Mystery Blanket Club 2025: post 1, February

WELCOME TO THE 2025 MYSTERY BLANKET CLUB! After months of anticipation, I am thrilled to be launching my eighteenth Mystery Blanket Club and I am so happy that you have decided to join me! As you all know there has been a slight delay to the launch date due to my unexpected stay in hospital over New Year, however, I am back at my desk now and cannot wait to share with you the first instalment of this year’s club!

As always this is a global knitting club, with knitters from all over the world taking part, including USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Malaysia, Israel, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, France, Belgium, Poland, Sweden, Austria, Ireland and the UK. Isn’t it great to think that you’ll all be knitting up the same squares at the same time, and creating your own Mystery Blanket to enjoy!

So this is our virtual meeting place where I will give you tips and advice on the squares you are knitting each month, as well as news about new events and projects I am launching. So at the beginning of each month, before you make a start on your squares, I would advise that you stop off here for 10-15 minutes and read the blog as there is important information in it which will help you with the techniques, as well as general information about the blanket and all my latest news. Very often if you have a question, you will find it answered here.

THERE IS A NEW DEDICATED ONLINE TUTORIALS SPACE ON OUR WEBSITE, in which you will find knitting technique demos to help you knit your squares each month. In previous years we have embedded them in each blog, but going forward we think that our new Tutorials space will be easier to navigate and find what you need.

We will include a link to each tutorial you need for the mail-out you are working on in each blog (you can see them below). But if you take a look at the top of our Homepage you will see a new tab which will take you directly to all the tutorials, which will be especially helpful if you are working on other projects and need to check out a particular knitting technique. We hope you like it and find it useful!

There won’t be a tech vid for every technique in the blanket, but when there is a tricky one or something a little more advanced, you are offered this extra bit of support. Some of them are generic and some of them are specific to this year’s blanket (we have titled the specific ones ‘Mystery Blanket 2025’), but hopefully you will find them all helpful, not only for the Mystery Blanket but for all your knitting projects.

Here is a list of the tech vids for this month, followed by my intro. This month there are eight tech vids:

• How to carry yarns up the side of the work
• Picking up stitches to begin a new square
• How to thread beads onto yarn
• How to bead, the slip-stitch method
• How to cable
• Mattress stitch, horizontal
• Understanding lace stitches
• Square 37, Barnacles (lace and bead stitch)

View more in our new Tutorials section of the website!

IF YOU NEED ANY HELP AND ADVICE WITH YOUR MYSTERY BLANKET PROJECT, THERE IS ALWAYS HELP AT HAND. These are the contacts for who you can email for assistance. Please bear in mind that we don’t work 24 hours a day, but we will do our best to answer your queries as soon as we can:

·       For technical support with accessing your account: Jason at support@debbieabrahams.com

·       For changes of postal and/or email address, addition of printed patterns, payment queries, change of membership ownership: Sue at sue@debbieabrahams.com

·       For pattern queries and anything else: Debbie at debbie@debbieabrahams.com

ALL OF THE MYSTERY BLANKET PARCELS HAVE BEEN PACKED AND POSTED, so hopefully you are sitting with your kit ready to make a start. However, we are aware that a small number of the parcels are still in transit, so if you are still waiting for yours we ask that you stay calm and it will be with you soon.  

If you are concerned about your parcel then please get in touch by emailing me at debbie@debbieabrahams.com  and I will be able to confirm when it was posted to you. If you are an overseas member then you will have a tracking number for your parcel – this has been emailed to you, but if you don’t have it let me know and I will send it to you.

BEFORE I GO ANY FURTHER, I NEED TO CLARIFY THE CONFUSION OVER ROWAN DENIM REVIVE ‘SILT’ IN YOUR PARCEL. I can confirm that it is NOT included in your first parcel. It is listed on the Welcome letter in your kit because we had them printed some time ago, and then I made a recent decision to swap some of the colours about in parcel one and parcel two. We did however send you an email which said at the beginning that there was a correction to the contents of your kit and that Silt would not be included.

It was in the email we sent you around the 21^st January which included a link to the Welcome letter. The Welcome letter which is in your Debbie Abrahams account that you may or may not have accessed yet, is correct, as is the list of yarns on page 2 of your February mail-out.

IF YOU OPTED FOR PATTERNS ONLY (NO KNITTING KIT), then you will need to get together your own selection of yarns and beads for this project. If you want to stick to the yarns, beads and colours I have used then you will find them listed on page 2 of the February mail-out.

