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Colorful knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame from craft book author & designer Heidi Gustad.

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Reading Rainbow & DIY Summer Reading Log for Grown-Ups

June 2, 2014 6 Comments

DIY Summer Reading Log for Grown-ups at handsoccupied.com

Last week’s Reading Rainbow Kickstarter launch made quite the splash. It ushered my beloved childhood TV show back into the zeitgeist, and apparently, into my creative brain. Between that and the imminent start of summer reading, I have got books on the brain! As a librarian, summer reading is when we shake our professional money makers (kinda literally). We work our butts off creating an as-close-to-magic-as-we-can-get summer of encouraging informal learning, parents’ involvement in that learning, and making learning fun.

Some teacher friends of mine forget that summertime = showtime for us informal educators. Essentially, what I do during the summer at work is try to keep kids from losing what they worked all year to master in school so they don’t start the fall behind. (For more of my thoughts on summer learning, and what’s different about it today then when I was a kid, scroll to the bottom of this post.)

DIY Summer Reading Log for Grown-ups at handsoccupied.com

Summer Reading for Grown-ups!

This week I decided to embrace my currently-bookish creative mind and share a simple idea for grown-ups to get in on – and DIY – summer reading. To celebrate the start of summer reading around the country,* I decided some library crafting is in order!

*Globe? I don’t actually know if summer reading is a thing outside the US. Please advise, international readers. 

While your local library might have summer reading programs for adults, I’ve worked at only a few libraries fortunate enough to afford programs for adult summer reading. This log is for us grown-ups who are sans-summer-reading who are looking to get a little nostalgic and make a dent in our reading lists. As a bonus, making your own log gets you stretching your creative muscles too!

DIY Summer Reading Log for Grown-ups at handsoccupied.com

Supplies

cardboard
paper in a variety of colors
tapestry needle
embroidery floss
push pin
ruler
pen
scissors

DIY Summer Reading Log for Grown-ups at handsoccupied.com

Directions

Cut your cardboard and paper into rectangles that are all the same size. My cardboard was 5×7 inches, so I just cut all my paper into 5×7 rectangles. Fold your cardboard and papers in half widthwise.

DIY Summer Reading Log for Grown-ups at handsoccupied.com

Mark the inside of your cardboard with little notches that are 1/8 of an inch apart.

DIY Summer Reading Log for Grown-ups at handsoccupied.com

Use your push pin to poke holes right in the crease of your cardboard along the notches you drew.

DIY Summer Reading Log for Grown-ups at handsoccupied.com

Here’s what the cardboard looks like on the outside as you go.

DIY Summer Reading Log for Grown-ups at handsoccupied.com

Next, use your cardboard as a template for punching evenly placed holes in the spines of all of your folded pieces of paper. I recommend poking the holes as shown from the inside of the cardboard. The cardboard can more easily take a beating than your papers.

DIY Summer Reading Log for Grown-ups at handsoccupied.com

When all your papers are punched, stack them up in ROYGBIV order, aligning their tiny holes. You can set the cardboard template aside.

DIY Summer Reading Log for Grown-ups at handsoccupied.com

Sew the spine of the book together with a basic running stitch, knotting the end on the inside of the book.

DIY Summer Reading Log for Grown-ups at handsoccupied.com

Trim your thread and you’re all set! Tune in later this week for my summer reading recommendations and ideas for DIYing your summer reading, learning and crafting. 

DIY Summer Reading Log for Grown-ups at handsoccupied.com

A final note on summer learning…

Summer reading isn’t just summer reading anymore for many public libraries. It’s a well-rounded, often-hands-on learning program incorporating reading, creating, and STE(A)M skill building. These days, summer learning programs in Chicago require reading 20 minutes a day, completing creative activities (doing a craft, producing a music video, etc.), and discovering something new (like learning an animal fact at the zoo). What would motivate kids and teens do so much work? Completing the requirements means they win a prize at the end and are eligible for a large prize raffle.

BTW, Chicago has great programs to help families get access to museums and zoos for free with a library card. In case you were wondering. ;) Libraries have come a long way, even from my 90s childhood, when library marketing was all about the books.

(Don’t get me wrong, I’ll always love Arthur. And this video and song are everything. Ev. ry. thing.)

This post was not sponsored. The supply list, as with many of my tutorials, contains affiliate links. All of my opinions about summer learning are my own, and not reflective of my past or present employers. 

