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Scrap 'n Knit?
by Anna Horn

Quick: Do you know the dates of the last few knitting/craft retreats that you’ve attended? How about physical photos of your last 10 completed items along with detailed information of their execution (blogs don’t count)?

You need a knitter’s scrapbook. Okay, okay, maybe not a scrapbook, but a knitter’s journal at least. How else will you or anyone else understand – or more importantly, remember – the time, modifications, and joy you went through to complete your prized projects?

Knitting journals can be as detailed or as simple as you want them to be. Some definite “must do” things that I would recommend for the first time knitting/crafting journalist:

o Purchase an archival quality pen to document your projects. Nothing’s worse than having your meticulously detailed information destroyed because of materials that will not stand the test of time.

o Mat your photos with acid/lignin free cardstock. You can purchase cardstock of this quality for fairly cheap (look out for Jo-Ann’s 6 pieces of cardstock for $1 sales).

o Find an acid/lignin free journal (or scrapbook, if you prefer). This is a bit tricky as virtually all scrapbooks are acid/lignin free and explicitly state this fact on their packaging. Knitting journals, on the other hand, often don’t describe whether or not they’re of archival quality. If you want to take the scrapbook route to ensure the longevity of your work, there are many 8”x8” scrapbook albums that would serve as marvelous knitting journals. Just beware: scrap booking is nearly as contagious as sewing a quilt, knitting a sweater, or crocheting an afghan can be.

o Purchase good, photo safe glue. There are some excellent, permanent bond glue tape dispensers, glue dots; the list goes on and on. Take some time to explore which type you prefer and work with it!

o Make sure to capture the essentials: When did you start the project? When did you finish? Who did you make it for? What size is it? What needle size did you use? What was your gauge? And of course: Your comments on the process of knitting the project. Here is where you get to describe your difficulty with achieving gauge, how boring the pattern was, etc., etc.

Now, have at it! The only regret that I have about documenting my knitting projects is that I didn’t start sooner!

Scrapbooking might not be a brand new phenomenon. Documenting your knitted projects may not be new either, but I’m loving how much fun I’ve personally had with combining the two. I had so much fun that I jumped from a basic knitter’s journal to a full-fledged 12”x12” scrapbook not too long ago. Remember the forewarning I gave? Don’t get me started on the crop parties at scrapbook stores!

Try something new: physically document your completed projects! Heaven forbid you can’t access your blog to figure out how you modified a baby garment pattern that you want to knit again!

Happy Scrap ‘n Knit!

Anna knits and works in Western Washington. When she’s not knitting, she’s usually writing about knitting or chronicling her projects in her knitting journal or scrapbook. In the meantime, she works as an adjunct academic librarian and blogs about all this and more at Anna’s Yarn Mansion, http://www.annasyarnmansion.com.

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