However, if you are going to create your own colour palette then you can use this list as a guide for quantities, as long as you use the same yarns. But if you choose different yarns to work with then these quantities and the needle sizes specified in the patterns may need to be amended as they may have a different meterage to the Rowan yarns in the kit and they may require different needle sizes. For this information you will need to check the ball-bands.

We will send a list of what is in parcel two to all the members in April.

EACH MONTH ALL OF THE MEMBERS WILL RECEIVE AN EMAIL FROM US TO LET YOU KNOW THAT YOUR NEW MAIL-OUT IS AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD FROM YOUR DEBBIE ABRAHAMS ACCOUNT. If you cannot find this email from us, then please check your Spam folder. Often our emails end up in there and are not seen. However, if you are still unable to find it please contact me and I will check that we have your correct email details in our database.

MEMBERS THAT PAID FOR PRINTED PATTERNS will receive them each month in a separate card-backed envelope. If you did not sign up for printed patterns but have changed your mind, pop Sue a quick email and she will be able to set this up for you for an additional cost: sue@debbieabrahams.com

All members, including the printed pattern members, will find each of the remaining mail-outs in their Debbie Abrahams account on the first of each month from March - November.

THIS IS HOW YOU DOWNLOAD THE MAIL-OUT FROM YOUR DEBBIE ABRAHAMS ACCOUNT ON OUR WEBSITE:

• Log into the website with your username and password: https://debbieabrahams.com/account/login
• Under "MYSTERY CLUB DOWNLOADS" click "View all downloads"
• Your latest available mail-outs will be visible here in PDF format to download

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE YOUR CORRECT CONTACT DETAILS ON FILE, SO PLEASE NOTIFY US IMMEDIATELY IF ANY OF THESE DETAILS ARE INCORRECT. This goes for both your email and postal addresses. Any discrepancies in your postal address can affect the speed at which your parcels are delivered to you, or at worst they might not arrive at all. And an incorrect email address will mean that you will not receive our emailed patterns or club updates. So please let Sue know as soon as possible if we need to revise any of these details for you: sue@debbieabrahams.com

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE COLOURS IN THE MAIL-OUTS MIGHT NOT BE COMPLETELY ACCURATE TO THE COLOUR OF THE ACTUAL YARNS – both in the printed paperwork and in the digital files. We have done our best to make sure that the colours are as accurate as possible, however some discrepancies might occur. Therefore, it is always best to read the name and shade number of the colours rather than going by the photographs of the knitting.

THE PIECING DIAGRAMS ON PAGE 4 OF YOUR FEBRUARY MAIL-OUT SHOW WHERE THE SQUARES ARE POSITIONED IN THE BLANKET. There are two diagrams – one for Option One and one for Option Two. Each month the new squares will be added to them so that you can see how the overall design is progressing.

TOWARDS THE END OF EACH MAIL-OUT YOU WILL FIND THE ABBREVIATIONS. This will be updated each month with any new additions to the list, so make sure that you always check out the latest one for any recent updates.

IT IS ADVISABLE, ALTHOUGH NOT NECESSARY, TO WORK IN VERTICAL STRIPS. Not only does this make it easier to keep track of which squares are which - there will be some repeats. But it also means less finishing off at the end of the project as you will only have seven strips to sew together instead of forty-nine individually knitted squares. Over the ten months you will be sent the squares in such a way that they can be knitted in strips, so this is what I would advise you do. Instructions are included in the patterns for this, it’s done by picking up stitches along the cast-off edge of a square to begin the next one in the strip. And if you’re not sure how to do this, there’s a tech vid this month to help you. So if you don’t like picking up stitches or find it a struggle, hopefully my vid will go a long way to helping you master the technique, and you never know - you might actually enjoy it once you see how easy it is to do! For more advice about this read the info on page 3 of your February mail-out. You’ll find it on the right hand side of the page under the heading Working in vertical strips.

SOME OF THE SQUARES IN THE BLANKET HAVE A SECOND OPTION. This means that when there is a square that involves a more advanced technique such as fairisle or intarsia, you can opt to knit an alternative square, Option Two, which replaces it with something that is easier to knit. This will be either a textured, beaded or striped stitch pattern. It is clearly stated in the pattern instructions when there is an option – there is a note in the left-hand column of the first pattern page for each square - and you can also see it on the Piecing Diagrams. Throughout the project you can stick completely to either Option One (pink-headed pages) or Option Two (blue-headed pages), or, if preferred, you can choose to mix your options. Patterns that do not have an option are purple-headed. Mixing options is perfectly okay to do, so you could pick and choose and go for Option One for some of the squares and Option Two for others. This gives the project increased flexibility and means that although you are all working on the same design you can, if you choose, make your blanket unique. Occasionally it is important to repeat the choice of an option to keep the overall design balanced. When this happens there will be a note in the left column on the first page of each pattern advising you about this choice. I will also mention it in the written blog.

