Mystery Blanket Club 2026: post 5, June (Mail-Out 5)

Mystery Blanket Club 2026: post 5, June (Mail-Out 5)

Debbie Abrahams

WELCOME TO THE MIDWAY POINT OF THIS YEAR'S MYSTERY BLANKET AS WE MAKE A START ON THE JUNE INSTALMENT! We have had extreme hot temperatures across the UK over the past week which has made it pretty uncomfortable to do anything much, including knitting! But with the temperatures dropping back down, it means we can pick up our knitting needles again and enjoy making a start on the next set of patterns for the blanket.

Above: Kate and I enjoying a bit of Tuscany sunshine on our day out in the mountains.

As always it's been a busy month for us since our last chat, and having just come back from tutoring a fabulous group of ladies at The Watermill in Posara in Italy, and then going straight into the half-term holidays and a few days away with the family, there's been little time to get the household sorted and catch up with work. Consequently it was a race to get the June pattern booklets printed before the end of May, so although they have all been posted, they may arrive a little later than usual - so apologies for that. But you have the digital file at your disposal now, so if you want to get yourself prepped for the June squares, or make a start on one of them, you can go right ahead and do just that.

Above: Square 38, Labyrinth 2.

There are five squares to knit this month with a few new ones and some familiar squares too which are the same or a variation from a previous mail-out. So you should find the patterns fairly easy to knit with lots of revision of techniques you've used before in this blanket. However, if you do need any technical assistance, you can access a variety of knitting demos via a link to our Tutorials which is at the top of our homepage. 

This is a list of what tech vids are available to you no:

IF YOU ORDERED PRINTED PATTERNS THEN AS I MENTIONED ABOVE, THEY ARE ON THEIR WAY TO YOU. However, if they arrive a little late and you are eager to get knitting, you can access the digital file from your Debbie Abrahams account on our website. This is where all of your digital patterns are stored - not only for the Mystery Blanket Club, but also any kits or patterns that you have purchased from us through our website.

CURRENTLY OUR VERY POPULAR BABY BLANKET KITS ARE OUT OF STOCK, but as soon as the stock we need arrives from Rowan we will put them back in the shop, along with a new kit release which I am super excited about. You may remember last October I was in County Kerry for a fabulous Stitchtopia knitting holiday. The project I created for the participants to knit up was called 'Kerry Mitts', and these will be available in both colourways as soon as we get the stock back in. So keep your eyes on your inbox for our new kit sale alert and you can get yourself another Debbie project to work on very soon!

'THE BRILLIANT BEAD CLUB' HAS LAUNCHED, AND THE FIRST TWO KITS HAVE BEEN POSTED! However, if you have not signed up to it and wish you had, there is still time to grab yourself a membership. There is no expiry date for this club, so you can join in at any time and get all four projects. You can choose to pay in one go, or in monthly instalments to suit your finances, and it's super easy to sign up on our website in our online shop.

Above: Majorelle Bag.

If you need a reminder of what it is all about, then read on...

This unique KAL focuses on individual seasonal projects that would fit in very nicely between knitting your blanket squares, meaning that you can keep knitting 'Debbie' projects all year round! There is an exclusive benefit for all MBC26 members: enjoy £10 off the cost of Silver and Gold packages (discount will be processed at checkout).

There are three levels of membership, so you need to choose your package:

Bronze membership: beads and emailed patterns (includes 14 different colours across 5,500 Debbie Abrahams Size 6 beads packaged in a black magnetic bead-box). Price (all destinations): £75.00 + shipping.

Silver membership: beads, emailed patterns and four complete knitting kits (includes 25 balls of premium quality handknitting yarns, 14 different colours across 5,500 Debbie Abrahams Size 6 beads), a black magnetic bead-box and an exclusive TBBC zipped black bead case). Price (all destinations): £249 + shipping.

