In this blog, I will try to help you undertake this easy and satisfying project by giving you some instructions and ideas on how to make a journal memory book. I think it would be great to have a camera so you could take picture(s) of your finished project(s). I wish I would have done this as I have no idea how many articles I have made over the past 40 years, and how many I have given away for gifts. For people who do not crochet, they really appreciate a handmade crocheted gift. This is so true when you receive a gift that is made from the heart.
Some other items to have on hand to work with in making your journal would be a sturdy 3-ring binder. Binders come in sizes that range from 1/2-inch to 3 inches in thickness, so choose the size that reflects the amount of crocheting you do! Three-ring photo albums are great alternatives since they come in so many beautiful colors and fabric choices. By now, if I had made a journal, I probably would have filled 2 or more large binders.
Next, purchase some plastic protective sleeves. The 8½ x 11-inch clear plastic sleeves already has holes punched on one edge and an opening on one edge so that you can slip a sheet of paper into it. They are available at office supply stores and department stores that sell school supplies, etc., and you can use them in your binder to store yarn labels, snips of yarn, a copy of the pattern, or other helpful information about the project.
If you are just beginning to learn how to crochet, you may want to choose a simple easy crochet pattern for your first project. Take a picture and make it a part of your journal. At the end of one year, you will see a noticeable difference in the advancement of your crocheting abilities.
You may wish to have a hole punch and a tube of rubber cement for securing photos to your pages that will be inserted in the plastic sleeve. If you are a person who does scrapbooking, you could decorate your pages of the journal along with the photos. For me, I would use a light-weight card stock paper for gluing the photos onto. When the glue is dry, you will want to insert the photo page into the protective sleeves to keep it clean and dust-free.
While working in your crochet journal, keep in mind that you are keeping a history, and you will want to be able to understand your musings even many years from now. Be thorough and detailed when filling in your information. Make note of any instructions you would enjoy doing again. Conversely, if you didn’t like working a particular pattern, note that too. And be sure to date your page.
Washing care information is extremely important, not only for yourself, but if you give your crocheted article as a gift. The recipient of your beautiful crochet article will appreciate knowing that she can call on you in the future if she is unsure to know to take care of her new treasure. Many times on the yarn wrapper, inside or on the outside, there are special care instructions. I often times have included one of the wrappers with the gift so that the recipient will know what to do to care for it properly.
In your journal, don’t forget to make it personal. Record as to why you made a particular piece for a particular person, what was going on in your life when you were making a project, or whether or not you were pleased with the outcome of the project – whatever is important for you to remember is worth writing down.
Use a plastic sleeve as a catch-all for other things you would like to keep handy while working on your crocheted article – yarn labels, swatches of yarn, small clipping scissors, and even the project instructions themselves, if they will fit.
Be happy while making memories…
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