Mystery Blanket Club 2025: post 5, June

HELLO AND WELCOME TO THE FIFTH INSTALMENT OF THE 2025 MYSTERY BLANKET CLUB! And first of all apologies for the late posting, but we were away enjoying our half-term break in Wales and have only just returned home. We had a wonderful and much needed week away in a tiny village called Nanternis on the west coast of Wales, in the most beautiful and peaceful location which was a short walk to a secluded cove called Cwm Silio. Remember the Mystery Blanket square from last month?

Top image: Cwm Silio Cove, Pembrokeshire, Wales

Bottom image: Mwnt Cove, Pembrokeshire, Wales

As well as being away, I’ve been organising the packing and posting of the Mystery Cushion parcels, aided by my lovely sister down in Suffolk, Julia. She has packed and posted 95% of the parcels, with the last batch (the ones with additional printed patterns) to be posted next week. So if you haven’t received your parcel yet, it’s either in transit or on its way to you soon.

Above: the 2025 Mystery Cushion kit.

This month there is no intro vid from me (the next one will be in August), and there are no new tech vids either. However, if you find you need some guidance with some of the techniques in this month’s squares, then you can access all of the existing tech vids in our Tutorials on this website.

This is a list of all the tech vids we have available for your perusal:

·       How to carry yarns up the side of the work (Tutorials: Knitting Basics)

• How to pick up stitches to knit the next square (Tutorials: Knitting Basics)
• How to thread beads onto yarn (Tutorials: Beading Techniques)
• Slip-stitch beading (Tutorials: Beading Techniques)
• How to cable (Tutorials: Fancy Stitches)
• Mattress stitch (horizontal) (Tutorials: Knitting Basics)
• Understanding lace stitches (Tutorials: Fancy Stitches)
• Square 37, Barnacles (Tutorials: Knitting Basics)
• How to knit contrast-coloured bobbles (Tutorials: Fancy Stitches)
• How to knit fairisle (Tutorials: Colour Knitting Techniques)
• Hooked-in beads (Tutorials: Beading Techniques)
• Chain stitch (Tutorials: Embroidery On Knitting)
• Square 2, Gentle Waves (Tutorials: Mystery Blanket 2025)
• Square 3, Shells (Tutorials: Mystery Blanket 2025)
• Square 16, Sandy Squiggles (Tutorials: Mystery Blanket 2025)
• Square 17, Fishbones (Tutorials: Mystery Blanket 2025)

IF YOU ADDED PRINTED PATTERNS TO YOUR MEMBERSHIP THEN YOU MAY ALREADY HAVE THEM AS WE POSTED THEM EARLY THIS MONTH. And if you haven't received them then they are on their way to you. But remember that you can always download them as well from your Debbie Abrahams account on our website.

UNFORTUNATELY AN ERROR HAS BEEN REPORTED IN THE JUNE FILE, it’s in Square 48, Gentle Waves, Option Two:

Page 15: Square 48, Gentle Waves (Option Two): cast on using Pacific (and not Maritime).

If you’ve already knitted this square and cast on using Maritime then there is no need to reknit it. It just means you will have a couple of extra loose ends.

OUR NEW BAG KITS, ‘STROLL ALONG THE SEASHORE’ AND ‘ALLURE’ ARE STILL AVAILABLE AT A FABULOUS DISCOUNT UNTIL 6^TH JUNE, so if they were on your ‘to buy’ list, there is still time to grab yourself a kit (or two). We are offering 5% discount off the cost of one kit purchase – either of the two new kits. Or 10% if you buy both.

Above left: Allure Evening Bag; Above right: Stroll Along The Seashore Bag.

YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN OUR BABY BLANKET PROMOTION WHICH WILL BEGIN IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS TIME. You will get the opportunity to buy ‘Love You To The Moon & Back’ and ‘Now I Know My ABC’s’ at 10% discount for a limited time, plus we are offering free postage for all UK customers. So mark this one on your calendar if you fancy taking advantage of our fabulous offer.

