Temperature SAL 2021 - Announcement Post

I had so much fun with the Temperature SAL in 2020 that I decided to do one in 2021 too! One thing I noticed is that the pattern was a bit on the complicated side, so I decided for 2021 to make things simpler while still making it fun to do. I also made it in three sizes so you can have a larger or smaller border - or none - depending on which you prefer. The border is the only part that makes it a different size - the daily stitch pattern is the same size for all three. I give the border patterns below, the daily patterns I'll give on the first of January.

What:

• This is a temperature SAL.
• A temperature SAL is where you do a small amount of stitching a day using a colour you have picked to correspond to the temperature of that day.
• The pattern is in backstitch.
• There will be a single pattern (218 x 119 stitches) with two border options (Small: 238 x 136 stitches and large: 266 x 136 stitches) if you choose to add one.
• There will be twelve check in points in the year.

Where:

• All patterns are posted here on my blog.
• To find the temperature of the day check your local weather station or weather app (you will need to write it down if you can't stitch that day)
• There is a Facebook group to share progress and talk about the project here.

When:

• You get the patterns for the daily part on the 1st of January. 
• You get the border options now - they are at the bottom of the post.
  
• I will start on the 1st of January 2021. 
• Each post after that will be on the first of the month, this is when you show your progress so far - though if you want to show your progress at other times of the month in the fb group that's more than OK!

Fabric:

• While I don't normally suggest a colour of fabric for this project I strongly suggest using a white, off-white, or black fabric so all of the colours show up well. Check your yellows as they are the ones that show up the least.
  
• I have rounded up the numbers working from the actual size of the stitching to make sure you have enough fabric.
• This means that the fabric given for the option with no border is larger than the space inside the borders - this is accurate as I'm rounding the numbers up. If you are stitching the borders don't worry - I know the daily pattern fits.
  
• Fabric amounts are given based on stitching over one bunch of Aida or over two threads of evenweave.
• If you decide to stitch over one you will of course need less fabric but tbh I wouldn't do this unless you are very experienced at backstitch over one.
• I have given 3 inches / 7.62 cm of fabric on each side for framing.
• If you wish to calculate the fabric for yourself based on your plans then this is a helpful tool.

Size in inches with NO border:

• For 14ct Aida/28ct evenweave:
• The pattern is 15.6 x 8.5 inches.
• It requires a piece of fabric that is 22 x 14 1/2 inches.
• For 16ct Aida/32ct evenweave:
• The pattern is 13.6 x 7.4 inches.
• It requires a piece of fabric that is 20 x 13 1/2 inches.
• For 18ct Aida/36ct evenweave:
• The pattern is 12.1 x 6.6 inches.
• It requires a piece of fabric that is 18 1/2 x 13 inches.
• For 20ct Aida/40ct evenweave.
• The pattern is 10.9 x 6 inches.
• It requires a piece of fabric that is 17 x 12 inches.

Size in cm with NO border:

• For 14ct Aida/28ct evenweave:
  • The pattern is 39.6 x 21.6 cm.
  • It requires a piece of fabric that is 55 x 37 cm.
• For 16ct Aida/32ct evenweave:
• The pattern is 34.6 x 18.9 cm.
• It requires a piece of fabric that is 50 x 35 cm.
• For 18ct Aida/36ct evenweave:
• The pattern is 30.7 x 16.8 cm.
• It requires a piece of fabric that is 46 x 32 cm.
• For 20ct Aida/40ct evenweave.
• The pattern is 27.6 x 15.1 cm.
• It requires a piece of fabric that is 43 x 31 cm.

Size in inches for the smaller border:

• For 14ct Aida/28ct evenweave:
• The pattern is 17 x 9.7 inches.
• It requires a piece of fabric that is 23 x 16 inches.
• For 16ct Aida/32ct evenweave:
• The pattern is 14.9 x 8.5 inches.
• It requires a piece of fabric that is 21 x 14 1/2 inches.
• For 18ct Aida/36ct evenweave:
• The pattern is 13.2 x 7.6 inches.
• It requires a piece of fabric that is 19 1/2 x 14 inches.
• For 20ct Aida/40ct evenweave.
• The pattern is 11.9 x 6.8 inches.
• It requires a piece of fabric that is 18 x 13 inches.

Size in cm for the smaller border:

• For 14ct Aida/28ct evenweave:
• The pattern is 43.3 x 24.7 cm.
• It requires a piece of fabric that is 59 x 40 cm.
• For 16ct Aida/32ct evenweave:
• The pattern is 37.8 x 21.6 cm.
• It requires a piece of fabric that is 53 x 37 cm.
• For 18ct Aida/36ct evenweave:
• The pattern is 33.5 x 19.2 cm.
• It requires a piece of fabric that is 49 x 35 cm.
• For 20ct Aida/40ct evenweave.
• The pattern is 30.1 x 17.2 cm.
• It requires a piece of fabric that is 46 x 33 cm.

