Mystery Blanket Club 2024: post 7, August
Debbie AbrahamsHELLO AND WELCOME TO THE SEVENTH INSTALMENT OF THE 2024 MYSTERY BLANKET CLUB! And with summer seemingly well underway here in Nottingham and the promise of some sustained good weather over the next few weeks, I’ve been enjoying some outdoor knitting in the sunshine. The school holidays have just begun so I’ve got my little friend Seth here to keep me company too. We’re both looking forward to some fun days out and a family holiday to Gran Canaria at the end of the month, which we are all very excited about…
So what have I got in store for you this month?... There are six squares to knit with one brand new square and some recolours of previous squares. And as we move up towards the top of the blanket it’s all pinks and purples this month, which luckily are two of my most favourite colours!
It’s another read-only blog this month with no vids, and that’s because my nephew and his wife welcomed their first son Jim into the world a couple of weeks ago. So as you can imagine they are pretty busy at the moment getting used to their new way of life. Consequently the vids and my social media posts are on temporary hold, but not for long. Next month we’ll get back on track again when things have settled down…
There are plenty of tech vids to assist you if you need some guidance for this month’s squares. This is the list of what you can access via previous blogs:
- How to knit star stitch (June blog)
- How to cast on using several colours (April blog)
- Square 22, Lunar (Option One), how to cross over the yarns (April blog)
- Square 1, Capricorn (Option Two) (March blog)
- How to knit intarsia (March blog)
- How to cable (March blog)
- Square 8, Tranquility: Japanese short-row shaping (February blog)
- How to carry yarns up the side of the work (February blog)
- How to add Swiss darning to your knitting (February blog)
- How to thread beads onto your yarn (February blog
- How to bead, the slip-stitch method (February blog)
- How to bead, the hooking-in method (February blog)
- How to knit fairisle (February blog)
- Picking up stitches to begin a new square (February blog)
- Mattress stitch (horizontal) (February blog)
THE AUGUST FILE (MAIL OUT 7) HAS BEEN SENT TO YOU, so you should find an email from us in your inbox. However, if you cannot see it then please check your Spam folder first before doing anything else as sometimes our emails end up in there.
This is a quick reminder about how you access your Mystery Blanket patterns. The email we send you is simply to notify you that the patterns are live in your online account – there is no longer a direct link to the file.
These are the steps that everyone needs to follow in order to access the new patterns each month:
- Log into your Debbie Abrahams account on our website with your username and password.
- Click the "DIGITAL DOWNLOADS" buttons to view your mail outs.
- Your latest available mail-outs will be visible here in PDF format to download
If you are having a problem with logging into your account, please contact Jason on our tech team and he will be able to assist you: support@debbieabrahams.com
THE AUGUST PATTERNS ARE ON THEIR WAY TO THE MEMBERS WHO PAID FOR THIS OPTION. The overseas were posted on the 24th July and the UK on the 29th July. So if they have not already arrived, they should be with you very soon.
IT’S A GOOD IDEA TO CHECK THE ADDENDUM PAGE ON OUR WEBSITE BEFORE YOU START TO KNIT EACH SQUARE, just in case any errors have been reported to us.
In MO6 (July) one correction was found:
Page 11: after casting on or picking up the stitches to begin the square, the stitches need to be transferred onto the other needle so that the RS is facing for the next row.
THIS MONTH WE HAVE LAUNCHED A BRAND NEW KIT – OUR AMOUR COWL AND MITTS! So if you fancy knitting up another Debbie design alongside your blanket, this is the perfect project to add to your knit-list. The mitts are the project that we included in this year’s Mother’s Day Mystery Boxes, and I have designed a cowl to match them. You can buy them as a set (the mitts and cowl together), or separately.
There are three vibrant colourways to choose from: Luscious Purple, Cool Teal or Hot Pink. We have limited kits of Purple and Teal, so if these are your colours, you’d be wise to order your kit sooner rather than later.
Each kit includes Rowan Felted Tweed, Debbie’s Merino Light/Light Wool DK yarn, Debbie Abrahams beads and downloadable pattern instructions (hard copy on request).
The kit is on sale now in our online shop. So why not get ahead with your Autumn/Winter accessories and embark on a whole new project this month!