BLOCKING AND PRESSING THE SQUARES IS VERY IMPORTANT, and although it’s not everyone’s favourite task, it really should be done if you want to create a professional looking blanket.  Blocking the squares ensures that they are all a uniform size, which in turn will make joining them together so much easier to do. You might find that you have to ease some of them in or stretch some of them out to get them to the same measurements as other squares, and within reason this is fine - I know I had to do this with some of mine. Alternatively, other squares may block out quite easily with no easing in or out required. If your individual squares are measuring slightly bigger or smaller than 18xm x 18cm, then this should not be a problem either. But you will need to decide on what size you are going to block them all to and stick to this throughout the whole blanket.

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.

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.

THE SILVER LUREX ON THE CONE HAS NO BALL BAND, but it is the only Lurex yarn in your kit. It is Gold Rush Lurex 3-ply, shade 006 Silver. Please take time to read the note on page 2 of your mail-out where there is a note on the far right-hand side of the page which tells you about this yarn and how it is to be used in the project.

You will always be knitting one end of Alpaca Classic shade 106 Blue Haze with one end of Gold Rush Lurex 3-ply shade 006 Silver, and it will be referred to as Silver Haze in the pattern instructions.

It is advisable to wind the Alpaca Classic Blue Haze and the Gold Rush Lurex 3-ply Silver onto separate bobbins before you knit with them. Then hold one strand of each and knit them together as one yarn. It might be tempting to wind them onto one bobbin, but I would advise against this as they are very different in their structure and therefore, they will wind quite differently to each other. I used the plastic Pony bobbins, but any other types of bobbins are fine. It’s a good idea to fill them right up, even if you don’t need all of the yarn for the square you are knitting. They can be put to one side and used for other squares later on.

THERE ARE FOUR BALLS OF FELTED TWEED IN YOUR FIRST KIT, they are Camel, Alabaster, Maritime, and Pacific (a lovely new shade!). Felted Tweed is one of Rowan’s top selling yarns and has been a bestseller for many years. I think it’s a beautiful yarn with unique character, but at times it can be a bit fragile, and under sustained tension can break. So just be careful when you are knitting with it. You can knit quite normally with it, but if you need to pull up tightly, i.e. when knitting with beads or embroidering with it, just be aware and take extra special care.

GOOD PREPARATION IS THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL BLANKET SQUARE KNITTING! So here are a few things I would suggest you do before you make a start on your blanket.

First of all, have a good read of the February mail-out and familiarise yourself with the contents. The patterns are laid out in exactly the same way each month, so once you get familiar with them and how the patterns are written, they should be easy to follow.

On page 3 of your February mail-out there is lots of general information about the project including information about tension/gauge. It is very important that you test your tension before you start knitting.

The tension for this project is 23 stitches and 32 rows to 10cm (4in) measured over stocking stitch using 3.50mm needles using Rowan Summerlite DK.

I suggest that you use shade 465 White for your tension swatch as there is plenty of this in the kit, plus it’s a light shade which makes it easier to count the stitches and rows.

Any discrepancies in your tension could lead to shortages of yarn, especially if you knit looser that the given tension. So please take time to do this. Here are some tips about measuring tension:

·       the tension sample should be longer and wider than the stated tension, so it is advisable to cast on a minimum of 30 stitches and work a minimum of 40 rows

·       use a solid ruler rather than a tape measure to measure your stitches and rows

·       start and finish counting the stitches and rows in from the edges of the knitting and not from edge to edge

·       if your tension is too loose you will need to resample using a smaller metric size needle

·       if you tension is too tight you will need to resample using a larger metric size needle

·       if you need to change your needle size then you will need to change all of the other needles used in the project as well by the same number of sizes

·       stitch tension is more important then row tension, so if you are unable to match both to the recommended tension, choose the needle size that gives you the closest match.

One more thing I would suggest you do before you start knitting is to set up your Colour coder. You will find this in your kit, it’s a piece of card onto which you can tie samples of each of the yarns in your kit and write their colour names and shade numbers. This is such a handy tool to have while you are knitting and means you can easily check yarns against the pattern instructions, especially as some of them are very similar in colour.

