What could be better than a cuddly koala or a long-necked giraffe to call your own? Knit Your Own Zoo includes patterns for both, as well as a tiger, crocodile, penguin, meerkat, elephant, armadillo, panda, a kangaroo and her joey, and 14 other delightful creatures. The animals are surprisingly easy to make; with a few evenings of work, you can have a covetable companion for life. Given a week, you could be charging admission to your own nature park

Along with the knitting patterns, Sally and Joanna also include brief descriptions of the various species and offer tips and advice on sewing up and embellishing the animals.

And, of course, these knitted animals are much easier to look after than the real things? They don't eat, won't make a mess, and are legal to keep in your home.