Mini Magical Mystery SAL 12 - Part 1

Welcome back for day one of the twelfth round of mystery stitching! I've noticed that some of you have been having trouble finding the posts since I had to cut back on what I did online - I'm sorry if this is the case for you. Perhaps if you signed up for an email digest you'd find it easier? You then get an email sent once a day with a link to every post of that day, so it would be much easier for you.

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 11 - Final Post

Welcome back for the final post of the eleventh Mini Magical Mystery SAL! Don't worry it's not over - the Mini Magical Mystery SAL 12 starts in an hour! This post is just a final post showing my stitching of part fourteen and what I'm planning to do with it.  I do hope you all had fun! I have loved seeing your stitching in the mystery Facebook group!

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 11 - Part 14

Welcome back for day fourteen of the eleventh round of mystery stitching! I'm sorry this post is late again - it was a bit of a struggle to move today. This is also the final day of patterns for this SAL - I'll be back one more time to show my completed mystery tomorrow (an hour earlier than usual). The next round of the Mini Magical Mystery will start tomorrow at noon as per the information post.

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 11 - Part 13

Welcome back for day thirteen of the eleventh round of mystery stitching! I'm afraid I overslept today and needed most of a mug of coffee before I was awake enough to stitch and make this post. Just one more part after this one and then you will see what all those lines you did for so many parts will become!

NFSAL 2020 - August

Welcome to the eighth of this year's NFSAL posts! As you may have read in my previous post things haven't been going too well for me this year health wise, which is why there isn't a stitched NFSAL this month.

News: Update and More

Hiya and welcome to a post that I have been writing on and off as energy allows, so it's taken me longer to write than I would have liked. I thought it time to let you in on what's been going on in my personal life as it's starting to impact the blog more than I'd like. This post is VERY picture heavy, please make sure you are using Wi-Fi if you are using a mobile device.

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 12 - Information Post

Hi and welcome to the twelfth information post for a Mini Magical Mystery SAL! With lockdowns easing, but still enforced/sensible for many people I'm continuing with another mystery to keep you stitching! This pattern is the same size as the other ten and has 348 stitches total, making this a little smaller than the previous mystery. This mystery will start the Monday after the current mystery ends: 31st August.

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 11 - Part 12

Welcome back for day twelve of the eleventh round of mystery stitching! Unfortunately I messed up during pattern making and what should have been two parts is now one part so today's stitching is 44 stitches - much more than usual and not the planned 22 stitches a day spread over two days. However I don't want to make the mystery last an extra day as that would mess up the scheduling for the next mystery so I decided to just go ahead and post this bigger part anyway. I do my best to avoid these mistakes but I too am human and sometimes forget to save a part in between the creation of the parts.

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 11 - Part 11

Welcome back for day eleven of the eleventh round of mystery stitching! I'm running a bit late today, I had to make a bunch of phone calls and as always you end up in a queue that lasts forever with horrible music that's occasionally interspersed with a much louder voice saying there are umpteen people ahead in the queue, please check the FAQ online for more information - funny the FAQ says call the helpline - joy. I got through in the end though and stuff is sorted.

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 11 - Part 10

Welcome back for day ten of the eleventh round of mystery stitching! And just like that, when there are just four days left of the mystery you are getting something other than lines! I hope you have fun stitching your non-lines today!

A Blackwork Christmas - August

Welcome to the eighth edition of A Blackwork Christmas SAL! I've not been too well the last couple of days and have only managed to do the morning Mini Magical Mystery SAL stitching but not much else. As such I have no stitching to show for today so I made a computer generated one instead.

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 11 - Part 9

Welcome back for day nine of the eleventh round of mystery stitching! Today's stitches are and aren't more lines... I'm hoping you don't get bored of this as there are still another five parts to go... but there *may* be parts with no lines to come... maybe...

In other news: the twelfth Mini Magical Mystery SAL has been designed and the information post will follow in the next day or two.

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 11 - Part 8

Welcome back for day eight of the eleventh round of mystery stitching! It's the first day of the second half of the SAL.I shall probably hear cries of despair once people see the pattern - and I'm unrepentant! I did say yesterday that not all of the questions I asked could be answered with yes *big evil grin* so for now I shall continue with the torment because it's so much fun!

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 11 - Part 7

Welcome back for day seven of the eleventh round of mystery stitching! It's the halfway point of the mystery and so far all you have done is stitch sort lines all over the place. Will this trend continue? Will it be more than just a basket case? Will I remember to share the link in the fb group today? Will I stop asking questions and get on with the rest of the post? The answer to at least one of these is "Yes!"...

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 11 - Part 6

Welcome back for day six of the eleventh round of mystery stitching! Yesterday two different people told me that they saw aeroplanes in my picture - which after squinting my eyes from a different angle I saw too - and now can't unsee! I'm not unhappy about that though - it's fun to see things in embroideries as they grow.