Gold membership: beads, emailed patterns and four complete knitting kits (includes 25 balls of premium quality handknitting yarns, 14 different colours across 5,500 Debbie Abrahams Size 6 beads), four sets of printed patterns, a black magnetic bead-box and an exclusive TBBC zipped black bead case). Price UK: £269+ shipping; Price Europe: £274 + shipping; Price World: £284 + shipping.

Please note that there is no Patterns-only option for this club. All four patterns are sold as a set with each membership package.

Plus all TBBC members can enjoy these extra benefits: 

  • 10% off the cost of Debbie Abrahams beads until February 2027 purchased through our web-shop using a unique code that we will send you when the club commences in May;
  • An exclusive glossy turquoise pen engraved with The Brilliant Bead Club, presented in a black velvet case.

As soon as you sign up the first two projects for Silver and Gold members will be posted to you, with emailed patterns for all members released every three months. A second parcel containing the other two projects will be posted to Silver and Gold members in November, so not only can you look forward to an exciting parcel arriving as soon as you sign up, but you'll relive all the excitement again in November! 

These are the projects you will receive (kits for Silver and Gold packages):

PACKAGE 1, posted to arrive mid-May:

Project 1 (pattern released mid-May): Majorelle Bag: this vibrantly coloured bag knitted in the round combines beads with textured stitches in a design inspired by the beautiful gardens of the same name in Marrakech.

Below: Majorelle Bag.

Kit includes: 4 balls of Rowan Handknit Cotton, 2 balls of Yarnsmiths Cotton DK, 5 colours of Debbie's beads, large 5mm beads, luxury lining fabric (colour may differ to image), gold magnetic clasp, Debbie Abrahams woven label.

Project 2 (pattern released mid-August): Sycamore Cowl: a buttoned cowl to keep you cosy and warm on cool Autumn days. Knitted as a single flat piece in an all-over slip-stitch pattern with beads, the subtle changes in colour are inspired by the ever-changing colours of the Autumn landscape.

Above: Sycamore Cowl.

Kit includes: 2 balls of Rowan Felted Tweed, 1.5 balls of Rowan Alpaca Soft DK, 1.5 balls of Rowan Pure Alpaca, 2 balls of Debbie's Light Wool DK, 3 colours of Debbie's beads, 6 Smartie buttons, Debbie Abrahams woven label.

PACKAGE 2, posted to arrive mid-November:

Project 3 (pattern released mid-November): Nordic Village Cushion-Cover: deck the halls and bring some festive cheer into your home with this fairisle beaded cushion-cover, featuring Christmas trees and cute Nordic dwellings finished with a fluffy pom-pom on each corner.

Below: Nordic Village Cushion.

Kit includes: 3 balls of Rowan Felted Tweed, 2 balls of Rowan Pure Alpaca, 1 ball of Rowan Alpaca Soft DK, 1.5 balls of Debbie's Light Wool DK, 5 colours of Debbie's beads, 6 buttons (22mm), Clover pom-pom maker, Debbie Abrahams woven label.

Project 4 (pattern released mid-February): Valentine Storage Bag/Peg-Bag: suitable for a variety of uses, this pretty textured stitch and beaded bag is ideal for keeping small things safe such as jewellery, lingerie, socks, or hang it on your washing-line for a super glamourous peg-bag!

Below: Valentine Storage Bag.

Kit includes: 5 balls of Rowan Handknit Cotton, 4 colours of Debbie's beads, luxury lining fabric (colour may differ to image), white wooden hanger, Debbie Abrahams woven label.

Choose our bespoke payment plan to pay for your membership over a timescale that suits you. Sue is ready to assist you, simply email her at sue@debbieabrahams.com or click on the link on the product page. She will discuss with you a plan that suits your own financial needs with payments spread across 2-6 months payable by BACS or Paypal.

To read more about The Brilliant Bead Club, head over to our web-shop. I can guarantee a super fun ride for everyone on board so why not get yourself signed up today!

