Paper is magic. Admittedly, it’s that sort of quiet, everyday magic that’s easy to overlook. But it’s magic nonetheless.

It can be soft enough to protect your most delicate treasures, or strong enough to climb on. It can be so ephemeral that you throw it away without a second thought, or it can last for centuries. It can hold your thoughts, when nowhere else feels safe, and either keep them secret forever or share them with others long after you’re gone.

Because paper is magic, and the right piece of paper can change the world.

Now, I am not foolish enough to think that these little bits of knitted paper are going to do any such thing. But I do know that you can turn them into a little pouch for all your secret treasures, or use them to display your favorite pins, or (if your embroidered penmanship is better than mine) maybe send someone a very special note. And I know they’re going to amuse quite a number of you and bring a bit of happy distraction to some folks who need a break from a world that feels increasingly grim. And I know none of that changes the world. But maybe it makes it a tiny bit more comfortable, for just one person, for just a moment. And that’s a kind of magic too.

General information

This detailed ebook tells you exactly how to  make this adorable knitted notebook paper. It walks you through everything from casting on, knitting your paper, embroidering the lines, and adding the grommets as well as information on how to make your paper stiff (in case you want to use to to do something like display your favorite angry pins or cute earrings) or turn it into a pouch (to stash your favorite treasures). The pattern is astonishingly detailed (with more than 50 step-by-step photos showing every part of the process), and you can absolutely make this, even if you’ve never done a project like this before!

Skills & scope

The knitting is about as simple as it gets (it’s all stockinette in the round, there’s literally nothing but knit stitches), all the fancy business comes in the finishing. You’ll start by embroidering the lines on your paper (don’t worry, I’ll tell you how, this can totally be your very first embroidery project), and then you’ll set your grommets (which sounds scary, but I promise it’s not, and once you start, you’ll want to add grommets to everything). Once that’s done, you can either close your paper up, or you can add some perforated canvas to make it stiff, or a clasp to turn it into a pouch.

Yarn, gauge & sizing

These are adorable at any size, so you don’t need to worry about getting a specific gauge. Your cast on is flexible (don’t worry, the pattern gives you info on where to start), and you’ll check your work as you go to make sure you end up with the right proportions.

I made my pieces of paper with a variety of fingering, sport, and dk-weight scraps. Mine are between 4 and 5 inches across and between 5 and 6 inches tall. Each took less than 100 yards of yarn. You’ll also want embroidery floss for the lines. (If you’re currently dreaming of a giant sheet of paper made out of the bulkiest yarn you can find, there’s nothing stopping you! But you’ll need more yarn and may want to use yarn instead of embroidery floss to make the lines.)

Tools & supplies

You’ll need needles that let you work in the round (circulars or DPNs) in whatever size lets you get a solid fabric with your chosen yarn plus the general knitting tools you need for most projects (scissors to cut your yarn, a darning needle to weave in ends, the occasional stitch marker or bit of scrap yarn to hold stitches).

You’ll also want grommets and the tools to set them. I used the 5mm (3/16ths of an inch) size, which is great for fingering up through light worsted weight (you will want slightly larger ones if you want to make bigger paper or use thicker yarn). These* are the exact ones I used (you’ll have plenty for lots and lots of paper and other projects besides), but you can absolutely just search for ‘grommet set’ at your store of choice and find something similar.

If you want to turn your paper into a little pouch, you need a special bit of hardware to go at the top. It’s called either an internal flex frame or a kiss clasp. These* are the exact ones I used, but you can totally search ‘internal flex frame’ or ‘kiss clasp’ and find something similar.

If you want to make your paper stiff (but still easy to poke things through, like say pins or earrings), you’ll want some plastic embroidery canvas. This* is the exact kind I used, but you can find it at most any craft store (my walmart’s craft section even has it).

*Those are amazon affiliate links, and amazon is hot garbage. But they’re also the most convenient place for most people to find things like this, and I want to make it easy for you to find them. And if amazon is going to get the sale, I’m ok with them giving me a few cents of their profit. But I totally encourage you to find these somewhere else if you can! If you’re lucky enough to have a craft store that carries such things near you, definitely get them there! But if you’re like me (and the  nearest big craft store is more than an hour’s drive and likely doesn’t have any such thing), or you just want an easy place to look things up before tracking them down elsewhere, sometimes amazon is a useful tool. Even if they are evil.

P.S. The Vaccinated and Angry Feminist Knitters Club pins are from Alexandra Tinsley, you can find her here. The To Do List, Don’t be a Dick, and Powered by Pettiness pins are by Veronica Dearly, you can find her here. The black sheep pin was a gift and I don’t know where it’s from!