I'm off to a bit of a later start this morning thanks to a check up (very good) with my doctor this morning. Hopefully I can squeeze in a quick post now.
Both Jane and Juliann recently had posts about their knitting journals, so I thought I would talk about mine too. Nothing fancy, and no major details...just really a record for me. Along with a picture of what I've knit, I include a little snippet of yarn and the pattern name. Sometimes I record needle size; more often I don't. If the item is for someone else, I mention that. I use the same journal to record books that I have read (and ones that Fletch and I have read together). Again, nothing fancy - the title, author, my rating (out of 5 stars). Because I don't complete all that many projects or read all that many books in a year, 2020 will be the third year for this particular journal (and I believe the last year) (but I have another one waiting to be used!!).
Sweet little (not so much on the little side) Tyg in the background. And here is a sampling of pages from both ends of the book (knitting in the front moving towards the middle and reading at the back, also moving toward the middle).
So that's it - simple and it works for me. So, what did I knit and read last year?
Knitting:
- 12 pairs of socks (8 for others, 4 for myself)
- 2 shawls (both Hitchhikers - one for moi and one for Mailing)
- 2 cowls (a Sockhead cowl for me and my own design for Fletch)
- 1 hat (for me)
Total 17 - which is one more item than 2018.
Reading:
A total of 26 books (down from 48 in 2018, but we all know I've been experiencing a reading slump for quite some time). 20 were fiction and 6 were non-fiction.
- 4 were 5 stars
- 2 were 4.5 stars
- 15 were 4 stars
- 4 were 3.5 stars
- 1 was 3 stars
I had fewer 5 stars this year, but overall my ratings were higher. My 3 favorite books for 2019 were:
- Fox 8
- Late Migrations
- Tom Sawyer
I don't set reading (or any) goals in the new year, but I'm curious to see how my reading goes this year. My tastes are definitely changing. One thing I do plan to do is concentrate on reading books on my shelves that have been neglected for far too long. There are so many.....
OK - I need to buckle down and get to work now! Hope your week is going well.
A knitting journal! How cool is that?
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteIt seems lately a lot of bloggers have journal for the new year. Love the journal cover your cute Tyg. I have not rated many of my 2019 as 5 stars. I keep track of my books on Goodreads. I usually research books to be read or already love the author before I start reading a new book. Wishing you a happy day!
Love your knitting and reading journal! I'm a firm believer that quality matters more than quantity, in both knitting and reading. If you are happy, then it's a win (and I'm impressed with all your unselfish knitting for others!)
ReplyDeleteI REALLY should do a knitting journal, because just this week I had to try to find two patterns I made in the past few years. I could not remember the names of the patterns to find them again. Thank goodness for my blog, but that was time-consuming, going through each post. A journal would have been so much easier. I may just have to do that for 2020.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a great day at work and glad the doctor went well. That's always a relief.
Blessings,
Betsy
That's a nice way to record things. Tyg looks very content!
ReplyDeleteI like that journal idea! I have a swatch pile that I should put in a journal - that would be efficient (especially since I like to knit things more than once!) And, any reading is good reading! I hope this year finds there is not slump at all! (Also, I just finished a book I think you'd like tremendously - One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow by Olivia Hawker)
ReplyDeleteLove the journal idea to keep track of books read. I have lots of blank journals on my shelves and need to actually use them - what a concept, right! I can't believe Tyg did move a bit while you were snapping photos.
ReplyDeleteI am impressed with the journal.. I should do something like that.. but one has to be organized.. doesn't one? :-) I do know I have several empty journals around here.. somewhere.. I'm sure.. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of journaling our knitting and reading - thank you for sharing yours! I used to journal my knitting by tying a piece of yarn around the elastic on my moleskine journal and then recording the details (pattern, yarn, colorway, recipient, yardage) in the front cover) and it worked great until I stopped using moleskine journals. I would love to get back to some tactile record. and ditto for the books. Wishing you a 2020 full of FOs and GREAT books!!
ReplyDeleteJournaling my knits was a goal one year. I started out strong! I use my blog as my record. Lazy me!
ReplyDeleteI would love to read more books on my shelves as well. I do like having a peek at your knitting journal, lovely! I do set reading goals and it helps me but I try not to set stressful ones.
ReplyDeleteNice work on your knitting and reading for the year!
ReplyDeleteI try to keep a knitting journal but fail miserably!
I mostly rely on my blog to keep track of things!
I like the photos of your knitting and the snippet of yarn idea. I plan to add the snippet of yarn. Great reading year. I loved Late Migrations - such a beautiful touching book. I don't set reading goals either. I have a few general ideas for knitting but like to remain open to possibilty.
ReplyDeleteJournal is very nice but Tyg stole the attention! So cute!
ReplyDeleteHow did I miss this post? Thanks for sharing your knitting and reading journal.
ReplyDelete