It’s been a long time since I’ve written a notebook post! I still keep many notebooks that I update nearly everyday, but I lost my enthusiasm for these Monday posts. I’ve started keeping a new notebook in 2022 – A Needlework Enthusiast’s Book of Days – and wanted to share a bit about it.
I first heard about this book on FlossTube towards the end of 2021. I was intrigued and immediately began seeking details, but those were few and far between. I found plenty of places to buy it (Amazon, The Fat Quarter Shop, multiple Etsy shops) and pictures of its cover, but no information about its size or what it looked like on the inside. Because it was less than $15 and the holidays, I decided to take a chance and buy it.
I was initially disappointed when it arrived. I wanted a book I could slip into my Traveler’s Notebook, but it’s 8.5 x 11 – the size of a piece of printer paper – much too large for my notebook. So I stuck it on my shelf and forgot about it for a while. I found it again mid-January and decided to try it, just to see if I took to it.
Once I started using it, I really enjoyed it. This is my spread for February (so far – today is the 28th, so I haven’t added anything to that block yet). I’m writing a few notes on every project I touch each day. It’s handy to know when I last worked on something and encouraging to see slow and steady progress. And you know me, I like streaks and try to do some sort of needlework every day to ensure that I have something to write down.
Each month includes lovely quotes scattered about, including common sampler verses, diverse blessings, and thoughts about the seasons. It is a very sweet book and a lovely choice for people who are new to keeping notebooks or might not have a current system that’s working for them. I don’t think I will continue with it because I’ve been documenting all of this in yet another notebook that is a bit more convenient for me, but I wanted to give this book a fair try before making any decisions. And I have to imagine that, like me, there are other needleworkers looking for a few more details about it.
I’m hoping to return to more Monday notebook posts. Not weekly updates, but once or twice a month. I’m thinking about ways to keep them fresh and new, which can be challenging for my un-creative brain!
This is entirely off-topic, but I can’t end this post without saying something about Ukraine. I am in awe of their bravery and strength and yet – they shouldn’t be going through this. I am heartbroken. It is devastating to watch the violence in the streets and the streams of people, mostly women and children, trying to escape. Russia must be stopped and I wish the US would do more to help. How? I have no idea.
The Cozy Burrow 
I can imagine that its easy to have too many notebooks and end up duplicating information. The cover of this one is just lovely, and well done on all the entries. The Ukraine situation is appalling. I don’t understand why its happened.
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I like this stitching journal… I do something similar but have incorporated it into my Traveler’s Notebook… sans the lovely quotes.
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It’s a shame that it doesn’t fit neatly into your other notebook, but it’s a lovely idea and looks like it will make a fun piece to flip through at the end of the year to see a record of all your stitching!
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I began a making notebook last year but it doesn’t have a calendar, just pages for making notes on projects, what fabric or needles or yarn or thread. I fell off last fall but picked it up again recently. I like to have a record of what I was using for those projects I put down because I don’t always remember when I come back it 🤣
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What a lovely book! The concept could be applied to many other creative endeavors. I do have to take issue with how you describe your brain as uncreative. Wait, What? It seems to me that you have more creativity in your little finger than most people do in their whole bodies. As for Ukraine…I know just how you feel. I, too, am heartbroken.
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That is such a sweet notebook! I use my Travelers Notebook vertical calendar – obviously not too many words! – to document my making and my reading and it’s by no means pretty, but it does (mostly) work. I find myself referring back to those pages all the time to remember when I started a project, or reached a milestone (finished the Birkin yoke!), or finished a book. That said, I’m always looking for new ideas and I’m glad you’re going to start posting your notebooks – even once a month. I’ve missed those posts!
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