the yarn book.

after all that talk about making a quiet book for my sweet baby k, wouldn't you know i made her mommy one first! [well, sort of...]
i tend to do tons of crocheting when the weather is cold, and i realized when sorting through my yarn stash not too long ago, that i am in need of two things: a crochet hook holder and a way to organize my crochet patterns. i rely way too heavily on my memory [which is terrible and ends up in a lot of wasteful trial and error] and hoping that i can google my way back to that really great pattern/tutorial/idea i once saw online. also, there were tons of little scraps hanging around from where i had jotted down a pattern as i worked it, or cut out from the back of a yarn label, etc.

and as we all know, a pile of scrappy mess = an opportunity to creatively organize! yay! so i took one of those little $1 plastic photo albums [which i find actually useful for many things, including a mini coupon folder, you can see it here on our family blog] and decided to make a cover for it.

i started by writing out all of my most-used patterns, my basic tried-and-trues, on some index cards and stamped the little titles on them.
then i stopped long enough to pull a wee explorer out of my living room yarn basket [not an uncommon occurrence around here].
i winged the construction of this one big time. i took a piece of felt that was a little more than the height of the book, and made sure the sides were long enough to fold over the inside covers to make a little flap it would tuck into. then i added some fabric strips on the inside of the front and back covers.
i tried out two new experiments... the first was 'writing' with yarn by sewing it on with a zig zag stitch. i sewed a piece of striped fabric onto the little cover and roughly pinned the word 'yarn' but ended up free-handing it as i sewed. tricky, but it turned out cute and fun!
the other experiment was that i had been wanting to try a little fabric covered button and stretchy loop closure. the stretchy loop is a hair elastic [un-used of course!] folded in half and stitched right into the back cover. then i closed the book to see where the button would need to lay to close securely. success!
i also made space in the back for a few little yarn swatches... scraps of yarn i've used in the past attached to their labels, so that i'll have laundering info and name/brand info if i ever want to use that exact color or type on another project [or for mending any little damaged spots in something i've made].
its so nice to have all the little scrappies gone and everything in one place! now i think my day planner feels left out and a little naked!