👉 The Brilliant Bead Club

SO ON WE GO WITH ANOTHER MONTH OF 'MYSTERY' IF YOU HAVE NOT YET GUESSED THE TITLE OF THE BLANKET! We have had some more correct guesses come in since our last update on this, so well done to these members who persevered and got it right: Janet Holdsworth, Jane Golding, Jane Goulsbra, Angela Divaris, Alison Midgley, Wendy O'Leary and Jenny Jaeger who all sent in a correct guess.

This month the letter I am adding to the word puzzle is 'C':

_  _  U L / _ F / _  _  R  _ C C _ 

As more letters are revealed the 'mystery' is gradually unfolding, so if you have any ideas of what it could be, please let me know by emailing your guess directly to me at: debbie@debbieabrahams.com. Take a look at the names of the squares and the patterns for clues and see what you come up with. I'm always intrigued to hear all your ideas!

THERE ARE FIVE SQUARES TO KNIT THIS MONTH, WITH TWO OPTIONS TO CHOOSE:

Square 4: Aromatic 2 - striped pattern with garter stitch and textured stitches (same for both options):

Square 5: Majorelle 4- slip-stitch bead pattern (same for both options):

Square 6, Option One: Lavish- fairisle pattern with hooked-in beads:

Square 6, Option Two: Ornate 2- striped pattern with textured stitches and slip-stitch beads: 

Square 11, Option One: Souk 2- fairisle pattern with hooked-in beads:

Square 11, Option Two: Souk 2 - stocking stitch with hooked-in beads:

Square 38: Labyrinth 2 - cable pattern with twisted stitches (same for both options):

Don't forget to check out the Pattern notes and tips for each square which are to the right of the main image on the first pattern page. This advice will give you important information about the square and things to watch out for. Also take note of the description of the square under the title which tells you what the stitch structure is.

SQUARE 4, AROMATIC 2: this square is similar to Aromatic from the previous mail-out with just one very simple change, Rose and Tangerine swap places while all of the rest of the colours remain the same.

Tech vids to help you with this square:

So a nice easy one to start off the month with stripes and textured stitches combined together to create a pretty vibrant pattern. There's not too much to remember here, just the change of needle sizes, with smaller needles needed to knit the rows of garter stitch. It's important to change needles when instructed to keep your rows of garter stitch neat and even and avoid uneven stitches.

The stripes of Tangerine with textured stitches in Grass use the fairisle technique for one row, Row 6 (and its subsequent repeats). It's a very simple row of fairisle, just alternating between Tangerine and Grass every other stitch. But to stop you getting in a tangle it is best to try and keep the yarns held 'over and under' across the whole row. This means holding one yarn on top and the other underneath and keeping this consistent. If you are not sure of this technique then take a look at my fairisle demo in our Tutorials via the link above, where I show you how to hold and knit with the two yarns.

You are instructed several times to transfer the stitches back onto the other needle, so it might be better to use either double-pointed or a circular needle to knit this square, then  you can just push the stitches to the other end of the needle rather than transferring them across.

SQUARE 5, MAJORELLE 4: here we go again with another all-over slip-stitch beaded pattern, so if, like me, you love beading, you're in for a treat!

Tech vids to help you with this square:

Before you cast on you will need to thread on beads, the instructions for which are on page 9 of the June mail-out. The bead threading is similar to Squares 3, 15 and 29 in that they are threaded on in two batches, chart rows 1-34 and chart rows 35-64. Be aware that beads are knitted in on both right-side and wrong-side rows.

 

As it is essential that the beading sequence is absolutely spot on to get the beaded pattern correct, so it would be a good idea to ask someone to read out the threading sequence to you so that you can happily thread on beads without having to look back and forth at the instructions yourself.

SQUARE 5, OPTION ONE, LAVISH: this fairisle pattern uses the same colours as Square 8 Ornate, but the pattern itself is different. 

Tech vids to help you with this square:

You can choose either option for this square, it does not have to match the option you chose for the three other fairisle squares already knitted (Square 2, Square 8 and Square 36).

