Mystery Baby Blanket Club 2023/24: post 4, Mail Out 4
Debbie AbrahamsHAPPY NEW YEAR AND WELCOME TO THE FOURTH MBBC23 INSTALMENT! I hope that you have had a fabulous Christmas and are looking forward to a busy and creative 2024!
We managed to take some time off to spend with the family and are continuing to enjoy some downtime before Seth returns to school on the 4th January. And if you’re still on your hols too, then what better way to begin the new year than with a whole new batch of squares to knit!?! So settle down with some festive treats and a cuppa and indulge yourself in all that gorgeous yarn…
There is no intro from me this month and no new tech vids. But remember that all of these vids are available to view any time during the project if you need a helping hand:
- How to knit intarsia (MO1 blog)
- Picking up stitches to knit the next square (MO1 blog)
- Mattress stitch (horizontal) (MO1 blog)
- How to carry yarns up the side of the work (MO1 blog)
- How to knit fairisle (MO1 blog)
- How to add Swiss darning to your knitting (MO1 blog)
- How to cable (MO1 blog)
- How to knit a bobble (MO1 blog)
- How to add Chain stitch to your knitting (MO2 blog)
MAIL OUT 4 HAS BEEN EMAILED TO ALL THE MEMBERS ON 1ST JANUARY, so make sure that you check your inbox for your latest batch of patterns.
The printed patterns for both overseas and UK members were posted just before the Christmas break on the 22nd December. So all being good with the postal systems around the world, they should be arriving with you soon.
IF YOU HAVEN’T MADE A NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION THEN MAYBE THIS IS ONE YOU CAN MAKE (IF IT’S NOT TOO LATE!) – BLOCKING AND PRESSING! I talked about this in the first blog back in October, so hopefully you are all doing this as it really does finish the squares beautifully – and you will be so much happier! But in case you need a reminder of some of the key points about blocking and pressing, here is a summary of both techniques:
Blocking is the pinning out of your knitting, and, unless instructed otherwise, you should always pin it out with the wrong side facing upwards. Pin frequently along each edge, keeping all four edges as flat and even as possible. There is no need to use heat to press your squares. Much more preferable – and safer too – is cold water. So, if you have one available, fill up a plant spray bottle and use this to generously wet down the knitting, making sure that the water is dispersed right across the knitting from edge to edge. And then leave it to dry completely before removing the pins.
Pressing is the process of applying either heat or water to your knitting which relaxes the stitches and softens the fibres, resulting in a much more fluid and pleasant feeling fabric. After pressing you will find that your knitting drastically changes in quality and will feel beautiful and soft.
Blocking and pressing also helps the edges of the knitting stay flat rather than curling over, as is the tendency with most stitch structures.
Above: a Mystery Blanket square blocked out on a June Tailor blocking board.
I would suggest that you block and press your squares after you have knitted each one. I think it’s far easier to do this as you go along rather than leaving them all to the end. It also ensures that as you work through the squares, they are all knitting up to the correct measurements.
IF YOU FANCY A NEW YEAR SHOP WITH A GREAT DISCOUNT THEN KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR OUR ONLINE SALE WHERE YOU WILL FIND UP TO 35% OFF SELECTED LINES WHICH INCLUDE:
20% off all our DEBBIE ABRAHAMS BEADS:
Our sparkling beads are great to add to any project for a touch of glamour and we have a huge collection of over fifty beautiful colours in both sizes for you to choose from:
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You can pair up our beads with Debbie’s Merino Light DK yarn and make yourself something really wonderful in the new year. Choose any quantity from our collection of seven beautiful shades: Topaz, Coral, Serpentine, Turquoise, Garnet, Amethyst (above), and Tanzanite.
This UK produced yarn is lightweight double-knitting and is made from 100% wool. It is a great yarn for knitting and crocheting all sorts of projects from small accessories to garments.
STAR BUNDLE BUY!
For every five balls of Merino Light DK and one pack of beads purchased we will give you a Let It Snow Mitts free download pattern!
20% off FESTIVE MYSTERY BOXES:
If you didn’t grab yourself a Festive Mystery Box, then the good news is that we have a few left, but not for long! Each box contains ten ‘mystery’ gifts, which includes a new festive knitting kit using Rowan Yarns designed by Debbie.
20% off WINTER WONDERLAND SOCKS:
Our unique range of ready-to-wear Winter Wonderland socks are the perfect way to keep your feet warm instantly, and you can grab yourself a pair (or three!) to enhance your winter wardrobe. Choose from three designs: Rockin’ Around, Winter Ball and Oh Tannenbaum!