It's also a good idea to keep each colour of yarn in a separate bag with either its ball-band or a note of which colour and shade number it is. Then you can be sure to pick up the correct colour and not risk knitting with the wrong one. If you use the wrong colour, then you could run short of yarn.

IF THERE ARE ANY CORRECTIONS TO THE PATTERN INSTRUCTIONS WE LIST THEM IN THE ADDENDUMS ON OUR WEBSITE. They can be accessed through a link at the bottom of the Homepage. I would advise that you check this before you start knitting each square just in case anything has been found. It could save you a lot of time.

 Unfortunately despite the test knits and numerous checks which are carried out before we sign off each set of patterns, they do sometimes occur. If you think there is an error in the patterns please let us know and we will check it and then if necessary add it to the Addendums.

THE TITLE OF THE MYSTERY BLANKET remains a ‘mystery’ until you guess it, and is something to think about as you are knitting your squares each month. With each instalment comes more clues as you work your way through the design. If you think you might know what it is, then send in your guess and we will let you know if you are right. However, if you are still guessing in November, it will be revealed in the final instalment.

As well as clues in the monthly squares, I also give you extra help with your guesses by giving you a clue in the blog. Here is the first clue for the title of this year’s Mystery Blanket. In each blog I will give you another letter to help you guess the title. This month the letter I am giving you is “O”.

_  _  _   / _  _  _  _  _  O  _  _ 

Please send your guesses to me at debbie@debbieabrahams.com - there are no prizes for the correct answer, it is simply a a bit of fun each month. It’s quite a short title, so give it a go, and you never know, you might get it right! And if you do then with your permission we will include your name in the next blog!

THERE ARE THREE SQUARES TO KNIT THIS MONTH:

Square 36, Surf – garter stitch and moss stitch stripes (same for both options):

Square 37, Barnacles – lace stitch with slip-stitch beads (same for both options):

Square 43, Mudflats – cables and moss stitch (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 to help you knit your squares. But here are a few extra tips to assist you:

SQUARE 36, SURF: this first square in your February mail-out is a nice easy introduction to the project, and combines moss stitch with garter stitch in an all-over textured, striped pattern.

Video to watch for assistance with this square:

• How to carry yarns up the side of the work.

The first thing to note about this square is that it uses a smaller size needle than the main recommended one for the blanket, which is 3.50mm. If you look at the far left-hand side of page 6 you will see the boxed needle information which states a 2.50mm needle. This is four metric sizes smaller than the main recommended needle size. The reason for using such a small needle is because moss stitch and garter stitch are looser in stitch tension in comparison to stocking stitch. Therefore a smaller needle is essential to keep the knitting neat and the measurements of the finished square in line with the other squares in the blanket.

You will notice too that there are many more rows in this pattern than in the other squares (the average is 60-62 rows). This is because moss stitch and garter stitch condense down row tension, which means you need to knit more rows in this stitch structure than stocking stitch to achieve the correct measurement.

There are a few rows of Silver Haze in this square. This is the yarn that combines together Alpaca Classic Blue Haze and Silver Lurex. As mentioned earlier on in this blog, it is advisable to wind both of these yarns onto separate bobbins before you start knitting with them as it might find it very tricky to knit with them straight off the ball. I found that the bobbins gave the yarns a really nice weight and consequently helped them to knit together much more easily and without tangling. So perhaps give it a go yourself and see what you think!

SQUARE 37, BARNACLES: this all-over lace pattern includes slip-stitch beads which gives it a subtle twinkle, and is the perfect introduction to those who are new to bead beading.

Videos to watch for assistance with this square:

• Picking up stitches to begin a new square.
• Mattress stitch, horizontal.
• How to thread beads onto yarn.
• How to bead, the slip-stitch method.
• Understanding lace stitches.
• Square 37, Barnacles (lace and bead stitch).

The needle size used for this square is smaller than the main recommended size, and you can see it in the boxed information on the far left-hand side of page 8, it’s 3.25mm. This is one metric size smaller than the recommended needle size for the project.

Before you cast on you will need to pre-thread the beads, the instructions for which are on page 8 after the Pattern notes and tips. The colours of the beads are difficult to see on the image on page 8, but if you check that you’ve threaded them on correctly, they will knit up in the correct sequence.

Lace patterns can be tricky, but in this square all of the lace instructions are only on right-side rows – some patterns have lace instructions on both right-side and wrong-side rows and these can be notoriously tricky to knit. So you only have right-side rows to really concentrate on, with beads being places on some of the wrong side rows.

