It never ceases to amaze me what kinds of things people come up with when it comes to knitted goods. I’ve seen foodstuffs, plants, televisions, even a knitted Atari (complete with joysticks and game cartridge) and TV once. But this has to take the cake:

That is the coolest thing ever! So much less squeamish than the real thing. You’ll find it at The Crafty Hedgehog.

(For the record, there are other dissected frogs in the shop … not all of them are on actual dissection tray, though that’s a mighty fine touch.)

And if you’re not feeling the cut-open frog, there are regular frogs too.

You’ll also find knitting patterns for various other animals, and more neat toys like these:

(The bunny is called Blob the Bunny, by the way, which I find positively hilarious.)

If you ever sit around and debate with your friends over the old adage of “which came first, the chicken or the egg?”, you can get yourself a visual representation to make your case:

It’s actually a knitting pattern for a plush toy that turns inside out, from cracked egg to spiffy chick. How ingenious!

This pattern was dreamed up by Anna Hrachovec of Mochimochi Land. In her shop, you’ll find all kinds of fun plush patterns, many of which involve a) some whimsical character and b) lots of individual moving parts (the more for you to play with, silly)!

Among my favorites: Sleepy Snake and Mischievous Mouse and Sausage Dogs (I have a great love of Dachshunds).

And there are, of course, the stackable cats:

There are just so many fun things to choose from. And each pattern is a mere $5! Knit up some fun toys for yourself. If you don’t know how to knit, Anna occasionally has toys in her store, but that’s very rare, so you’re best served finding a friend to knit the toys for you.

In some parts of the country, it might be close to 100 degrees right now, and wool might be the last thing on your mind. But kick that way of thinking! There is always a place for wool, especially that of the pretty handspun variety:

Those lovely skeins are from Bees Knees Knitting, based in Michigan (where it’s probably not 100 degrees just yet). Jenny is the gal behind Bees Knees, and you’ll love her great selection of handspun yarns and art yarns. Many of her yarns are chunky, so if you’re a fan of quick knitting and giant needles, this is the place for you.

Sure, you might not want to wear something you make from the yarn it right now, but you can stock up early before the fall rush. Besides, you could get a really, really, really early start on those Christmas presents.

Or you could just admire the pretty colors.

Jenny also makes scarves of the lightweight variety, if you’re feeling so inclined:

See, just another reminder that yarn isn’t always for cold weather!

It’s springtime and the time that many folks probably think about planting things in the yard.

If you have a penchant for killing plants instead of nurturing them (oh yes, there are many of us green thumb-less folks out there!), maybe you should look into these:

(The actual Etsy listing is only for one cactus. But the whole range of cacti was just so much fun to look at!)

These cacti are from Barbara at Blazing Needles. Barbara is an avid knitter who turns out a lot of really unique and interesting things. And not just cacti!

Check out these awesome things for your home:

There are also ipod cozies, lip balm bags and even a little Judaica if you’re so inclined.

Knitting isn’t just for yarn, you know. Observe:

Oh, yes, they’re very pretty (and shiny)!

These bracelets were hand-knit by the talented Beth Brown. Look at Beth’s Etsy shop and you will notice that the banner says “Socks That Fit!” But Beth is more than just socks! (Just like knitting is more than just yarn and fluffy stuff! Like the correlation?)

Many things in the shop are labeled “Not Just … ” because really, everything there looks pretty and warm. If you’re still feeling the chill, you’ll probably find something that fits the bill.

If you’ve got some cold hands but you need your fingers (to either type, or maybe knit), check these out:

There are other wearables such as headbands, scarves, hats and of course, socks! Beth also makes custom items, which is always nice.

And if you do have a yarn fix, you can get that filled with the wide variety sock yarn — lots of colors! — in Beth’s shop.

Maybe you like flowers. Indoors. Some nice vases and cut flowers.

But maybe something is preventing you from being able to have vases and flowers in your home. Maybe you’re allergic. Or you have wily, crazy animals (like cats) that like to knock over breakable things. Or maybe you just don’t have the table or shelf space for a big glass or ceramic vase. Or your flowers keep dying. Etc.

Well, how about these nifty solutions?

This felted (OK, more like fulled) goodness is from Pottery in the Round. If you’re unfamiliar with knitting, the term “in the round” means to knit in a seamless circle. So, pots + knitting in the round = Pottery in the Round.

The shop features a variety of pot and vase styles, from simple pots to vases with handles to vases with lids. And there are many flowers, too, to fill your wool pots.

It’s a great way to add some color to your decor, and it won’t break … unless of course, a cat gets a hold of it and thinks it’s a toy it can scratch to death.

In honor of the May flowers that April showers are supposed to bring …

These needle cases are from Textile Fetish, where you can find some pretty awesome aprons, bags and clothing in fun prints.

The black floral case is the deluxe knitting needle case — this particular one has 28 pockets for straight needles, though some of the deluxe cases are configured differently with fewer but bigger pockets. The white print is a double-pointed needle/crochet hook case, which usually has between 20-28 pockets.

They’re nice cases indeed, and pretty sturdy. And it’s amazing what you can fit in one of those rolls. I bought one a couple of years ago (it has a pear print). It’s is fat with needles, DPNs, circulars and a billion other things and seems like it would burst at the seams, yet doesn’t. It’s a vertiable salami of needles and crochet hooks. And it’s nice having all my DPN sets together because pre-case, I inevitably was one of those people who would start knitting a hat and then wonder, “where’s my fourth US 13 DPN?”

If you’re a knitter and/or crocheter, it’s the perfect time for some spring cleaning … give your needles and notions and hooks a nice home. A pretty-looking home at that.

Keeping with an animal theme today, I guess ….

Like this cat:

This lovely critter (and more) can be found at Crafty Alien. The shop sells patterns and kits for making animals such as squirrels, raccoons, hedgehogs, rabbits and even a skunk. It’s a pretty ecletic collection!

The siamese plush in the picture is the only animal available in its ready-made form. You’ve got to make the others.

There are also some cute notecards, magnets and pushpins featuring all the above critters.

Anyway, go and make some cute little animals. All the kits/patterns are very reasonably priced … at those rates, you could afford your own little menagerie.