Pam Alison Knits

I started my Silvine exercise book “challenge” a few weeks ago, and the first book has already been filled with daily journal entries. One down, nineteen to go. So what do I think? Are the signs auspicious, am I disappointed, or am I dreading the onset of boredom way before I’m through this epic stack?

Let’s start with the covers, because if boredom should happen to come knocking at the door being able to decorate the cover is the first line of defence. My July-August book started with the large floral sticker and a single quote, then I added the other decorations as I went along. Now I’m moving into a new book and have chosen a bit of a different jumping-off design. I’ll see how this one develops over the coming few weeks. I feel that July and the first week of August were fairly standard for journal entries, so I expect each book to span about 6 weeks. That’s good. It’s sufficient time to put some thought into the different elements of the cover, but provides a regular refresh.

So much about this experiment is about the quality of the paper. I want to see what is possible with the most basic notebooks, such as exercise books, composition books, and spiral-bound pads. These are the tools you would have found in every classroom or office up until the last ten years or so. They were ubiquitous, and that can be a good thing or a bad thing. This project would have been dead in the water if there was significant show-through or bleed-through on this paper, since I will tolerate neither of these. I have found the paper to be adequate for my needs within the context of my own preference for fine/extra-fine nibs and well-behaved inks. The pen I’m currently using for entries is pushing the boundaries for show-through, but this is much more apparent in photos than it is in real life. The Cross Beverly with its medium nib, which is currently inked with Cross Blue-Black, is the broadest and darkest my choices are ever likely to take me. That said, I haven’t experienced any feathering on this paper, just a few occasions when I’ve got a fibre attached to the nib and had to stop and pick it off. In conclusion, I’m not saying that this is the “best” paper, but it is very good at its price point.

Book One gave me a chance to experiment with layout options. From the start, I decided to put the date and horoscope symbols, plus notable events such as birthdays, in the margin. I also added information about the pen and ink in the margin when I changed from one to another. I thought I would really like this. By the time I finished the first book, I had determined that I prefer to have a separate page listing my pens and inks, so that’s how I’ve set up Book 2. I also started this second volume writing the date, horoscope symbols, etc, on the first line of the main page area. Funnily enough, after a couple of entries I accidentally reverted to using the margin again, and that appears to be the way I want to use these books. All things considered, I prefer notebooks without a margin, but the margin doesn’t pose a problem.

Am I going to keep using these exercise books, or is this just an interesting short-term experiment? Time will tell. I’m certainly not ruling out the idea that a prettier/more interesting option might leap into view. I’m lucky at the moment that I can keep an open mind about such things. However, the value of this adventure with a “cheap and cheerful” alternative is to reassure me that if things changed and I found myself on a limited budget, I’d still be able to enjoy the experience of writing with my fountain pens. It’s always great to stretch the limits of a hobby and pursue quality, but it’s wise to bear in mind that nothing in life is guaranteed, and that your hobby doesn’t need to be defined by having the best of everything.