If you’ve not knitted a lace structure before then basically they are created by pairing up increases with decreases. The increases in this pattern are yon (yarn over needle) and yfrn (yarn forward and round needle). And the decreases are K2tog (knit two stitches together) and sl1p, K2tog, psso (slip one stitch purlwise, knit two stitches together, pass slipped stitch over). You might find the ‘Understanding lace stitches’ tech vid really useful if these lace stitches are new to you. All of the increases are the same as ‘yo’ (yarn over), which is the terminology used more widely in US patterns so this is worth noting and may help you to understand the instructions better if you are more used to reading ‘yo’ than the English abbreviations.

The only other tip I am going to give you about this square is to get into the habit of counting the stitches at the end of all right-side rows. There is nothing more frustrating than having to undo rows because on a right-side row you forgot to do an increase or a decrease. So avoid any tears or upsets by doing regular stitch counts and then you will be fine and hopefully you will love knitting up this square!

SQUARE 43, MUDFLATS: softly twisted cables are combined with moss stitch to create an easy-to-knit textured pattern which is perfect if you are new to this technique.

Videos to watch for assistance with this square:

• How to cable.

The needle size used for this square is smaller than the main recommended size, and you can see it in the boxed information on the far left-hand side of page 10, it’s 3.25mm. This is one metric size smaller than the recommended needle size for the project.

You can choose to knit this square from worded instructions or from a chart, both of which you’ll find on page 11. If you’ve never worked from a chart before then this is a great opportunity to give it a go. And if you need to cross-check it then you have the worded instructions to fall back on. Personally I love a chart because it gives you a visual picture of what you’re knitting -  you can see where you are, what is coming up on the next row (and beyond that), and you can tick off the rows at the side of the chart as you progress up the chart.

There is a key beside the chart which tells you what the symbols mean. And in the Abbreviations on page 15 there is an explanation of what c8f and c8b mean. Basically the ‘8’ is the number of stitches involved in the cable, and the ‘f’ means hold the stitches at the front, and the ‘b’ means hold the stitches at the back. There is also a tech vid which shows you how to cable, so this is well worth a watch if you need some further guidance. 

Just one last word of advice about the chart, make sure that you read the cable symbols correctly as there are two different slanted lines on the chart which represent them. They alternate across each row to create cables which twist to the right and twist to the left. You can see this if you look at the image on page 10.

It is quite common for the stitch on the far left of a cable to knit up a little bit looser than the other stitches in the cable. In this square it is the stitch which is next to the moss stitch between the cables. So when you work this stitch – it will be the last stitch on a right-side row and the first stitch on a wrong-side row – make sure that you pull on the yarn more firmly at this point to tighten up the stitches. It will help to make the edges of your cables much neater, and if they look good, you will feel good too!

Have fun and enjoy!

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 few years ago and has grown in size to over 800 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

THE MYSTERY CLUB MEETINGS AT ‘YARN LOFT’ IN NOTTINGHAM WILL START UP AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY 12^TH FEBRUARY, SO COME ALONG AND JOIN US IF YOU CAN! If you live close to Nottingham and fancy a knit and a natter while you knit up your blanket squares, then this is a great way to meet other members and share tips and advice. I attend the meetings and am on hand to help with any queries about your Mystery projects.  While we merrily chat away and knit our squares, Doreen keeps us all going with hot drinks and cake. So it’s a very pleasurable way to spend a couple of hours, and it can be very productive too!

Usually the meetings are held on the first Wednesday of the month, so the next one after February will be on the 5^th March. Yarn Loft is at 118 Hucknall Road, Carrington, Nottingham, tel number 07825 702433, website: www.yarnloft.co.uk. Meetings are held between 4-6pm and to cover the costs of hosting the meeting there is a small sub to pay (£3.00), which can be paid to Doreen on the day.

I hope you will be able to join me!

ON SATURDAY 1^st MARCH WE ARE LAUNCHING OUR FINAL 2025 MYSTERY CUSHION CLUB, which will be the fifteenth Mystery Cushion Club and the last one in the series. The Mystery Cushion is a smaller project than the blanket and is a good project to work on between blanket squares. However, from next year I am planning a new club to replace the cushion which will be something super exciting to look forward to. I am not going to say anything else about this now, but keep an eye on your inbox for more information later on this year…

So whether you’ve been a Mystery Cushion knitter for the past fourteen years and want to complete the collection, or you’ve never knitted one before and fancy taking part, you can get yourself signed up from the 1^st March. Memberships will be limited and the patterns exclusive to only those that sign up, so if you don’t want to miss out, book your place sooner rather than later.

