In this day and age of digital and social, with our lives mapped out in 1s and 0s, it is nice to return to tactility. I was thrilled when I won a copy (in a Knitmas game) of Carol Feller‘s 2019 calendar by Badly Made Books. I wanted to share some photos of the calendar with you because it is just exquisite.
The Book Design
This year, Carol worked with Sean O’Sullivan at Badly Made Books to modify her cable patterns to create unique notebook covers. In the notebooks there is even a section at the back with knitting graph paper so you can chart out your work as you go!
Welcomed to the year by Carol’s message, every detail of the book design is considered.
The book leaps into a clear and pleasant weekly calendar spread, this book is a delight. The second half of the book is a combination of lined and unlined pages for notes, ideas, or plans to bring about world peace.
Badly Made Books
Handcrafted in Dublin and in Cork, Badly Made Books are printed, bound, and formed from recycled and recyclable materials. They are creatively presented, such as with Carol Feller’s cover design of a knitting chart cover on hers. The book itself has four ample signatures (that’s what each folded bundle of papers within a book is called) and the paper smells lovely. It also has a great feel to the touch. And their Instagram is delicious for bibliophiles and papyrophiliacs. There’s a great interview on the Designist’s site. From their website to explain the ethos and process behind Badly Made Books:
badly made books aims to challenge modern commercial practices that aim to confuse and delude the paying customer. we appreciate that the modern customer is informed enough to make their own judgements, our products should not be judged by what we say but by trial, error and review.when we first starting trading we were unsure of the longevity of our experimental binding. In this way the title ‘badly made books’ was an honest reflection of the potential lack of quality of the products that we offered (made with great paper but held together with homemade glue). with some of the oldest prototypes now having survived 2 years and counting we now hope that the title of the business reflects our sense of humour as we strive to make the name ever more ironic.our clients include, Ballymaloe Cookery School, West Cork Coffee, Giles Norman Gallery, Stolen Stitches & Designist.
Get Your Own
Here is a link to Carol’s website store. If you still need a gift for the crafty person in your life or someone who loves the touch of real paper, check out Carol’s website store (she sells books, knitting patterns, and yarn too) or pop over to Badly Made Books’s online shop. Order today and even if it doesn’t arrive for Christmas, wrap a note saying it comes a bit later. That late arrival may seem like bad planning, but you’re actually keeping the Christmas spirit alive just that bit longer. And in many cultures and communities, Christmas is observed on the Feast of the Epiphany (a.k.a., Theophany, Denha, Little Christmas, or Three Kings’ Day).
Of course, for the knitter who has everything, you could include a kit with a notebook for wow factor. I think I’d fall over if my husband got me such a thoughtful gift. Carol Feller is doing an Ice Cloud Mystery Shawl KAL starting in January and selling kits for that. After the madness of the holidays, to return to the soothing and meditative elements of knitting. Here’s her blog post about it. The pattern alone is €5.50 and the kit is €50. Have you knit with her yarn, Nua? It is one of my favourite yarns to knit with and so much care went into the colorways. I used it for my Farran Booties pattern.
Not an ad or sponsored post, I just love the things I’ve mentioned and believe in shopping locally to support independent artists and artisans. But if you click through this link, you get a discount code from my referral.