Above: Now I Know My ABC's baby blanket, Grey colourway.

Below: Now I Know My ABC's baby blanket, Pink colourway.

We have two colourways available in the ABC’s blanket (Pink or Grey) and one colourway (Classic) available in Love You To The Moon & Back (unfortunately the Contemporary colourway is no longer available).

Above: Love You To The Moon & Back, Classic colourway.

THE 2025 MYSTERY CUSHION CLUB HAS NOW SOLD OUT AND WE HAVE 250 MEMBERS ON BOARD READY TO MAKE A START ON 14^TH JUNE! Thank you to everyone who signed up to this club, which is going to be a very colourful and high energy project, combining bright colours in beautiful yarns with seven different colours of sparkling beads.  Early Birds will find their exclusive Mystery Cushion tote bag in their knitting kit, which has the title of the 2025 Mystery Cushion on it. So if you take it out of the plastic outer bag, the title will be revealed. We have stuck a warning sticker about this on the outer bag, so it’s totally up to you whether you decide to take a peek at the bag or keep the mystery going by leaving it sealed up – this will be a real test of your will power!!!

Above: vibrant clashes of colour in the 2025 Mystery Cushion!

I have been asked if there is going to be another club to replace the Mystery Cushion next year, and I am very excited to tell you that there is! However, I am going to keep it under wraps at the moment and will announce what the new club is later on in the year. So keep your eyes and ears peeled for that all important news as you won’t want to miss out!

THE TITLE OF THE MYSTERY BLANKET HAS BEEN GUESSED BY MANY OF YOU, however, the stream of correct guesses has slowed right down to zero!

So if you are still trying to work out what the title is, here is another clue in the letter puzzle. The letter I am giving you this month is “T”. Almost all of the letters have now been revealed, so you might get that lightbulb moment – fingers crossed!

T  H  _   / _  _  A  _  H  O  R  _ 

Please send your guesses to me at debbie@debbieabrahams.com - there are no prizes for the correct answer, it is simply a bit of fun each month. And if you do get it right, with your permission I will include your name in the next blog. Good luck everyone!

THERE ARE FIVE SQUARES TO KNIT THIS MONTH:

Square 23, Tranquil Shores – cable and lace pattern with hooked-in beads (same for both options):

Square 31, Pebbles – hooked-in beads on stocking stitch (same for both options):

Square 47, Shells 2 – slip-stitch pattern with hooked-in beads (same for both options):

Square 48, Gentle Waves (opt 1) – garter stitch, moss stitch and fairisle stripes with hooked-in beads:

Square 48, Gentle Waves (opt 2) – embroidered waves with hooked-in beads and textured stitches:

Square 49, Mudflats & Pebbles 2 – cables and moss stitch with bobbles and slip-stitch beads (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.

Some of these squares are repeats of what you have knitted before. However, you can still access all the tech vids we have in Tutorials if you need some reminders of the techniques.

Here are a few extra tips to assist you…

SQUARE 23, TRANQUIL SHORES: this pretty cable and lace stitch has hooked-in beads which alternate between Grey and Pebble, adding an extra sparkle to the square.

Videos to watch for assistance with this square:

• Picking up stitches to begin a new square
• Mattress stitch, horizontal
• Understanding lace stitches
• How to cable
• Hooked-in beads

This stitch pattern is a variation on one that I have used in previous projects, so you may recognise it if you have knitted other ‘Debbie’ blankets and cushions. I love the way it works with the beads nestled into the lace stitch between the cables. In this beautiful deep grey/blue, it has a very peaceful feel to it, reminiscent of the ocean washing up sparkling pebbles on the beach.

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 14, 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 either worded instructions or from a chart.  However, there are some rows on the chart, listed in the Pattern notes and tips on page 5, which require you to work from the worded instructions. These instructions are written in green, and they correspond to chart rows 3, 7, 11, 15 and their subsequent repeats. So to be sure to take a look at this before you begin so that you know exactly what you are doing when you get to these rows. The instructions in green relate to these stitches on the chart: 3-4, 13-14, 23-24, 33-34, 43-44 and 53-54. To help you identify them you could use a hi-lighter pen and mark them on the chart so that they are easier to see.