Filed Under: Back to School, How-to, Summer Tagged With: chicago, diy, diy notebook, levar burton, reading list, reading log, reading rainbow, summer learning, summer reading

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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Comments

  1. Amy Plunk!

    June 3, 2014 at 9:18 am

    Wait! What is this STE(A)M skill building program?? I want more details on that for sure!

    Reply
    • Heidi

      June 3, 2014 at 1:18 pm

      Hi Amy! There are a lot of programs throughout the CPL system designed to teach kids and teens science, tech, engineering, art and math skills. To earn a “discover” point on their summer reading logs, kids have to do something stemmy, whether that’s attending one of CPL’s STEAM programs, visiting MSI, or reading an encyclopedia entry about manta rays and telling us what they learned. I meant it when I said summer reading has evolved! :)

      Reply
  2. Alexis @ Persia Lou

    June 3, 2014 at 12:36 pm

    I grew up on Reading Rainbow too, and I love this little log and the idea of keeping an adult reading log! If you had a second to come by and link up with us at The Makers link party over on my blog, that would be great!

    Reply
    • Heidi

      June 3, 2014 at 1:19 pm

      Totally! Thanks for the invite :D – looks like it’s full now, but I marked my calendar for next week’s!

      Reply
  3. danielle @ this picture book life

    July 7, 2014 at 11:42 am

    I love this idea!! So good.

    Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), a craft book author & pattern designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. Really anything with yarn! ❤️  My work combines vintage and modern design elements, featuring bold colors and graphic motifs.

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Nobody panic. This is just the back of an (admitte Nobody panic. This is just the back of an (admittedly insane) intarsia project. One day, this will be a seamed sweater, but today is not that day. 🧶 
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Yarn: @universal_yarn’s Fibra Natura Cobblestone in Antarctica & Dragon’s Breath 
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Here’s how to work a Norwegian purl stitch for e Here’s how to work a Norwegian purl stitch for easier continental style knitting. With this purling method, the working yarn says tensioned (held) at the back of your knitting at all times. For many knitters, always holding the yarn at the back helps with tension issues, as well as feeling a little more comfortable. 
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Have you ever encountered this style of purling before? If you’ve tried it, have you found it helps with your purl tension and knitting speed? I’m curious.
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For a written tutorial, visit handsoccupied-dot-com. For video, you guessed it, You2be. Both of these platforms allow for longer, more in-depth versions of this tutorial, including full transcripts, alt text & the ability to pause, slow down or speed up at will. (Like if you really want to learn this, I recommend using a platform that doesn’t keep your hands occupied. Thinking of putting this in all my captions these days tbh - shout out to you if you made it this far. 🙌🏻😂)
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Have you ever tried this style of purl? . All thi Have you ever tried this style of purl? 
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All this recent talk about throwing vs. continental style knitting made it clear many people struggle with purling in continental knitting. Turns out that Norway may have the answer! In Norwegian purling, the working yarn stays tensioned at the back at all times, helping with speed and tension. 🤯
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Head to the bl0g (🔗 in bi0) for a more in-depth look at how to work a Norwegian purl stitch, including a photo tutorial with animated GIF & a video tutorial. Wrapping your mind around how to work a stitch you’re familiar with in a totally new way can be confusing, so I tried to give a few options for clarity. 🤙🏻 Video is also on You2be. 
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#handsoccupied #norwegianpurl #norwegianknitting #norwegianpurling #continentalknitting #howtoknit #learntoknit #knitterofinstagram #knitters
It’s been a hot second since I showed my face or It’s been a hot second since I showed my face or reintroduced myself, so here goes! I’m Heidi Gustad, a craft book author, pattern designer, and tutorial creator who specializes in yarn crafts. Lately, I’ve been focused on releasing quality knitting videos and related blog posts to help teach things like the difference between provisional cast ons and how to fix common knitting mistakes. Next week I’m shooting requested crochet and latch hook videos, so h👀kers, your time is coming! And if you ever have tutorial requests, please let me know. ☺️
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TLDR: I’m Heidi. I design & teach yarn crafts. You can find tutorials on my blog (est. 2010) & You2be. I also have several knitting & crochet patterns + a book about latch hook available. / All of these can be found on my website, the 🔗 is where you’d think. 
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Are you a picker or a thrower? Do you knit Contine Are you a picker or a thrower? Do you knit Continental or English Style? Here’s a quick overview of the differences between the two most common knitting styles, including a side by side comparison. (A good one to save for future reference. 👍🏻) 
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