2020/2021 NYE Mystery SAL!

The time is upon us to prepare for the most fun NYE possible for us stitchers!  This year I have made it smaller than last years - last year was fun but it was very long due to there being a weekend before NYE and the as yet unannounced ten year anniversary of this blog. This year's pattern is smaller and has fewer parts.

How to join in:

You don't need to do anything special - you just stitch your own version! That simple! There is a Facebook group listed below but you don't have join it to join in!

How much does it cost:

The patterns are free! So all it will cost is anything you choose to buy for the SAL - I encourage you to dig in your stash and see what you have first though!

The patterns:

• You will be given the mystery pattern in 14 parts of about 67 stitches each.
• All parts are given during the SAL.
• At the end you will be given an additional pattern to use for the back if you wish to make a two sided ornament/pillow/biscornu.

Stitches used:

• The pattern uses whole cross stitches only.
• There are NO speciality stitches
• There are NO backstitches unless you wish to add a backstitched outline to make a biscornu.
  

The size, fabric and thread information:

- The pattern is 42 stitches square.
- Fabric amounts are rounded UP to the nearest 1/2 inch/whole cm.
- The fabric strip sizes are given worked on the basis that you stitch the front and back ten stitches apart.

• For 14ct Aida/28ct evenweave over 2 you will need:
• A piece of fabric that is 9 inches square - 23 cm square
• For the front only you need:
• 0.1 skein of each colour
• If you are also making the back you need 2 squares of this size or a strip of 13 x 9 inches - 33 cm x 32 cm in order to stitch both the front and the back.
  
• For the front and back you will need:
• 0.1 skein of colour A
• 0.2 skein of colours B, C, and D
• For 16ct Aida /32ct evenweave over 2 you will need:
• A piece of fabric that is 9 inches square - 22 cm square
• For the front only you need:
• 0.1 skein of each colour
• If you are also making the back you need 2 squares of this size or a strip of 12 x 9 inches - 31cm x 22 cm in order to stitch both the front and the back.
• For the front and back you will need:
• 0.1 skein of colours A and D
• 0.2 skein of colours B and C
• For 18ct Aida /36ct evenweave over 2 you will need:
• A piece of fabric that is 8 1/2 inches square - 22 cm square
• For the front only you need:
• 0.1 skein of each colour
• If you are also making the back you need 2 squares of this size or a strip of 11 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches - 29 cm x 22 cm in order to stitch both the front and the back.
• For the front and back you will need:
• 0.1 skein of colours A, C, and D
• 0.2 skein of colour B
• For 20ct Aida /40ct evenweave over 2 you will need:
• A piece of fabric that is 8 1/2 inches square - 21 cm square
• For the front only you need:
• 0.1 skein of each colour
• If you are also making the back you need 2 squares of this size or a strip of 11 x 8 1/2 inches - 28 cm x 21 cm in order to stitch both the front and the back.
• For the front and back you will need:
• 0.1 skein of colours A, C, and D
• 0.2 skein of colour B

Thread colours:

You will need the following colours:

• 1 Etoile or metallic thread (or plain DMC if you prefer!)
• Colour A: DMC Etoile CWhite or Kreinik 100HL or 032 (not in picture) or DMC Light Effects E5200 or DMC 5200 or DMC White/Blanc if your fabric is dark enough.
  
• 3 blues several shades apart.;
• Colour B: 1 light blue (for example DMC 809)
• Colour C: 1 medium blue (for example DMC 798)
• Colour D: 1 dark blue (for example DMC 820)

It's important to make sure the colours are easily defined so that they don't merge together. You could of course use different colours - just make sure there is enough contrast between the colours you choose. Unsure? Make a photo of your choices on your fabric and share it!

Colours as per the list above.

DMC 604, 602, and 600 replace B, C, and D

DMC 369, 368, and 367 replace B, C, and D

DMC 817, 816, and 814 replace B, C, and D

DMC 20, 21, and 22 replace B, C, and D

DMC Etoile C798, C820, and C823 replace B, C, and D

The schedule:

• The SAL proper starts December 30th at midday CET
• New pattern sections will be given every 4 hours and the last part will be given sometime on Friday or Saturday depending on your time zone.
• You can check your local time zone for the start here and a countdown is here.
• Australians will get it in the evening - with time to stitch at least one part before bed. Central Europeans around lunch time. Americans will have the first part waiting when they get up and if they get up in time they can sneak a part in before work, or take it with them to work for the lunch break. Doing something globally is never easy but I hope this works out for everyone.

I do not expect anyone to be able to be up to date at all times during the SAL - you need to eat and sleep at the very least so expect to be "behind" part - if not all - of the time! It's part of the nature of this type of SAL for this to happen, so being "behind" is the normal state of affairs. If you are a slow or busy stitcher expect to finish "after" the SAL has "finished" - though tbh the SAL is always available and new people find the patterns on a regular basis so it's never really over.

If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask! Either here or in the Facebook group or, if you prefer, you can DM me on Twitter or Instagram (@magical525 on both)