All of the cables are c6f and are worked on a wrong side row. If you’ve never knitted a cable on a wrong-side row before, then it really is very easy and not that different from knitting them on a right-side row. Instructions for this cable pattern are in the Abbreviations on page 23 of your June mail-out. So I would advise that you take a look at this to make sure that you are holding the cable needle in the correct position and slipping the required number of stitches onto it when you cross the stitches over each other.

The ‘How to cable’ tech vid in Tutorials may also be helpful. It doesn’t show you how a cable is worked on a wrong-side row, but it goes through all the basics of cables and shows you how to cross over the stitches.

SQUARE 31, PEBBLES: this square is a variation on Shallow Pools which you knitted in the March instalment. It’s the same all-over hooked-in bead pattern but this time it’s knitted in Scree, a beautiful soft grey with slight colours variations, and it has six different coloured beads.

Videos to watch for assistance with this square:

• Picking up stitches to begin a new square
• Mattress stitch, horizontal
• Hooked-in beads

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 14, it’s 3.25mm. This is one metric size smaller than the recommended needle size for the project.

The bead sequence for Shallow Pools (Square 15) caused a bit of confusion for some of you, so I am going to talk about how it works, just to be absolutely clear. The beads are hooked-in on a continuous rotation which keeps going throughout the whole square, and does not end until you hook in the very last bead. I know that some of the members restarted the bead sequence at the beginning of each new bead row, however, this is not what I intended. The bead sequence is a continuous one, regardless of what row you are on. There is a pattern note and tip about this on page 8 which tells you the sequence of beads, which is as follow: one each of Pebble, Grey, Shell, White, Black and Clear.

I found it easier to pre-thread all the beads onto a piece of spare yarn, and then I did not need to think about which colour to pick up and hook-in, they were all lined up and ready to go. This made the hooking-in for me a lot quicker and it also ensured that I had the beads in the correct sequence. In the Pattern notes and tips it tells you how many of each bead are in the  square, so you could pre-thread all of them before you begin knitting, and then you can just knit, hook and go!

SQUARE 47, SHELLS 2: you may remember this pattern from the March mail-out, it’s a variation of Shells, same stitch pattern but different colours of yarn and beads.

Videos to watch for assistance with this square:

• Picking up stitches to begin a new square
• Mattress stitch, horizontal
• Square 3, Shells (textured beaded stitch)
• Hooked-in beads
• How to carry yarns up the side of the work

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 12, it’s 3.00mm. This is two metric sizes smaller than the recommended needle for the project (which is 3.50mm).

This variation of Square 3 sticks with Silvery Blue for the background, but swaps out Camel and Plain for Scree and Silt, and Shell beads are swapped for Grey.

If you need a reminder about how to knit this decorative stitch pattern then take a look at the tech vid for Square 3, in which I demonstrate how to knit the trickier rows. It might take you a bit of time to get back into the stitch pattern, but once you’ve repeated it a few times, you will be fine, and hopefully you will find it an enjoyable square to knit up this month!

SQUARE 2, GENTLE WAVES (opt 1): this is a repeat of Square 2 which was in the March mail-out.

Videos to watch for assistance with this square:

• Picking up stitches to begin a new square
• Mattress stitch, horizontal
• How to knit fairisle
• Hooked-in beads
• Square 2, Gentle Waves
• How to carry yarns up the side of the work

Just a reminder that there are two options for this square, and this is the trickier one because it has fairisle in it. To keep the design balanced I would suggest that you choose the same option that you knitted for Square 2.

The  instructions are partially written and partially worked from charts. The fairisle sections are knitted on 3.50mm needles with all the other rows knitted on 2.50mm needles. This change in needle size is to accommodate the differences in tension between the different stitch structures.

