I'm currently working on patching a pair by hand and it takes forever. I've also stabbed myself several times but that's just how it goes haha

I've been quite a big fan of stone paper notebooks. I've used Karst in the past and quite liked it. It's definitely.. different to paper. It's not as prone to tear, is usually thicker and smoother to write on, waterproof as well - though the biggest downside is it takes a bit longer for inks to dry.