Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Journal and What I Knit & Read in 2019

Well Hello There,

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.

16 comments:

  1. A knitting journal! How cool is that?

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  2. Hello,
    It 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!

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  3. 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!)

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  4. I 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.
    Wishing you a great day at work and glad the doctor went well. That's always a relief.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  5. That's a nice way to record things. Tyg looks very content!

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  6. I 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)

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  7. Love 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.

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  8. I 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 :-)

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  9. Your fox diary is beautiful and you have an adorable little photo bomber.

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  10. I 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!!

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  11. Journaling my knits was a goal one year. I started out strong! I use my blog as my record. Lazy me!

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  12. I 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.

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  13. Nice work on your knitting and reading for the year!
    I try to keep a knitting journal but fail miserably!
    I mostly rely on my blog to keep track of things!

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  14. 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.

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  15. Journal is very nice but Tyg stole the attention! So cute!

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  16. How did I miss this post? Thanks for sharing your knitting and reading journal.

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