I’ve finally finished my secret test knitting! Just have to get it all made up and sent away, then I can start on more projects in my extensive queue. Meanwhile, I’ve been working on the felt applique book that I started ages ago. Here are some pictures of the latest pages.

E is for Eggs. These little eggs have cheeky smiling faces, and slot into the egg boxes.

F is for Fish. The scales are going to be numbered with 3D fabric paint at some point.

G is for Grass. There’s a little worm hiding behind the tall grass, for children to find.

H is for Helicopter. The rotor blades are hinged with a button, and can be spun round and round.

I is for Ice Cream. The scoops of ice cream are all velcroed so different combinations can be made.

I haven’t had any inspiration for J yet, although I think it will be Jelly Beans.
K is for Kangaroo. The baby fits into its mother’s pouch.

Finally, L is for Lollipop. The lollipop heads are all velcroed so they can be put on different sticks.

The way things are going, I might just get this finished before baby number two makes an appearance!

UFOs. Unfinished Objects. The bane of my life! I’ve spent the past year steadily working through my knitting UFOs, and have managed to get things down to just two projects on the go at any one time – one that I work on, and one that I need to finish but can’t be bothered with. Now it’s time to start on the sewing and embroidery projects.

I started to make a felt applique alphabet book when I was about 16, inspired by a 70s/80s American craft book belonging to my mum. I started to cut out and sew some of the pieces, then it all went into a box until I got pregnant with my first child four years later. I thought pregnancy would be the perfect opportunity to finish the project, especially as I was confined to a sofa for most of the last few months. Off I went to the nearest haberdashers, bought the remaining felt that I needed, and cut out all the pieces. This time I managed to sew all the pages up until the letter “K”. Then the reality of life with a new baby kicked in, and the applique book disappeared along with all my spare time.

I’m now determined to finish the book before the end of this pregnancy, which gives me a deadline of about nine and a half weeks. Here are a few photos of some of the pages I’ve done so far.

A is for Apple. The ladybird is velcroed on the back so it can be stuck on the apple in different places.

B is for Butterfly. This one isn’t quite finished yet. The pompoms will be attached to pieces of yarn to form antennae, and can be threaded through the holes in the wings.

C is for Clown. He’s a bit freaky actually, and clowns don’t usually scare me! Apologies for the awful quality of the picture, I need to learn how to take good photos.

And finally (for the moment), D is for Dinosaur. His jaw is hinged with a button, so he can snap his sharp teeth. He’s a friendly dinosaur though – he carries a daisy as he skips through the meadow.

I’ll post some more pictures of my progress soon – hopefully in better light!