Above: the 2024 Mystery Cushion, Decoupage.

As a 2025 Mystery Blanket member you get 10% off the cost of the Mystery Cushion membership. And in addition to that, if you take advantage of our Early Bird offer and sign up within the first month there are some wonderful freebies and bonuses added to your membership to make it even more special. So make sure that you mark the 1^st March on your calendar and don’t forget to head over to our web-shop to sign up!

The Mystery Cushion begins on the 15^th June and runs for five months, finishing on the 15^th October.  The theme is always different to the Mystery Blanket and is inspired by a current Spring/Summer trend, but it works in the same way as the blanket club with a knitting kit sent out to members at the beginning of the project and monthly pattern instalments. I write a separate blog for the Mystery Cushion as well which includes dedicated tech vids, so you can get all the help and support you need as you knit along.

Above: the 2021 Mystery Cushion, Restore.

I never like to give away too much about a new Mystery project – after all, it is a ‘mystery’! -  but I can tell you is that it combines vibrant shades of Rowan Felted Tweed with my own brand of yarn, Light Wool DK, and it has lots of beads in it too. It’s a super colourful design which, if like me you love colour, it will be the one KAL you won’t want to miss out on this year! I will reveal a little more about it when we launch the sign-ups on 1^st March, but until then, I will leave you to ponder over whether you want to join me on this brand new mystery journey…

WE ALWAYS LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU, SO PLEASE REMEMBER TO KEEP IN TOUCH AND SEND IN YOUR PICS AND STORIES ABOUT YOUR MYSTERY BLANKET KNITTING. Whether you are part of a Mystery Blanket knitting group or you knit your squares alone, it would be lovely to hear from you. The blogs are so much more interesting to read if there are member contributions, so with your permission if you do share your words and pics with us, we will publish them in the next blog. You can send them directly to me at debbie@debbieabrahams.com. I can’t wait to hear from you!

KEEP YOUR EYES ON YOUR INBOX FOR NEWS OF THE MEMBER’S GALLERY WHICH WILL BE LAUNCHED WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS! This is your opportunity to share your Debbie projects in a wonderful gallery in a dedicated blog on our website. It’s best if you send your photos NOT resized and then I can resize them to what is needed for the blog. And if you can add in a few words too, then that would be brilliant.

 You’ve got two more weeks to contact me about this before I create the gallery, so don’t delay, dig out those photos or take some snaps of your recently completed Debbie projects and send them straight over to me: debbie@debbieabrahams.com

WE PERMIT SALES OF UNKNITTED MYSTERY BLANKET KITS, SO IF YOU ARE AFTER A KIT OR YOU HAVE ONE TO SELL, IT’S ALWAYS WORTH GETTING IN TOUCH WITH US. One member has been in touch to ask whether anyone has got a 2022 Mystery Blanket knitting kit that they want to sell. So if you have, then please reply to me and I will put you in touch with the seller. We don’t get involved with the sale of a Mystery Blanket kit so the transaction is between the buyer and the seller. Many blanket kits have been bought and sold over the years, so it’s always worth an ask, whether you are buying or selling.

Above: the 2022 Mystery Blanket, Deco Dreams.

I kindly remind all members that the sale of the Mystery Blanket patterns without the knitting kit is prohibited and we do not allow this under any circumstances. So we would appreciate it if you respect this rule and keep the club exclusive to all the lovely members who have signed up to it over the years, thank you!

AND FINALLY, I AM THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE THE WINNER OF THE FIRST 2025 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 ONE (FEBRUARY): this month’s winner is member 471, Suzanne Knowles from Brighton, Victoria, in Australia. Well done Suzanne! 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: 2025 Mystery Cushion Club or 2026 Mystery Blanket Club.
• A Mystery bag of five gifts!

We will notify Suzanne to let her know the good news!

So now you’ve listened to my intro and read the February blog you are well and truly prepped and ready to start knitting your first three Mystery Blanket squares. I hope that you enjoy them every bit as much I enjoyed designing them! And remember that if you have any queries at all about the squares or about your membership, do not hesitate to get in touch with us. We are always happy to hear from you and give you all the help and support you need throughout this KAL. Have fun everyone, and don’t forget to come back and read all the latest news in the March blog which will go live on 1^st March! Debbie x