DON’T FORGET TO MARK THE 23RD AUGUST ON YOUR CALENDAR AS THIS IS THE DAY THAT WE LAUNCH SIGN-UPS FOR OUR 2025 MYSTERY BLANKET CLUB! The wheels are well and truly in motion for this brand new knit-a-long with a super Early Bird offer for everyone who signs up within the first month.
I am very excited to be working very closely with Rowan on this project and to be using some of their most beautiful yarns including Felted Tweed, Summerlite DK, Denim Revive and Soft Yak. The whole mood of the blanket is very different to this year, with soft shades of greys, blues and silver creating a calm and soothing colour palette. I am loving the combination of different fibres in this new blanket, mixing together soft felted wools with smooth cottons and grainy textured yarns. If you liked the 2020 Mystery Blanket, ‘Our Precious Earth’, then you’ll love this design – it’s a different theme, but very much connected to the outdoors and nature.
Above: a glimpse of the colour palette and some of the yarns for 2025...
The blanket will give you the opportunity to try out some new techniques (or brush up on existing ones), with fairisle, intarsia, beads, stripes, cables and textured stitches combined together in the forty-nine squares. And there will be plenty of tech vids too to help you along the way if you need some guidance.
Above: Mystery Blanket 2020, Our Precious Earth.
Our Early Bird offer is in collaboration with Rowan yarns and will be given to all members who sign up by the end of September, so it would be wise to book your place early to take advantage of it. And if you prefer to spread the cost of your membership over several months and pay in instalments, then you will still be able to claim all your Early bird rewards.
So you don’t need to do anything but sit back and wait for our email to drop into your inbox on the 23rd August. And then you can get yourself signed up for another whole new ‘mystery’ knit-a-long adventure with me in 2025!
I THINK THAT MOST OF THE MEMBERS HAVE GUESSED THE TITLE OF THE BLANKET WITH SO MANY OF THE LETTERS REVEALED IN THE PUZZLE BELOW. Sandra Vargas from Solna in Sweden is the latest member to send in a correct guess, so very well done to you! However, for those that have not guessed it, here is another letter to help you…
This month the letter I am giving you is “A”:
_ T ‘ S / _ R _ T T E N / _ N / T H E / S T A R S
If this has cracked it for you and you think you know what it is, please send in your guess to Sue at sue@debbieabrahams.com. And if you do get it right, with your permission we will include your name in the next blog. Good luck everyone!
THERE ARE SIX SQUARES TO KNIT THIS MONTH:
Square 14, Tranquillity 4 – multi-coloured wave pattern using Japanese short-row shaping with optional embroidered details (same for both options):
Square 19, Starburst – beaded star pattern with hooked-in beads and slip stitch beads (same for both options):
Square 40, Stargazer 2 – textured stripe pattern (same for both options):
Square 46, Lunar 3 (Option One) – intarsia cable pattern:
Square 46, Lunar 3 (Option Two) – striped slip-stitch pattern:
Square 47, Aries (Option One) – fairisle pattern with textured stripes and slip-stitch beads:
Square 47, Aries (Option Two) – slip-stitch pattern with textured stripes and slip-stitch beads:
Square 48, Cosmic 4 – textured stripe pattern (same for both options):
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 will help you and give pre-warnings as to what to look out for in the pattern instructions. Also take note of the description under the title of each square as this tells you what the stitch structure is.
You can use the tech vids from previous blogs to help you knit your squares. But here are a few extra tips to assist you:
SQUARE 14, TRANQUILITY 4: this is a recolour of Squares 8 and 36 from the February and April mail outs and uses the technique of Japanese short-row shaping with some optional lurex embroidery.
Videos to watch for assistance with this square:
- Square 8, Tranquility: Japanese short-row shaping (February blog)
- How to carry yarns up the side of the work (February blog)
- How to add Swiss darning to your knitting (February blog)
I think that you’re probably pretty much okay with the technique of Japanese short-rows by now, however, if you need a gentle reminder then you can watch my tech vid. Just remember when working the stitch after you’ve attached a marker, hold the marker against the work and knit/purl the next stitch firmly so that the marker sits tight against the work. And when you remove the marker, pull firmly on the loop and make sure that it is not twisted as you place it on the left needle.
Remember to wind your Light Gold Lurex and Pearl yarns onto two separate bobbins and then you will find them much easier to knit with them.