When you knit the fairisle section in this square you will be combining the techniques of stranding with weaving-in. If you need any guidance for these techniques then there is a tech vid for fairisle which shows you the basics and includes demos of both stranding and weaving-in on a generic sample.

Just in case you need a reminder, there is also a tech vid that shows you how to knit the textured slip-stitch pattern on rows 17-18. It is titled, Square 2, Gentle Waves and you will find it in Tutorials in the Mystery Blanket 2025 category.

SQUARE 2, GENTLE WAVES (opt 2): this is a repeat of Square 2 (the easier option), which was in the March mail-out.

Videos to watch for assistance with this square:

• Picking up stitches to begin a new square
• Mattress stitch, horizontal
• Hooked-in beads
• Square 2, Gentle Waves
• Chain stitch

To keep the design balanced, I would suggest that you choose the same option that you knitted for Square 2.

You may remember from the last time you knitted this square that the top and bottom of the image has been cropped off. So what you can’t see is that it begins and end with Pacific, which is that beautiful vibrant blue in your kit. This is different to the Option One square which begins and end with Maritime.

The  instructions are partially written and partially worked from charts. The sections which are embroidered are knitted on 3.50mm needles with all the other rows knitted on 2.50mm needles. This change in needle size is to accommodate the differences in tension between the different stitch structures.

The chain stitch embroidery should be added to the knitting when it has been blocked and pressed. This will give you a neat, flat surface to work on which will make the embroidery much easier to do. There is a tech vid which shows how to add Chain stitch to your knitting.

SQUARE 49, MUDFLATS & PEBBLES 2: this is similar to Square 1 from the March mail-out, but there is a slight difference in the colour of the bobbles.

Videos to watch for assistance with this square:

• Picking up stitches to begin a new square
• Mattress stitch (horizontal)
• How to knit contrast-coloured bobbles
• How to thread beads onto yarn
• How to bead, the slip-stitch method
• How to cable

The needle size used for this square is smaller than the main recommended size which you can see in the boxed information on the far left-hand side of page 16, it’s 3.25mm. This is one metric size smaller than the recommended needle size for the project.

There are options for knitting this square, you can choose to knit it from worded instructions or from a chart which you’ll find on pages 17-18. The worded instructions match the chart row for row, so if you want to give the chart a go, you have the written instructions for back-up.

There are twelve Shell beads in this square which are knitted in using the slip-stitch method. This means that they need to be threaded onto the Mushroom yarn before you cast on. Instructions for this are on page 16.

As with Square 1, there is a choice with this square to knit contrast-coloured bobbles or self-coloured bobbles. The chart shows the contrast-coloured bobbles, so if you opt for the self-coloured ones you will need to omit the purl stitches in Camel on chart rows 2, 14, 30, 44 and 58, knitting these stitches in Mushroom. If you need guidance for knitting the contrast-coloured bobbles there is a tech vid in Tutorials in the Fancy Stitches category.

The cables in this square are denoted as c8f* and c8b*, which are different to the cables in Square 43 which are c8f and c8b. So make sure that you work from the correct symbols, the instructions for which can be found in the Abbreviations on page 23 of your June mail-out.

And that’s it, enjoy knitting  your squares this month everyone!

WHEN TO BLOCK WITH RS FACING AND WHEN TO BLOCK WITH WS FACING? You will notice in the Pattern notes and tips for each square, I have included a note about which side should be facing up when you block and press them. There is a basic rule that I apply to this which is an easy one to remember.

If the stitches at the side edges are in stocking stitch, then block and press with the WS facing upwards. And if the stitches at the side edges are in reverse stocking stitch, then block and press with the RS facing up.

The reason for this is because the knitting will be easier to pin out flat if it curls up towards you, rather than curling under. So if you think about a square in the blanket like Tranquil Shores, for example, it has reverse stocking stitch at the side edges. If you roll the edges back with the RS facing, this is far easier to do than rolling the edges back with the WS facing. You will see exactly what I mean if you grab this square and check it out for yourself!