Size in inches for the larger border:

• For 14ct Aida/28ct evenweave:
• The pattern is 19 x 9.7 inches.
• It requires a piece of fabric that is 25 x 16 inches.
• For 16ct Aida/32ct evenweave:
• The pattern is 16.6 x 8.5 inches.
• It requires a piece of fabric that is 23 x 14 1/2 inches.
• For 18ct Aida/36ct evenweave:
• The pattern is 14.8 x 7.6 inches.
• It requires a piece of fabric that is 21 x 14 inches.
• For 20ct Aida/40ct evenweave.
• The pattern is 13.3 x 6.8 inches.
• It requires a piece of fabric that is 19 1/2 x 13 inches.

Size in cm for the larger border:

• For 14ct Aida/28ct evenweave:
• The pattern is 48.4 x 24.7 cm.
• It requires a piece of fabric that is 64 x 40 cm.
• For 16ct Aida/32ct evenweave:
• The pattern is 42.2 x 21.6 cm.
• It requires a piece of fabric that is 58 x 37 cm.
• For 18ct Aida/36ct evenweave:
• The pattern is 37.5 x 19.2 cm.
• It requires a piece of fabric that is 53 x 35 cm.
• For 20ct Aida/40ct evenweave.
• The pattern is 33.7 x 17.2 cm.
• It requires a piece of fabric that is 50 x 33 cm.

Floss:

For the floss you will need a range of colours to suit the temperatures most likely to happen in your location. Most people use a rainbow of colours to work with, I'm giving a wide range of temperatures and a small number of degrees within each to give a better idea of the temperature.

I'm giving the same temperature ranges as last year as I plan to stick to that for continuity and to make it easier to compare one year to the next. If you changed colours in 2020 for your version then I suggest sticking to that range again.

For example (temperatures are in Celsius):

Up to -20 - DMC 333
-19 to -15 - DMC 155
-14 to -10 - DMC 156
-9 to -5 - DMC 800
-4 to 0 - DMC 809
1 to 5 - DMC 798
6 to 10 - DMC 909
11 to 15 - DMC 911
16 to 20 - DMC 913
21 to 25 - DMC 445
26 to 30 - DMC 444
31 to 35 - DMC 741
36 to 40 - DMC 946
41 to 45 - DMC 666
46 and up - DMC 816

And for those that use Fahrenheit (I converted Celsius to Fahrenheit for this, adjust if something else works better for you):

Up to -1 - DMC 333
-2 to 5 - DMC 155
6 to 14 - DMC 156
15 to 23 - DMC 800
24 to 32 - DMC 809
33 to 41 - DMC 798
42 to 50 - DMC 909
51 to 59 - DMC 911
60 to 68 - DMC 913
69 to 77 - DMC 445
78 to 86 - DMC 444
87 to 95 - DMC 741
96 to 104 - DMC 946
105 to 113 - DMC 666
114 and up - DMC 816

If the range is too large - or not large enough - for your area then it's more than OK to change and skip things to work for you! What I suggest above is just that, a suggestion to get you started!

Don't like using so many colours? Then make the temperature range for each colour larger - say 10C/14F per range or more.

The most important part is to choose a scale that works for you, set colours to the variables and stick to it for the whole year.

Floss use:
How much floss you use really depends on your temperatures over the year and which border you choose but... in total the pattern uses around 0.1 skeins of floss per colour for the larger border on 14ct (except for the green which uses more - but most of that is due to the daily patterns), so you won't need all that much of most colours unless your temperature range is small (I'd then suggest perhaps adjusting the temperature scale a bit then to have fewer degrees for each colour so you get more variation in colours)

The patterns:

Please note that the patterns have space around them to make it easier to see the stitches along the edge and for the alphabet. I did not count this extra space in the fabric allowance but should you decide to grid please take this into account.

The larger border with months

You can download this border here.

The smaller border without months

You can download this border here.

Please take care with reading the patterns, the corners especially are sneaky and aren't as even as they look.

If you have trouble reading the pattern please let me know - I tried to reduce the number of pages needed to a sensible amount but can make a larger print version if it helps people.

That's all for now for this, if you have any questions or need help ask! You can add a comment below or you can ask in the fb group.

I'll be back later with the Bookmark SAL and tomorrow for the next part of the Autumn Mystery SAL 2020!