The sale will begin in a few days time, but we will send you an email as soon as it launches, so keep an eye on your inbox!
OUR FURRY FRIENDS GALLERY IS NOW LIVE ON OUR WEBSITE! So thank you to everyone who sent in their pics and words to create such a wonderful gallery of knit-happy pets! It was absolutely delightful to see all your gorgeous furry friends keeping you company as you knitted your way through the past year. You can find the Furry Friends Gallery in our blog, so pop across and have a peek if you want to see some really cute pics of cats and dogs enjoying all things knitting!
HAVE YOU MANAGED TO GUESS THE TITLE OF THE MYSTERY BABY BLANKET? The guessing game is over for Kelly Symons, Valerie McNulty and Helen Jackson who all got it right, so well done to all of you! But if you are still guessing then there are lots of clues in the squares you’ve knitted so far, plus here's another letter which might help as well. This month I’m giving you the letter “W”:
_ O W / I / _ _ O W / _ Y / _ _ _ ‘ _
If you think you know what it is, please email sue at sue@debbieabrahams.com and if your guess is correct we will (with your permission) publish your name in the next Baby Blanket blog. What a great start to 2024 that would be!
THESE ARE THE FIVE SQUARES TO KNIT IN MAIL OUT 4:
Square 4: Love You 2 – lace heart motif:
Square 5: The Letter ‘H’ – intarsia letter motif:
Square 11: The Letter ‘M’– striped pattern with fairisle letter motifs (two colourways):
Square 12: ‘I’ is for Ice Cream! – intarsia ice cream motif with a contrast coloured bobble (two colourways):
Square 13: The Letter ‘F’ – striped pattern with fairtisle letter motifs (two colourways):
On each pattern page there is a list of Pattern notes and tips that are worth reading before you start to knit each square. These bits of advice give you a pre-warning of what to look out for, as well as some useful information about how to knit each square. In the following notes below I am going to give you a few extra tips about the squares so that you can knit them with complete confidence.
SQUARE 4, LOVE YOU 2: we begin with a reknit of a previous square, but there is change to the colour – Camel is swapped for Taupe.
Tech vids to watch for assistance with this square:
- Picking up stitches to knit the next square (MO1 blog)
- Mattress stitch (horizontal) (MO1 blog)
- How to knit a bobble (MO1 blog)
The heart motif is created by knitting basic lace stitches (K2tog, yf, skpo and sk2po) with a self-coloured bobble in the centre. The Abbreviations list on page 19 gives instructions for all these if you get stuck. But with the exception of sk2po, they are all commonly used in knitting patterns. There are a few variations of sk2po (one being s2kpo), but the one I have used results in the decreased stitches sitting vertically rather than on a slant.
You can choose to work from worded instructions or from a chart for this square. If you work from the chart, just make sure that you make the necessary needle size changes as given on page 7. They are for the moss stitch borders which frame the heart motif at the top and bottom of the square.
SQUARE 5, THE LETTER ‘H’: this large letter intarsia motif joins the ‘P’, ‘Y’ and ‘S’ you have already knitted so far and is knitted in the same colourway as ‘S’ - Ducking and Sea Green.
Tech vids to watch for assistance with this square:
- Picking up stitches to knit the next square (MO1 blog)
- Mattress stitch (horizontal) (MO1 blog)
- How to knit intarsia (MO1 blog)
As with all of the other large letter motifs, it is important that the intarsia technique is used to knit this square, and not be tempted to carry yarns across the back of the work. So although it only uses two colours, I would suggest that you use five bobbins of yarn (or separate balls), split as follows: three of Duckling and two of Sea Green.
When you reach Chart Row 21 you can reduce the number down to two bobbins/balls of Duckling and one of Sea Green, and then reintroduce the others again on Chart Row 28.
If you scroll back to the Mail Out 1 blog, there is a tech vid for intarsia if you need a reminder of the technique. The key thing to remember is to cross the yarns over each other every time you change colour as this will prevent holes, thus creating a smooth transition from one colour to the next. This needs to be done every time you change colour.
There is a half-page Notes section on page 10 which could be useful if you want to write down how you knitted this square and on which rows you joined in the yarns.
SQUARE 11, THE LETTER ‘M’: this is the sister square to Square 25, but instead of knitting the letter ‘N', you are knitting the letter ‘M’.
