This has arisen because my day book which has been running since 18th January 2008 has come to an end. It is a spiral bound book and I have glued so many sheets of paper and photos into it that it is bulging and the back cover has come off altogether.On looking through it, I am surprised by how many of the ideas actually did get woven up.
Before finding a new journal to continue with, I decided to have an inventory of the various notebooks I have - and was more than a bit shocked.
1) There are series of A4-sized Lever Arch files which contain loose papers with details of weavings I have done. Drafts, calculations, notes on dimensions and finishing together with samples of yarns used and, if possible a sample piece of weaving. For some reason, I started with labeling them A, B, C and the projects are numbered 1 to 10 inside. We are now on Project P4, that is Project No 4 in Lever Arch file P. I have no intention of changing this system.
2) There are two A4-sized books with lined paper using for taking notes at courses I have attended, held at Kennet Valley Guild or West Dean College or wherever. But weaving courses are included in the Lever Arch files of No 1 above as they usually contain drafts and photos
3) The Day Book into which everything goes, ideas for weavings, textiles, books. ruminations on what the Conservators are doing on the Common. This was A5 and cartridge paper.4) An A6 book with lined paper for recording what I do in the way of bookbinding. It is too small for photos and drawings or samples
5) An A5 book with lined paper for recording what dyeing has been done
6) A spiral-bound sketch pad size A2!!! No I was not being dreadfully extravagant. I found it in the cupboard and am using it for textile samples for books I am making. It is so big that I can put down 3 or 4 samples per page.
7) An A3 spiral bound book which I use for the Bourneville classes In Creative Textiles. It is half full already.
So far these have been commercial books
8) A Coptic book bound by me, in which I am designing some special books. The paper is cream cartridge paper and is good enough to do coloured drawings on. I shall continue with this.
9) an A4 book bound by me and containing a real selection of different papers, handmade etc. This was used as a project book for weavings. It still has some blank pages in it.
So do I need all of these? And what am I going to do about a day book? As I use it, the Day Book is for first thoughts. Nothing takes up more than 3 or 4 pages and mostly a project is just one page.
I am glad I decided to write this blog. When I started, I thought that I should amalgamate some of the books but no, I don't think I will. What I will do is put them all on the same shelf. And really I would like an A4 book for the Day Book. I am not sure I have one in the stash so maybe I will make one. I would like lots of different sorts of paper as in 9 above.
That's a lot of books! But each has a purpose - I am not so organised. My besetting sin is the stack of wee notebooks lying around that I grab at random for sett calculations or things I might forget. Then I forget which random notebook I wrote it down in.
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