Anecdotal Knitting

The first thing you will need is a way to punch holes in the valley fold of your pages – I do this by making a book block out of cardboard or foam core.

The largest rectangle here is only scored lengthwise, not cut all the way through, this creates a hinge. Cut a slot on both ends to insert the ‘legs’. Make the slots a bit narrower than the thickness of the ‘legs’ for a snug fit.

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The folded pages go into your book block, up against one side edge, ready to be punched. In these photos I am using recycled envelopes, cut open on three sides, with one original fold – used for the stitching holes. There are four folded pages that make up this section. This book is being made without a cover, but if you want to include a cover, fold it just like another page and place it on the outside of the section.

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For this example punch five holes.

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The sewing is started from the inside.
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The path of the thread will essentially be a figure 8. Start at the middle hole on the inside. Leave a tail and insert the needle through the hole in the valley fold to the outside. Next enter the mountain peak in one of the next closest holes from outside to inside. Then insert the needle from the inside to the outside into the valley fold in the hole above your last sewn hole. After every few stitches snug up the sewing by pulling gently on the thread.
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Now enter the mountain peak from outside to inside in the hole just below the last sewn – there is already thread there, so move your needle around it, do not pierce the thread.
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Skip over the center hole where you began sewing and repeat the sewing pattern on the last two holes.

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Now your end is at the same point as the begining and you can tie a knot and clip your ends. Easy as pie.

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Another beginner sewing pattern is the running stitch. For this sewing punch an even number of holes, this example has 10 holes. Start on the inside at the top. Leave a tail as you exit the section through the valley fold, now enter the next hole and tie a knot with your needle thread and tail end.

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Continue sewing in and out moving through each hole until you reach the bottom on the inside, tie a knot around the previous inside stitch and clip the ends.

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That’s all there is to it.