35 x 35 for 2020 - August

Welcome to the eighth 35 x 35 for 2020! This month there are partial stitches in the pattern - I can hear the scream you just gave over here! But never fear these are NICE partial stitches - yes, they exist! - the partial stitches are one leg of a cross so either / or \ with no fiddly extra bits that are a nightmare to stitch on Aida. You can leave them off if you prefer - they just round off the edges a little.

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 11 - Part 5

Welcome back for day five of the eleventh round of mystery stitching! I didn't get any bets as to where this is going yesterday... I think you have all already learnt not to guess what it will be before its finished hehehe. Probably wise as I'm certain you won't guess the end result this time!

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 11 - Part 4

Welcome back for day four of the eleventh round of mystery stitching! I hope the first three days haven't made you tired of lines yet... as today you get even more! All bets are open as to where this is going... the winner gets the smug feeling they were right!

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 11 - Part 3

Welcome back for day three of the eleventh round of mystery stitching! I have been enjoying the photos of the recently finished mystery that have been showing up the last few days - it's also been fun to see the starts of this mystery! Keep the photos coming they really do brighten my day!

Easy Christmas Cards SAL - August

Welcome to the eighth part of the Easy Christmas Cards SAL! This month I used a pre-cut perforated paper Christmas tree shape I bought earlier this year thinking it would be fun to use. Obviously not everyone can get hold of this as I'm not sure how widely spread the sale is nor if shops would even stock something like this in August. However the pattern can be stitched on perforated paper, plastic Aida or on plain fabric as well so find something to stitch on and go for it!

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 11 - Part 2

Welcome back for day two of the eleventh round of mystery stitching! Today I'm going to show the guidelines (you can't really call it a grid) that I use to help me get my first stitches done when I have to start in the middle - I usually remove them right after stitching as they annoy me but I thought you might like to see how I do it.

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 11 - Part 1

Welcome back for day one of the eleventh round of mystery stitching! For more than a few of you this will be your first mini mystery as there have been 117 new group members over the last seven days, most of which were added since last Friday! Please do take a moment to read the Mystery SAL Tips if this is your first time round - it may help you when you start stitching. When there is a flurry of new members I always wonder how they found out about the mysteries - I should probably do a poll to find out!

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 10 - Final Post

Welcome back for the final post of the tenth Mini Magical Mystery SAL! Don't worry it's not over - the Mini Magical Mystery SAL 11 starts in an hour! This post is just a final post showing my stitching of part fourteen and what I'm planning to do with it.  I do hope you all had fun! I have loved seeing your stitching in the mystery Facebook group!

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 10 - Part 14

Welcome back for day fourteen of the tenth round of mystery stitching! This is also the final day of patterns for this SAL - I'll be back one more time to show what I have made tomorrow (an hour earlier than usual). The next round of the Mini Magical Mystery will start tomorrow at noon as per the information post. As for yesterdays stitching... I hope you all spotted the sneaky extra stitch on the square opposite the L bit, if not then now is a good time to add it.

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 11 - Information Post

Hi and welcome to the eleventh information post for a Mini Magical Mystery SAL! With lockdowns easing, but still enforced/sensible for many people I'm continuing with another mystery to keep you stitching! This pattern is the same size as the other ten and has 360 stitches total, making this the mystery with the most stitches so far! This mystery will start the Monday after the current mystery ends: 17th August.

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 10 - Part 13

Welcome back for day thirteen of the tenth round of mystery stitching! Just one more day and you'll know how this SAL ends! I've been a bit slow with making the next pattern and the accompanying announcement post but that will all happen this weekend - the mysteries will continue!

Bookmark SAL - August

Welcome to the eighth part of the Bookmark SAL! I'm sorry this post is late - I was trying to stitch this and should have finished it hours ago but seem to have spent as much time ripping as stitching. I'm struggling to count to two - let alone ten! I'm sure you have all been there before so will understand that I finally gave up and decided to get the post done rather than fight the inevitable.

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 10 - Part 12

Welcome back for day twelve of the tenth round of mystery stitching! Today's stitching should go pretty fast as there aren't that many stitches and they are all close together - which means you'll be able to get on and do your World Cross Stitching Day that much faster - if you have plans to do more today that is. If not and you do have time for today's stitching then you have done *some* cross stitch today! Yay!  I still need to finish up today's bookmark so I can do tonight's post.

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 10 - Part 11

Welcome back for day eleven of the tenth round of mystery stitching. It's not so toasty today - and will stay that way, still hot but not as hot as it was in the days before. Much yay as I still need to stitch tomorrow's bookmark!

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 10 - Part 10

Welcome back for day ten of the tenth round of mystery stitching. It's a little late today - I got a bit too lost in the book I'm reading and ignored the alarm because I'd just got to a good bit and thought it wouldn't take long to get past it... ha! Just four days left after today - and it looks pretty complete already... what will the next few days bring? More surprises that's for sure!