If you are picking up stitches from Square 5 to knit this square, then you will need to follow the instructions on page 13 which are quite lengthy. So it might help if someone is available to read out them out loud to you to save your eyes flicking back and forth from your knitting to the pattern instructions.

This pattern is worked partially from worded instructions and partially from charts, beginning on page 13 working from Chart 1. Rows of Tangerine garter stitch separate the bands of fairisle, with Indigo beads hooked onto some of the stitches.

 

The fairisle sections are knitted using 3.50mm needles, but you will need to swap to 2.50mm needles for the Tangerine garter stitch stripes. The changes in needle sizes are in bold in the pattern instructions so that you can see them more easily.

You are instructed several times to transfer the stitches back onto the other needle, so you might want to knit this square using a circular needle or double-points, then you would just need to slide the stitches to the other end of the needle.

SQUARE 6, OPTION TWO, ORNATE 2: if preferred you can knit this alternative option instead, which is very similar to Square 8, Option Two - which is why it shares the same name.

Tech vids to help you with this square:

You can choose either option for this square, it does not have to match the option you chose for the three other fairisle squares already knitted (Square 2, Square 8 and Square 36).

If you can think back to the first mail-out in February, then you might remember knitting this square if you opted for Option Two for Square 8. It is almost the same except for the beads, which are Red instead of Indigo.

The changes in stitch structure between stocking stitch and garter stitch mean that the needle sizes swap from 3.50mm to 2.50mm throughout the square to keep the width uniform and the length correct, so these are important to do. They are hi-lighted in bold so you don't miss them.

There is a fancy stitch row, which is first knitted on Rows 6-7. It involves increasing into every stitch (except the first and last) on Row 6, then purling those stitches together on the following row. This cancels out the increases so that after completing Row 7 you are back to the original number on your needle. You might find these rows a little tight to work, but when they are completed you are back to a more normal tension until the next time they are repeated.

SQUARE 11, SOUK 2 (OPTION ONE): here's the second option choice you need to make this month, so will it be fairisle with hooked-in beads (this option), or all-over hooked-in beads (Option Two)?

Tech vids to help you with this square:

It does not matter which option you choose for this square as it will not affect the choice you made for Square 23 (Souk).

Although this square might look the same as Square 23, it is a little bit different. It still has the background colour knitted in three wide bands, alternating from Peacock to Turquoise, with the multi-coloured fairisle pattern beginning with Indigo on Chart Row 3. But then it changes to Sulphur, and from Sulphur to Crimson before returning to Indigo at the top of the square. And the hooked-in beads are also swapped, with Indigo replaced with Lipstick.

Note the needle size changes which are in the worded instructions on page 17 (see ROWS 1-48), but they are NOT on the chart. You are instructed to pick up the stitches/cast-on and work chart rows 1-2 using 3.50mm needles, change to 4.00mm needles for rows 3-46, then go back to 3.50mm needles for rows 47-48. This is because rows 1-2 and 47-48 are plain stocking stitch which is looser than fairisle, so the changes in needle size will help to maintain the same tension across the whole square.

Beads are hooked-in, so no bead threading is needed. So once you are cast on you can get going on this and enjoy a few hours of blissful fairisle knitting!

SQUARE 11, SOUK 2 (OPTION TWO): this is your alternative square if you don't fancy a few blissful hours of fairisle!

Tech vids to help you with this square:

It does not matter which option you choose for this square as it will not affect the choice you made for Square 23 (Souk).

At first glance this looks the same as Square 23, Option Two, however, there is a change to the beads. The multi-coloured beading has been replaced by two colour beading, with alternating rows of Red beads and Gold beads.  

I have the same advice for this square as I had for Square 23 regarding the bead threading. Thread all the Red beads onto a spare length of yarn and the Gold beads onto another length of yarn, and then simply slide off one bead at a time as you need them to hook-in. It really will save you a lot of time and messing about with opening and closing bead packets, and you are less likely to end up with half of them on the floor or down the side of the sofa!