On the image of this square on page 5 you will see that there is some embroidery along the top of the Pink Bliss lozenges. It is in the same position as the embroidery on Squares 8 and 36 and is optional. So if you prefer the square without it, leave it off. You need to use the Pink Lurex for this, which is on a card, and the embroidery is Swiss darning, for which there is a tech vid if needed.
SQUARE 19, STARBURST: this brand new square is a feast of beads with slip-stitch and hooked-in techniques combined together to create a super sparkly starry pattern!
Videos to watch for assistance with this square:
- Picking up stitches to begin a new square (February blog)
- Mattress stitch (horizontal) (February blog)
- How to thread beads onto your yarn (February blog
- How to bead, the slip-stitch method (February blog)
- How to bead, the hooking-in method (February blog)
You’ll need to pre-thread a lot of beads for this square - the instructions for which are on page 9 - and they fill the whole of the page! You need to be absolutely spot on with your bead threading as any mistakes will mean having to cut the yarn, remove the beads and start all over again. So it would be a good idea, if possible, to ask someone to read out the sequence to you so that you can focus on threading on the beads without having to look at the instructions. And if there is no one who can help you out, then use a marker (a piece of paper, a ruler or a Post-It note will do), to keep track of where you are on the page.
The chart for this square is on page 10. Take a good look at it before you begin so that you can work out where the beads are slip-stitched and where they are hooked-in. You will see in the key that the beads that have an inner black circle are the ones that are hooked-in. These are in the centre of the square, creating the starburst in the middle of the four stars. It may be difficult to see that the centre Night Sky bead is hooked-in, so we’ve made it clearer by writing ‘hb, Night Sky’ on the chart.
So brace yourself for a beading frenzy! It’s actually not difficult at all once you’ve got all the beads threaded onto your yarn - you simply just cast on and get going! Happy beading everyone!
SQUARE 40, STARGAZER 2: this all-over textured stripe pattern is exactly the same as Square 12 from last month’s mail out, so it should be pretty straightforward to knit.
Videos to watch for assistance with this square:
- Picking up stitches to begin a new square (February blog)
- Mattress stitch (horizontal) (February blog)
- How to knit star stitch (June blog)
- How to carry yarns up the side of the work (February blog)
This is the textured stitch pattern where most of the work takes place on wrong side rows. The little ‘stars’ are created by P3tog (a double decrease), yrn (which is an increase of one stitch), followed by P3tog again into the same stitches (which creates another increase). Although these wrong side rows are a little hard on the hands, the reward is the following right side row on which all the stitches are knitted. So it’s one intensive row followed by one easy row, with the colours changed every two rows.
After casting on/picking up stitches, you are instructed to swap over to a larger needle, so make sure that you remember to do this otherwise the square will knit up too tightly.
SQUARE 46, LUNAR (Option One): this looks similar to Square 4, but there is a slight difference. The colours are the same but the cables twist the other way – to the right instead of to the left.
Videos to watch for assistance with this square:
- How to cast on using several colours (April blog)
- Square 22, Lunar (Option One), how to cross over the yarns (April blog)
- How to cable (March blog)
It is advisable to choose the same option that you knitted for Square 4.
For this square you can work from either worded instructions or a chart. It depends on what you find easiest to follow, and it varies from person to person. So choose whatever suits you best – or work from both!
This is an intarsia cable pattern with a separate bobbin or ball of yarn required for each vertical strip – so that’s five in total. I much prefer to use bobbins for this as I find they are easier to handle than separate balls. They also give a bit of weight to the yarn which I find helps when I cross them over at the colour changes. Some people find bobbins frustrating to use, but the secret to keeping them under control is to wind each bobbin back up after it has been used so that they are kept close to the work rather than dangling and twangling around each other.
The cables in this square are crossed over at the back – c8b - which twists them to the right instead of to the left, as in Square 4.
If you need a reminder about how to cast on in several colours and how to cross the yarns over, then it is advisable to watch both tech vids before you begin this square. Remember that yarns are crossed over on the right side of the work and not on the wrong side (which is not what you would usually do when you knit intarsia patterns).
SQUARE 46, LUNAR (Option Two): this is the alternative option to knit, and it is exactly the same as Square 4, Option Two.
Videos to watch for assistance with this square:
- How to carry yarns up the side of the work (February blog)
It is advisable to choose the same option that you knitted for Square 4.
