF). Miss Monk is completely and entirely handmade, right down to the handspun yarn that was knit into the socks used to create her.

Below are pictures of my donation to Miss Monk's accessories. A beaded amulet bag, which at the time of her auction will hold the business cards of all the artists who participated in her creation. The bag is designed to hang on Miss Monk's hand crafted chair, but can also be worn by the lucky auction winner with the included matching necklace.

For more information on Miss Monk's history and the other artists involved in her creation, see the official CERF Sock Monkey website.

The body of the bag is made with Linked Chain Stitch, a technique which I developed on my own to give the look and texture of <you guessed it> a linked chain. This technique lends itself to creating bold geometric patterns. More of my linked chain stitch amulet bags can be seen here.

On this bag, I decided to make two distinctly different sides, the front with a bold geometric to match Thelonia's lovely handmade purple dress. (I was very pleased to see how well the colors matched, since I never actually saw Thelonia or her dress until I was almost finished with the bag!)

Here's the necklace by itself. Made with a very flexible spiral rope technique, I've found that adding loose knots is great way to vary the length of the necklace while adding focal points for interest and texture. If the simple chain is desired in a shorter length, the knots can be made next to the clasp so they "hide" at the back of the neck.

I also think that the necklace would look nice on Thelonia, with enough knots to make it "monkey-sized"! (When she isn't wearing all of the other lovely jewlery that has been made for her, of course!)