Consider the Cuddly Jackalope




Jackalope, from hansigurumi

Originally uploaded by Thomas Roche

Did you know that “the legend of the jackalope (also referred to as the antelabbit or stagbunny) may have originated from sightings of desert hares afflicted by a papillomavirus that caused them to sprout horny protrusions all over their bodies?” Now you do!

This is according to hansigurumi, who operates a store on Etsy billing itself as the “home of peculiar knitted cephalopods and other original designs.”

Hansi, if I may be so familiar, is based in Seattle and sells patterns for such knitted delights as the praying mantis, cuttlefish, hermit crabs, jellyfish and garden snails. My favorite is the fierce deep sea anglerfish Amigurumi — that’s the one that swims around with the weird little biolantern held in front of its face, like the unfortunate groundskeeper at a Dunwich cemetery, circa 1929.

For those of you, like me, for whom (possibly) imaginary knitted entities are the order of the day, you’ll want to gravitate to hansigurimi’s Loch Ness Monster pattern. Now with just a little knit-one-pearl-two, you can cuddle up with the most adorable cryptid since Sweetums!

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