Building Blocks 1

In order to have a go at coloured blackwork I am starting simple by using single threads to create flat blocks of different patterns. This seemed like a good time to try to expand my vocabulary of stitch patterns again and experiment with shading using different patterns. Therefore, I will be sewing a regular pile of coloured cubes, like children's building bocks. This is a simple mock-up of what I am aiming for:

Each cube will be in a single colour and will be shaded entirely by using different patterns. The rules are that I am not allowed to use the same pattern twice or simply add or remove a few stitches from a base pattern  to make it different and I can't cheat by changing thread thickness. This should be interesting, I am slightly worried about the yellow block in case it doesn't show up enough. I looked through my thread collection and these are the colours I have chosen:

The yellow is the darkest one I have and the others are chosen because they are all in the same shade range. I think they make a nice combination.