Wallpaper Swatch Journals with Knit Edgings

Wallpaper Journals with Knit Edgings

This week’s installment of Ask Me Monday is inspired by the YarnYAY! Studio’s new wallpapered accent wall. While trying decide what look I wanted to achieve, I ordered eleventy wallpaper swatches. The Art Deco Swan print by Kate Rhees for Spoonflower was the clear winner, but the others where too pretty to discard. Enter, a crafting opportunity!

Wallpaper journals are a great, mixed-media projects that are so fun to create! They’re unique, inspiring and can be used for anything from doodling, to lists, to recording deep thoughts. Go the extra step in making them your own, by embellishing them with picot knit edgings. 

I can’t wait to see your wallpaper journals. Be sure to tag @vickiehowell on instagram when you make one!

This episode of Ask Me Monday is sponsored by Knitter’s Pride/ KnitPro

See more KP products during “Vic’s Tips” segments of The Knit Show!

Featured Knitter’s Pride Products: Smart Stix Needles.

 

Wallpaper Journals

MATERIALS

Wallpaper swatches (size can vary based on what size journal you want to make)

5 sheets drawing or graph paper

Scissors or rotary cutter, straight edge and self-healing mat

Sharp tapestry needle

Book binders floss or waxed dental floss

Scraps of Sock, fingering, or DK weight yarn

SizeUS 5-6/3.75 mm-4 mm circular needle (at least 24″ long)

DIRECTIONS

Make Journal:

• PREP WALLPAPER COVER. Cut wallpaper piece 2″/5 cm wider than TWICE the width and about 1/2″/1 cm taller than height of desired journal size. This will allow for a bit of a lip of wallpaper cover to extend past the drawing paper inside the journal. Note: You can always use your drawing paper as a guide for the journal size you make. 
• PREP DRAWING PAPER. If necessary, cut 5 sheets down to 1″/2.5 cm less width than wallpaper cover. Fold each piece (individually, not together at the same time) in half width-wise, using your fingernail to crease. Matching creases, stack sheets of drawing paper. Using a Pencil and ruler, mark the top sheet of drawing paper stack at center point and equidistant spots on either size of center, towards the top and bottom (i.e. 3 spots marked.) 
• BIND JOURNAL. Place drawing paper stack inside wallpaper cover. Using tapestry needle and book binding thread or dental floss, punch and draw through the center marking, from inside of journal to out, leaving a tail. Come back up through (outside of journal to inside) the bottom-most marking, draw through thread. From inside to out, go back through, this time at the upper-most marking. Lastly, come up through the same center marking at which you began. cut thread, leaving tails. Ties ends. Trim.

Embellish with Knit Edging:

• CREATE STITCHING FOUNDATION. Using sharp needle and fine weight yarn or embroidery floss, hand stitch a Blanket Stitch row across the side of the front cover.  See my video tutorial, if you need a refresher!
• KNIT EDGING: Using circular needle and yarn and on the RS of journal, pick up stitches in each of the horizontal bars created by the blanket stitch
  Row 1 (WS): Knit.
  Row 2: Knit.
  Row 3: Purl.
  Picot Bind-off as follows: K2, bind-off 1, *slip stitch on RH needle back onto LH needle, e-wrap cast-on 2 stitches, bind-off 4 stitches; repeat from * to end.
  Weave in ends.

That’s it, you’ve created the sweetest, most unique journal. Well done!

Looking for a crochet edging option? Try Ball Fringe!