Although my passion is books, crafting and mixed media are a close second place. Woven between exhaustive writing and slow reading is a good crafting project. I used to knit, sew, and crochet for hours at a time, dishing out multiple cardigans and hats. I’ve reduced my number of projects, however, to accommodate my writing and limit distractions.
At the beginning of 2026, I began knitting The Book Snake Pattern by Han Lee. It’s a knit snake plush pattern that also serves as a book tracker. Every colored stripe equals a book read.
While scrolling Ravelry and YouTube knitters, I came across this pattern and thought it would be a fun way to keep track of how many books I read. As a slow reader, it’s quite a motivator to keep the pages turning. It’s also an excuse to use up some scrap yarn.
I’m currently at twenty-two finished books—which is a huge milestone considering my typical reading average of two to five books annually, with a few rare years of ten. I need to knit another stripe on my snake.
I used to feel a bit odd for being a slow reader, but reading for me is a highly sensory experience where my mind is fully immersed. I even re-read parts if I am wowed or confused and need to process what I’ve read. There is also the reality that I read particularly long books averaging 600 to 1200 pages, which could equal three to six books on their own.
I’m currently reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susana Clarke, which is a whopping 1006 pages—I started it in July and I’m not finishing it anytime soon. I am also reading other books between readings so that I get a break. Essentially, comparing one’s number of books read to another’s is moot when word count varies.
It can be tempting to gamify the Book Snake, but working with my adorable fuzzy friend has allowed me to take a valuable lesson into my heart: read for any reason but for the number.
In the beginning, I kept my books short (100 to 200 pages) so I could watch my book snake grow. However, speeding through books ended up not being enjoyable since my reading preference is to do it slow and steady with thoughtfully written stories.