Blackwork SAL 2020 - August

Welcome to the eighth part of the 2020 Blackwork SAL! This month you will again get two pattern options. It was too hot to stitch today so I didn't finish the stitching for the second pattern of this month but I did get a good way along. Instead I was on the sofa reading with my fan at my feet keeping me coolish.

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 10 - Part 9

Welcome back for day nine of the tenth round of mystery stitching. I was just about to start writing this when the dr called with the results of my 30 minute blood pressure test from yesterday - I was right that something wasn't right as my meds are too high and need to be halved. Hopefully I'll be able to do more soon! Life is getting pretty boring when things like this are the highlight of the day hahaha.

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 10 - Part 8

Welcome back for day eight of the tenth round of mystery stitching. It's still a heatwave here so I'm spending more time on the sofa with the fan at my feet than anything else, though later today I get to go out and do a 30 minute blood pressure test to see if my blood pressure meds can be adjusted downwards - I would be happy if this was the case!

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 10 - Part 7

Welcome back for day seven of the tenth round of mystery stitching. This means that with this post the first week of the mystery is complete! I hope you have been having fun so far! I'm sure that when you first started the squares you didn't expect what is in your hoops now (if you use hoops of course!) Now to see what this next week will bring....

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 10 - Part 6

Welcome back for day six of the tenth round of mystery stitching! I'm so glad these parts all take less than 20 minutes as it's going to be a scorcher today and I've already got sweaty hands and I don't think much stitching will be done today. When I say scorcher I mean 36C/97f - when a more normal temperature would be 25C/77F - it will look good on my temperature SAL but that's about it when it comes to positives. Of course those of you who get roasted at much higher temperature every summer are probably having a chuckle but I for one am still getting used to this new normal of sweltering summers. At least I have a fan I can park myself behind (No AC here - houses are not built for 30C+/86f+ temps here).

Ornament of the Month 2020 - August

Welcome to the eighth Ornament of the Month for 2020! This month's colours of the month are orange, red and light green so I went for the orange and ended up more towards burnt orange than true orange which kind of makes it russet but... the Kreinik is actually an orange so kept it for this month rather than last month.

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 10 - Part 5

Welcome back for day five of the tenth round of mystery stitching! Dr appointment went well - I'm still breathing! I was, as predicted, exhausted when I finally got back and spent most of the afternoon and evening sleeping or reading on the sofa. Bicycling any distance when adjusting to blood pressure meds is not on my recommended to-do list - just saying hehe.

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 10 - Part 4

Welcome back for day four of the tenth round of mystery stitching! Today I have one of my regular Dr appointments so I not only get to go out (yay!) but I also might not be back on time to write this post so I'm writing this the night before and scheduling it. I won't be gone all afternoon but I will be tired when I get back so may not be checking the fb group straight away.

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 10 - Part 3

Welcome back for day three of the tenth round of mystery stitching! I hope you discovered that your day one counting was accurate! I had fun playing thread chicken on my final dot for the day and won! It's always nice when the thread doesn't cheat by breaking. I'll be able to start tomorrow with a fresh new thread!

Weavers Animals Band Sampler SAL - Part 8

Welcome to the eighth part of the Weavers Animals Band Sampler SAL! This month everyone gets to stitch the same amount! There is still a little of the band to come next month, so it's not entirely finished but close.

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 10 - Part 2

Welcome back for day two of the tenth round of mystery stitching! The fabric continues to fight back when trying to make photos - the settings needed yesterday for reasonable results were not the settings needed today. I think the fabric is camera shy or something - it's not as if it's purple (which you may know is devilishly difficult to photograph and get an accurate colour) Ah well - it will look good when finished and then I won't have to photograph it for a while hehe.

Mini Magical Mystery SAL 10 - Part 1

Welcome back for day one of the tenth round of mystery stitching! I rather missed these little patterns over the last two weeks of Summer Mystery stitching! It took me a long time to decide on which fabric I wanted to use today! When I did I realised that I'd made my life difficult when trying to get the first photo!

Temperature SAL - August

Welcome to the eighth Temperature SAL post! Like with June, July both flew past and dragged along - such weird times we live in! One thing we can be sure of is that the weather will continue to surprise us every day!

The Summer Magical Mystery SAL 2020 - The Back and Final Post

Welcome to the back of the Summer Mystery SAL! It always feels weird to say that but that's what you are getting this time - the optional back that I make for those of you that want to make a two sided biscornu, ornament, pincushion, or perhaps something else I haven't thought of. I'm also making this my final post for this mystery - other than the Temperature SAL later today I'm taking the weekend off - first time since I started the Mini Magical Mysteries back in March! Monday I'll be back a bit more rested than usual (hopefully) with the tenth Mini Magical Mystery SAL! As I said yesterday I hope you have had fun with this mystery and I can't wait to see what you do with yours! If anything, as sometimes fully stitched is fully finished!