Of mice and monkeys.

For the past few weeks, Anne and I have been knitting animals. We worked on them during the quieter moments at the shop, and so they lingered, unfinished, for some time. Then, over the weekend, one mouse and one monkey emerged, knitted and stuffed, their features embroidered. You should see us morph into children as we hug our finished products, using tiny voices and giggling. Knitted animals are irresistible that way, it turns out. Anne's mother can attest to this, as well. No one is immune to the charms of a handknit monkey.

Anne designed this monkey for Averette of Purple Crow Books, a wonderful local bookstore on King Street in Hillsborough. Averette did the knitting and Anne did the finishing, and now the completed monkey sits in the window at the Purple Crow. In his lap is the children's book on which he was based, It's A Book, by Lane Smith.

Back at the shop, the mouse remains. Phoebe goes with a children's book that bears her name, Phoebe's Sweater, by Joanna Johnson. It's a sweet story about a mouse whose mother knits her a sweater, accompanied by knitting patterns for a matching child-sized sweater. Or, if you're the animal-knitting type, a mouse-sized sweater, and a stuffed mouse to wear it.

Look for Phoebe near the baby pattern books in the yarn shop, where you'll find many other stuffed animals to knit, if you're so inclined. Stop by Purple Crow Books, too, especially if you haven't yet had the pleasure of doing so.