- Picking up stitches to knit the next square (MO1 blog)
- Mattress stitch (horizontal) (MO1 blog)
- How to carry yarns up the side of the work (MO1 blog)
- How to knit fairisle (MO1 blog)
Two narrow bands of fairisle are divided between rows of striped garter stitch and stocking stitch. There are a few needle size changes which chop and change throughout the square, and these are essential to maintain an even tension - garter stitch has a looser stitch tension than stocking stitch and therefore requires a smaller needle, whereas fairisle has a tighter stitch tension and requires a larger needle. So although it might be a bit of a nuisance to keep changing over the needles, it is essential to do this when instructed to achieve the correct length and width.
There are two colour options for this square so make sure that you follow the correct instructions for the colourway you are knitting. Colourway 1 (Silver) is always written first with any changes for Colourway 2 (Rosy) written afterwards in brackets and bold.
SQUARE 12: ‘I’ IS FOR ICE CREAM: get your taste buds going this month with a blueberry (or bubblegum!) flavour ice cream, complete with a chocolate bobble!
Tech vids to watch for assistance with this square:
- Picking up stitches to knit the next square (MO1 blog)
- Mattress stitch (horizontal) (MO1 blog)
- How to knit intarsia (MO1 blog)
- How to add Swiss darning to your knitting (MO1 blog)
The ice cream is knitted using the intarsia technique and requires two bobbins of yarn (or separate balls) of Cream, one of Camel and one of Heavenly. There are textured stitches on the cone that you can see clearly on both images on page 13 and on the charts on page 14. It’s actually pretty straightforward to knit with no awkward shapes to have to deal with. And if you don’t fancy knitting in the three hearts and the letter ‘I’, then these can be added to the square afterwards using Swiss darning. If you decide to Swiss darn these details, block and press the square before doing the embroidery as it will make the surface of the knitting flatter to work on. You can also block and press it again after embroidering, if desired.
There were contrast-coloured bobbles in Squares 3 and 8, so you have knitted them before. But if you need a reminder of the technique, you can scroll back to my 2023 Mystery Blanket for some assistance: https://debbieabrahams.com/blogs/news/mystery-blanket-club-2023-post-1-february
SQUARE 13, THE LETTER ‘F’: this square is similar to Squares 9 and 23 but this time you are knitting ‘F’s instead of ‘T’s and ‘U’s.
Tech vids to watch for assistance with this square:
- Picking up stitches to knit the next square (MO1 blog)
- Mattress stitch (horizontal) (MO1 blog)
- How to carry yarns up the side of the work (MO1 blog)
- How to knit fairisle (MO1 blog)
Having knitted squares similar to this twice before, this one should be familiar to you and therefore an easy one to knit. Just remember the needle size changes – there are three – to maintain a neat and even tension throughout the whole square.
FOLLOW US AND JOIN IN ALL THE FRIENDLY BANTER ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS!
If you are not already a Ravelry member, then it is very easy (and free!) to join. Just follow the instructions on their website: http://www.ravelry.com
The Debbie Abrahams Mystery Knitters group on Facebook is another fun way to keep in touch with other members. It was set up a couple of years ago and has grown in size to over 500 members, so that’s well worth joining too.
We also have our own Facebook page where you will find regular updates on everything we are doing from knitting kits to workshops and events!
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IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO SEND IN YOUR PHOTOS FOR THE MEMBERS GALLERY! This is an invitation to all of you to send in pics of your completed Debbie Abrahams projects (mystery and non-mystery projects are welcome!) and share your knitting achievements from the past year with knitters and makers worldwide. It is always such a joy for me to see what you’ve been creating over the past twelve months, and it is inspiring for others to see what is possible. So if you’ve got something to share, please send in your pics with a few words straight to me at debbie@debbieabrahams.com and I will be delighted to include your wonderful work in the Members Gallery later on this month. Please send your pics uncropped and in their ‘raw’ state as that makes it easier for me to make any necessary edits at my end. Thank you!
May I take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy New Year and best wishes for a busy and super creative 2024! I love the start of a new year with the prospect of exciting new ventures, and of course there is plenty coming out of our design studio with the 2024 Mystery Blanket Club beginning soon and sign-ups for the 2024 Mystery Cushion Club opening up at the beginning of March. I have been working on some new kits too, plus we have some exciting knitting events and holidays being planned, so there’s plenty to keep you inspired and knit-happy throughout the next year! Have a fabulous New Year, wherever you are and whoever you are spending it with. And we’ll catch up again at the beginning of February, Debbie x