This is a rotational repeat of three colours across a slip-stitch pattern, and when all three yarns are joined in they are not cut off until the square is completed, which makes it a really lovely one to knit. Simply carry the unused yarns up the side of the work at the end of each row, making sure that they are neat and not pulled too tightly.
For the stripe pattern to work you have to make sure that you pick up the correct colour at the beginning of each new row – it is easy to work two rows in the same colour if you lose concentration. So at the beginning of each row pick up the new colour that is waiting there for you and drop the colour you’ve just used. Remember to do this and you’ll be absolutely fine!
I have written the pattern over 72 rows, but on page 17 I have also given a measurement of 18cm to work to. Hopefully you made a note of how many rows you worked for Square 4 as this square needs to be knitted to the same number.
SQUARE 47, ARIES (Option One): this is the sixth square in the blanket that has fairisle zodiac symbols, and it’s the second one that you will knit in the pink/purple colourway.
Videos to watch for assistance with this square:
- Picking up stitches to begin a new square (February blog)
- Mattress stitch (horizontal) (February blog)
- How to carry yarns up the side of the work (February blog)
- How to thread beads onto your yarn (February blog
- How to bead, the slip-stitch method (February blog)
- How to knit fairisle (February blog)
It is advisable to choose the same option that you knitted for squares 3, 5 and 45.
This square looks similar to its opposite neighbour, Square 5, but the fairisle symbols are Aries, knitted in Iris and Sapphire. On the chart on page 19 the background (Iris) is shown in white so that you can see the symbols more easily.
Don’t forget that there are changes to the needle sizes for the rows of garter stitch in the beaded stripes. These changes are necessary if you want to keep your beaded stripes looking nice and neat without any wobbly edges!
SQUARE 47, ARIES (Option Two): this is the easier alternative and uses the same colours as Option One. It is the same as Square 5, Option Two.
Videos to watch for assistance with this square:
- Picking up stitches to begin a new square (February blog)
- Mattress stitch (horizontal) (February blog)
- How to carry yarns up the side of the work (February blog)
- How to thread beads onto your yarn (February blog
- How to bead, the slip-stitch method (February blog)
It is advisable to choose the same option that you knitted for squares 3, 5 and 45.
Remember to watch out for the Velvet beads which are knitted in across the middle of the slip-stitch sections as they are hard to see on the image of the square on page 20. The instructions for this are on Row 20, and are repeated twice more in the square.
SQUARE 48, COSMIC 4: this is the last of the Cosmic squares and it is similar to Square 6, but Hyacinth and Cream are swapped round.
Videos to watch for assistance with this square:
- Picking up stitches to begin a new square (February blog)
- Mattress stitch (horizontal) (February blog)
- Square 1, Capricorn (March blog)
This pattern alternates between stripes of stocking stitch and stripes of the textured stitch that is used in the alternative option to the intarsia squares (Capricorn and Virgo) and also Starry Starry Night. If you need a reminder of this then scroll back to the March blog where you will find a tech vid for it.
Remember to wind the Light Gold Lurex and the Pearl Kidsilk Haze onto separate bobbins as this will make them much easier to work with.
In this stripe pattern it is not advisable to carry yarns up the side of the work as there are too many rows between them. Instead I have instructed them to be cut off, but if you can, weave in some of the loose ends as you go to save darning them in later.
WE HAD A SMALL BUT VERY FRIENDLY GATHERING AT YARN LOFT AT THE BEGINNING OF JULY, where I was joined by Carole Williams, Claire Goode, Kerry Bloodworth and Mary Leeson. You can also see Doreen who owns the shop in the image below.
It’s always a lovely couple of hours spent in the company of enthusiastic and lively knitters, and as usual we chatted away non-stop as the ladies knitted up their blanket squares. What is great for me to see is the progress that everyone is making. Their squares looked fabulous and I think that most of the ladies were up to date, so well done to all of you!
Doreen’s shop is packed full of beautiful yarns, books and accessories, and it is pretty hard to leave the shop empty-handed! I bought a couple of Laine magazines and am planning to knit up a project or two over the summer – which will be an absolute treat for me if I can actually find time to do that!
Yarn Loft is at 118 Hucknall Road, Carrington, Nottingham, tel number 07825 702433, website: www.yarnloft.co.uk. We are taking a break during the summer holidays, so our next meeting is on Wednesday 4th September. If you are able to join us, then do pop down. It would be lovely to see you.
