Blackwork SAL 2021: Shades of Blackwork - February

Welcome to the second part of the 2021 Blackwork SAL! This below freezing temperature is really getting to my joints and making it difficult to stitch as a result. Today I could barely hold the needle and finally just gave up, so you won't have as much to see on the photo. The pattern however IS complete, so all is good!

Blackwork SAL 2021: Shades of Blackwork - January

Welcome to the first part of the 2021 Blackwork SAL! I'm sorry this part is late, life got busier than expected, and I ended up with less time to stitch than planned and to show this properly I needed to stitch it all. As always with evening pictures it's difficult to get the colours right, especially when you aren't stitching on white fabric.

Blackwork SAL 2020 - December

Welcome to the twelfth and final part of the 2020 Blackwork SAL! I'm sorry this last part is late - I always forget how long it takes to make these patterns - so much has to be hand drawn to add to the basic plus pattern I'd created before I had the idea to add more shapes as options. I do hope that you had fun stitching this year and hope to see you joining in with next year's Blackwork SAL!

Blackwork SAL 2021: Shades of Blackwork - SAL Announcement Post

After the success of the previous Blackwork SALs I decided to include one for 2021 as well — with a difference again, because it's fun to change things up. This year there are only two options given for this SAL — and it's how you stitch them not the patterns given. You can either do a single large piece or you can make the patterns into smallish bookmarks. Obviously if you wish you can have fun with the patterns and do your own thing!

Blackwork SAL 2020 - November

Welcome to the eleventh part of the 2020 Blackwork SAL! This month you will again get two pattern options - one that is original to the design and one I added to make the numbers. In some of the patterns there are a couple of extra variations added to make choosing even more difficult - the first pattern looks so different when the focus is on a different part of the pattern that I made those options easy for you.

Blackwork SAL 2020 - October

Welcome to the tenth part of the 2020 Blackwork SAL! This month you will again get two pattern options. I not only managed to get this month's stitching done in time but I also finished last month's as well! I didn't remember to take a photo of last month's before I started stitching in the weekend so you will get a full photo of everything so far instead of multiple images.

Blackwork SAL 2020 - September

Welcome to the ninth part of the 2020 Blackwork SAL! This month you will again get two pattern options. My back is playing up and I wasn't able to do more than a section of the first of today's pattern before I had to admit that stitching wasn't happening today. Unfortunately it's one of those things but I did take a picture of it and the finished pattern from last month that I'd completed a couple of days after I posted last month's pattern.

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.

Blackwork SAL 2020 - July

Welcome to the seventh part of the 2020 Blackwork SAL! This month you will again get two pattern options. While I was stitching this month's patterns it occurred to me that in a way it's not a bad thing that we got so ahead in the first months of the year - you may find this strange but I for one tend to run out of steam towards the summer/autumn time - usually because I'm using what little energy I have doing things around the house and garden that my rheumatism doesn't let me do the rest of the year and, when we don't have pandemics ongoing, I usually get away for two weeks in the summer. Overall then it's not a bad thing but I have made sure it can't happen for next year's Blackwork SAL (Oh yes... there will be one!)

Blackwork SAL 2020 - June

Welcome to the sixth part of the 2020 Blackwork SAL! This month you will again get two pattern options - after today's pattern there will be just ten slots left in the plusses version but I think I'll make sure there are two patterns a month going forwards so that people still have a choice if they are doing the patterns with fewer openings.

Blackwork SAL 2020 - May

Welcome to the fifth part of the 2020 Blackwork SAL! I'm running a bit later than planned - I thought I had the patterns ready but I didn't so had to "quickly" make them - it takes about an hour so I really couldn't have them ready faster than this.

Blackwork SAL 2020 - April

Welcome to the fourth part of the 2020 Blackwork SAL! Some people pointed out that if I kept on giving as many patterns as I had been in the first three months that I'd run out of patterns some time before the end of the year. They were right! I'm not sure how I got my calculations so off but somehow I had. I had a good long think about things and decided not to go with my initial plan of just doing lots of patterns as it takes a lot of time to make them and then I'd not have time for other things. There are 19 patterns left and eight months (Including April) so I'll do two or three a month for the rest of the year. This month I'm giving two pattens.

Blackwork SAL 2020 - March

Welcome to the third part of the 2020 Blackwork SAL! This month you will finally see the last of the plusses that I've been hiding under the white bars! From now on I'm going to have to keep up with all of you - it should be doable! I did this month's between other stuff so it should work out ok.

Blackwork SAL 2020 - February

Welcome to the second part of the 2020 Blackwork SAL! As time has gone by since the first post I have seen more people deciding which shape to go with - it's so fun seeing how people are choosing to work! Remember that the squares and octagons have fewer shapes to fill so don't get too carried away with filling shapes or you will run out of space before November!

Blackwork SAL 2020 - January

Welcome to the first part of the 2020 Blackwork SAL! This year is quite a bit different from last year as you can choose the shape you want to stitch - If you don't know what I'm talking about I suggest you read the information post first as that has everything you need to know to join in with it. I'll be doing a separate pdf per shape so you don't need to print off any more than necessary.

Blackwork SAL - December

Welcome to the twelfth part of the Blackwork SAL! This month is the last part of the 2019 Blackwork SAL - I hope you have enjoyed this SAL! For those who want to continue next year I have another Blackwork SAL on the way! You can read more about it here. But that's not the only blackwork I'm doing next year! I'm also doing blackwork style stockings - as I'm designing many of the patterns from scratch they might not be true blackwork, but they do look very pretty! You can read more about it here.

Blackwork SAL - November

Welcome to the eleventh part of the Blackwork SAL! Thank you all for the birthday wishes, I had a great day and was spoilt rotten! For those wondering why my fb birthday shows as another date - I had stalker issues in the past and setting a different birthday from the real one is one of the ways to avoid issues. On to what you came for... this is the second to last post for the SAL bringing you the second to last part - this month it's a LOT of stitches!

Blackwork SAL - SAL Announcement Post

After the success of the Blackwork SAL of this year I have decided to use the Summer Mystery SAL, that I was unable to host due to health reasons, as a year long SAL instead. This SAL is full of options so very easy to make it uniquely yours. The picture above is NOT a section of the SAL - I'm keeping the patterns I'm including a secret for now. What I won't be keeping secret is the four options that you get for the outlines for the SAL - I thought it would be easier to let you baste or mark that before the SAL starts so you can add each part more easily.

Blackwork SAL - October

Welcome to the tenth part of the Blackwork SAL! This month has been going amazingly well! Not only have I caught up with the September part that I was behind on but I also stitched this month's pattern! I have no idea how I am managing to stitch so much as I have been doing a good 1500 stitches every weekend this month as well.

Blackwork SAL - September

Welcome to the ninth part of the Blackwork SAL! This month things did not go to plan for the stitching, between not being well, unexpected appointments, and getting told today that my new fridge is getting delivered tomorrow. It was supposed to be 15 calendar days but apparently they really meant five working days. I'm happy! The old fridge has just about had it, so getting it sooner rather than later is good but I just haven't had the time to complete the stitching.