I AM THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE THAT STITCHTOPIA HAVE INVITED ME TO BE THE TUTOR ON A FABULOUS TRIP TO ZURICH IN NOVEMBER 2026! My good friend and fellow designer Jane Crowfoot tutored a group in Zürich this year, and came back totally inspired and excited about her trip. So as you can imagine, I was absolutely thrilled to be asked to lead the group next year.

The trip sounds totally amazing and includes a day at the Zürich Knitfest, so extra suitcases may be needed if you get carried away at the show!

This is a summary of the trip…

“New for 2026, this adults-only city break combines beautiful Zürich with Switzerland’s vibrant Knitfest! Prepare to be inspired in a friendly environment where yarn enthusiasts come together to learn, share and pick up tips, featuring knitting lounges, panel discussions, workshops and a marketplace. Plus, on an included guided walking tour of Zürich, you’ll discover historic streets, lakeside charm and café culture – all just waiting to be explored! With a masterclass led by our expert Debbie Abrahams also included, you don’t want to miss out – plan ahead to next year and book while places last.”

So if you’ve got a space on your calendar, why not join me next Autumn? Bookings are already underway and over half of the places have already been filled. So if you fancy finding out more about it and getting yourself booked on, cut and paste this link into your browser to take you straight to the holiday on the Stitchtopia website:

https://www.stitchtopia.co.uk/holiday/zurich-city-break-knitfest?utm_campaign=3545985_15.05.25%20NEW%3A%20ZURICH%20KNITFEST%20CITY%20BREAK&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Stitchtopia&r=2035&dm_i=78TJ,2403L,34PCJ6,654Q9,1

Kindly note that this knitting holiday is organised by Stitchtopia so all queries and bookings are made through them and not through Debbie Abrahams Ltd.

I HAVE ONE MEMBER STORY TO SHARE WITH YOU THIS MONTH, IT’S FROM LISBETH PERSSON FROM ANGELHOLM IN SWEDEN. Lisbeth was extremely relieved to have completed her Crab square after a very challenging knit which by the sounds of it was quite exhausting!

Lisbeth says: “Hi, this beautiful Summer Day! The Crab, Square 22, is finished! Difficult!!! I do hope it is the only one! Now I am on Square 47, it is like having a holiday😀!!!”

It certainly was a challenging square Lisbeth, but you managed it really well, and you will be glad to know that he is the only crab in the blanket, although there may be other sea creatures. Can you guess what they might be?!?...

IF YOU FANCY A KNIT AND NATTER WITH FELLOW MYSTERY BLANKET MEMBERS AND CAN GET TO NOTTINGHAM, THEN COME AND JOIN US AT YARN LOFT!

Unfortunately I was unable to make it to the meeting in June as my elderly cat had recently been diagnosed with diabetes, so I had to go for training at the vets about how to inject him (twice daily, wish me luck!!!).

However, I am planning to be there at our next meeting which will be on the Wednesday the 2^nd July. 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 to see you there!

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

AND FINALLY, IT’S TIME TO ANNOUNCE THE WINNER OF THE FIFTH 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 FIVE (JUNE): this month’s winner is member 380, Jasmine Read from Tuggeranong in Australia. Well done Jsamine! 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 the 2026 Debbie Abrahams Mystery Club membership
• A Mystery bag of five gifts!

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

I have a busy month ahead of me with a few more workshops around the UK, the launch of the 2025 Mystery Cushion Club on the 14^th, and workshop projects to plan for my forthcoming trips to County Kerry and Morocco with Stitchtopia. So I am praying for some good weather for outdoor knitting in my garden, alongside a BBQ or two, so I can knit in my favourite place!

If you have any stories or pics to share, then please send them into me, debbie@debbieabrahams.com, and I will include them in the next blog. It is always lovely to hear from you and to see how you are getting on, so please don’t forget to keep in touch.

Until the next blog in July (when we will be over halfway through the project!), take care, keep busy and enjoy your June squares. See you soon, Debbie x