I sometimes tie a double fisherman’s knot to make it more secure.
A rubber band is also great in a pinch, and works well for young children: if they can’t tie the knots (or aren’t patient enough to wait for you too), they can slip a rubber band over their book and easily remove it to customize the contents.
In this step, I’ve used thicker string than I normally would, in order to show the process more clearly. You’ll need to practice with this knot a bit, in order to ensure that it can be loosened and tightened to fit. The goal is that you can tighten it by pulling on the working ends of the string so it will fit snugly, while still allowing the loop to loosen enough to free up the pages.
The loop ‘loosens’ by sliding the two fisherman’s knots toward each other, and tightens again by sliding them apart. It will take a bit of trial and error to get the knots tied in a way that makes the loop sized right for snugness when closed and the ability to remove pages when open.
Of course, you can make use of this journal for several other purposes – taking down notes, making lists, drawing ideas, etc. We know you’re crafty, so you might choose to fold first lengthwise (tearing a sheet into two 4×11-ish sheets, then folding vertically to make a different-shaped book). It depends on how you plan to use it.
This kind of journal is really great in that you can also easily replace the pages or insert some other papers such as maps and reference materials. You can also add more decorations to your journal! Have fun!
Would this be your next weekend project with the kids?
Thanks to maudlin for this great project!