To cover the costs of hosting the meeting there is a small sub to pay (£3.00), which can be paid in cash to Doreen on the day.
I WAS VERY LUCKY TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO RETURN TO HURDS HILL LAST MONTH FOR AN INSPIRED MINDS WORKSHOP. Hurds Hill is the perfect location for a knitting workshop, with the house set in five acres of private grounds which are filled with masses of colourful flowers and plants and an orchard at the bottom of the garden. The house itself is amazing, packed full of the owner’s lifetime collection of antiquities and has everything from Pearly King outfits to grand pianos (four of them!). From the minute you step through the door you are made to feel at home, with David, Clifford and his wonderful housekeeping team ready to tend to your every need!
All of the meals are freshly prepared every day and cooked in-house by David. He is an amazing chef and served us an absolutely delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. The menu is kept a secret until you sit down to eat, but there was so much variety and so many gorgeous dishes served to us that no one went hungry (far from it!).
I gave the ladies a project to knit up during their stay, it was the Amour Cowl (the kit that I have launched this month). They had the choice of either the Pink, Teal or Purple colourway (Teal was the most popular), and they spent their workshop time knitting it up.
For the first time at one of our events we included some extra activities. We had a wine tasting afternoon which was run by a local wine-maker, during which we got to sample various white wines from his vineyard. Needless to say, most of us went away with bottles to take home!
We also had a chocolate-making class which was really great fun. A local chocolatier brought all her equipment to the house and the ladies made their own truffles. As you can see from the images below, some of the ladies were in hysterics, especially when they had to squeeze the chocolate onto the table from their piping bags!
There was also the opportunity to visit Barrington Court, a Tudor manor house owned by the National Trust, which is just a few miles away from Hurds Hill. It was a bit of a rainy day so only a few of us went. But it was well worth putting up with the weather as the gardens were absolutely beautiful, filled with the most colourful and exotic plants. And there were some small shops there too with local artisans selling their crafts, plus a second-hand bookshop. So it was well worth a visit.
Out of all the venues we have used over the past ten years for workshops, Hurds Hill is definitely one of my favourites, so we will be returning there next year. If you are interested in joining me there, make sure that you are signed up to our Inspired Minds website news alerts, and keep an eye on your inbox for all the most up to date info on our 2025 workshop events: www.inspiredminds-uk.com
FOR ALL OUR LATEST NEWS, MAKE SURE THAT YOU FOLLOW US ON ALL OUR DEBBIE ABRAHAMS 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!
Instagram: debbieabrahams_knitting
Pinterest: debbieabrahams@debbieabrahamsk
Facebook: Debbie Abrahams Mystery Knitters
Facebook: Debbie Abrahams Handknits
Ravelry: Debbie Abrahams Handknits
AND FINALLY, IT’S TIME TO FIND OUT WHO IS THE WINNER OF THE SEVENTH 2024 MYSTERY BLANKET CLUB PRIZE DRAW!!! Each month a member is picked at random to win a Debbie Abrahams prize. So it is worth reading right the way to the end of each blog to see if you are that lucky member!
PRIZE DRAW SEVEN (AUGUST): this month’s winner is member 379, Barbara Frenchman from New Jersey in the USA. Well done Barbara! Please choose a prize from the following selection:
- Your choice of one of Debbie’s knitting kits up to the value of £30.00 (take a look at them in our online shop).
- Six packs of Debbie Abrahams Beads (size 8/0 or 6/0) from the selection on http://www.debbieabrahamsbeads.co.uk
- A £30 voucher towards a Debbie Abrahams Mystery Club membership: 2024 Mystery Cushion Club or 2025 Mystery Blanket Club.
- A Mystery bag of five gifts!
We will notify Barbara to let her know the good news!
Hopefully now that the blanket is well underway with just a few more instalments to go, you are all progressing well and continuing to enjoy the patterns. It’s time to start thinking about that centre square and what it could be (although it won’t be revealed, as usual, until the final mail-out in November), any ideas anyone?!? Do write in if you have any thoughts as to what it might be, plus we love to hear all your stories about your ‘mystery’ knitting, so do keep in touch. I am off now to spend the rest of the day knitting in the garden (it’s the most beautiful sunny day here in Nottingham!), so I’ll leave you to grab your knitting needles and get going on the August patterns. I look forward to seeing you back here next month for the next instalment, but in the meantime, have fun everyone! Debbie x