SQUARE 38, LABYRINTH 2: this cable pattern is similar to Square 10 and combines twisted stitches with stocking stitch in an all-over heavily textured square.

Tech vids to help you with this square:

You only knitted this square last month in Tangerine, so here it is again in Rich Red. The cable pattern is exactly the same, the only change is the colour you are knitting it in.

You can knit this square from either a worded pattern or a chart - or follow both if preferred. The worded pattern matches the chart row for row which should make it easier if you need to cross-check an instruction.

I think some of you found this quite hard-going the first time round, so here is a reminder of the tips and advice I gave for square 10 to make it (hopefully) easier and more enjoyable to knit this time...

 

The first thing to note about this square is that the cabled stitches are crossed over on wrong-side rows. If you have not cabled on a wrong-side row before, fear not as it is just as easy as a right-side row - stitches are held on a cable needle at either the front or the back of the work as stitches from the left needle are worked.

The cable instructions are c8f and c8b. However, those of you who are familiar with cable patterns, beware, as these are not your usual standard abbreviations. In a standard cable pattern c8b and c8f means splitting the stitches into 4/4 and crossing them over equally and knitting them. But in this pattern the stitches are split differently, and knitted AND purled. So it is super important that you read the instructions for them in the Abbreviations on page 27 of your June mail-out. They are not difficult to knit, just different to what you may be used to for this cable pattern.

A smaller needle is recommended for this square, 3.25mm. I had to stretch out my square quite a lot when I blocked it, but after it was dry it measured the correct dimensions. However, if you think your square is knitting up too tightly, change to the next needle size up to loosen up the tension.

After the cast-on (or pick up from Square 37), there are two set-up rows which are on page 21. These rows set the stitches in the correct sequence for the cables, and there's some increases to do as well on the right-side row. The increase is 'inc 1' (increase 1) which is worked by knitting into the front and the back of the same stitch to create two stitches out of one.

There are a lot of horizontal dashes on the chart which are twisted stitches, achieved by  knitting the stitch through the back of the loop on right-side rows and purling through the back of the loop on wrong-side rows. Knitting and purling stitches through the back of the loop tightens them up and consequently makes them look much neater. If you look at the chart on page 22 you can see that they are worked in bands on rows 3-13, 27-37 and 51-61.

This square is best blocked and pressed with the right-side facing as you will be able to pin out the edges a lot easier with the fabric curling in rather than under.

THE WATERMILL IN POSARA IN ITALY IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE PLACES FOR A KNITTING WORKSHOP HOLIDAY, and I was absolutely thrilled to be invited back for another week this year. So having just returned home from it, my head is full of so many wonderful memories of great food, amazing scenery and the best knitting company I could ask for! Fourteen amazing ladies joined me, most of whom I had met before, but there were several new faces too. The whole group gelled together so well and many new friendships were made.

Above: the wonderful ladies at The Watermill, left to right: Heather, Katrin, Lesley, Geraldine, Andrea, Judy, Tania, Kate, Shelley, Kathleen, Hazel, Jenny, Trish, me and Terri.

The holiday is very well organised, with excursions to local villages and towns interspersed with knitting workshops, so as well as seeing some amazing places, there is also plenty of time to relax and knit. I always design a new project for the participants to work on while they are there, and this time they knitted my newest design, the Tuscan Cushion.

Below: Tuscan Cushion.

I chose Rowan Summerlite for this project as it is is a lovely yarn to knit when the weather is warm. The front panel is knitted in four separate squares which combine beaded stripes with lace patterns. The lower back panel is a basketweave slip stitch pattern, and the upper back panel is a variation on linen stitch with beads.

The group were very enthusiastic and worked really hard on the project, with a few of them finishing all the knitting, leaving just the sewing up to do at home. On the last day the ladies showed off their weeks' work which was awesome! Everyone had done so well, and they went home, not only with fabulous memories of a wonderful trip, but with a cushion-cover too! 

