personal challenge

a few months ago i decided to try my hand at some "blackwork" - it's a style of embroidery which i have long admired but it is usually neat, precise and controlled ......... characteristics which don't usually apply to my stitching! when i came across a blackwork kit in a Mackintosh-inspired design which appealed to me and provided an opportunity to try my hand i ordered it and decided it was time to have a go  

it's small piece which i thought would be manageable and it certainly provided some different challenges - after a couple of false starts, I surprised myself by keeping up a regular momentum and got it finished sooner than i expected

the stitching in the dense green blocks really tested my eyesight as well as my ability to stitch tiny precise stitches and i struggled with achieving smoothly couched curves - but the blackwork fills were a real pleasure as i developed a rhythm