I am returning to The Watermill in 2027, which has sold out. However, I am also booked for 2028 with dates to be confirmed. If you are interested in making a booking, contact Lois at lois@medialliance.net and she will let you know as soon as bookings are open.

WE HAD A FABULOUS TIME AT OUR 'MYSTERY' MEETING AT YARN LOFT IN MAY, where we enjoyed a couple of hours together knitting our squares and catching up with each other.

Sue, my brilliant assistant (and mother-in-law) joined us for the meeting as she was curious to see what went on and meet some of the members. She brought along her Mystery Blanket (her first ever one!), and managed to pin down Mary for some expert advice on how to knit one of the squares she was struggling with (big thanks to Mary for that!). 

Carole, Kerry, Michelle and Alison also joined us, and the couple of hours sped by as we knitted our squares and chatted about all sorts of things - it's never just about knitting!

If you want to join us at our next meeting on Wednesday 3rd June we meet between 4:00pm-6:00pm at Yarn Loft which is at 118 Hucknall Road, Carrington, Nottingham NG5 1AD, tel number 07825 702433, website: www.yarnloft.co.uk. There is a small sub of £3.00 to pay to Doreen on the day to cover her opening costs and refreshments. I hope to see you there!

IF YOU HAVE NOT JOINED ANY OF OUR VIBRANT AND HELPFUL SOCIAL MEDIA GROUPS FOR THE MYSTERY BLANKET, THEN WHY NOT SIGN YOURSELF UP TODAY! 

You never need to feel that you are on your own when you are part of a Debbie Abrahams Mystery Blanket Club. With social media at our fingertips, we can easily make connections across the world and stay in touch with each other. So if you are not following us on these various different platforms, why not join today!

  • Ravelry: this social media platform is super friendly and free to join. You will find on there a group for the Mystery Blanket, with many of the members very willing to give help and advice if you have a question: Debbie Abrahams Handknits.
  • Facebook: there are two groups on Facebook, but the one to visit for Mystery Blanket help and advice is: Debbie Abrahams Mystery Knitters. The members here on this platform are also very happy to help each other and share thoughts and comments about the project, so it's well worth joining, and it's free to join too.

These are our other social media platforms. Please follow us on as many as you can to make our Debbie Abrahams world online even bigger and better!

AND FINALLY, I AM THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE THE WINNER OF THE FIFTH 2026 MYSTERY BLANKET CLUB FREE PRIZE DRAW! Each month a member is picked at random to win a Debbie Abrahams prize. So it is worth reading my blog from beginning to end every month to check whether you are a winner!

PRIZE DRAW FIVE (JUNE): this months' winner is Member 169, Felicity Miller from Chislehurst in Kent, UK. Well done Felicity! Please choose a prize from the following selection and email me with your choice: debbie@debbieabrahams.com:

  • Your choice of one of Debbie's knitting kits from our online shop up to the value of £30 (excluding shipping);
  • Your choice of six packs of Debbie Abrahams Beads (size 6 and/or size 8) from the selection in our online shop;
  • £30 voucher towards a Debbie Abrahams Club (MBC27 or TBBC26);
  • A Mystery bag of five gifts.

Now that we are at the beginning of the summer season here in the UK, I am hoping that the sun is shining where you are too and that you can get out and about with your knitting. That's the great thing about the Mystery Blanket squares, they are totally portable, so you can take them just about anywhere - you never know when the opportunity might arise to squeeze in another row or two!

I am very much looking forward to my next Inspired Minds trip to Scotland later on this month where some very excited knitters will be joining Sue and I for a few very enjoyable days beside the sea at the Seamill Hydro Hotel - a fantastic place to knit and relax. So if you are joining me there, I will see you soon! 

Until we meet here again for the next Mystery Blanket instalment, have a fabulous June, and do keep in touch, you know how much I love to hear from you all! Take care, Debbie xx

Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.

Previous posts

1 3