Mystery Blanket Club 2026: post 6, July (Mail-Out 6)

July 1, 2026 Debbie Abrahams

WELCOME TO THE SIXTH INSTALMENT OF THIS YEAR'S MYSTERY BLANKET! And having survived a couple of weeks of heat-busting temps across the UK, I am happy to say that cooler weather has now descended and I am ready to pick up my knitting needles again!

Above: the view from our workshop room at the Seamill Hydro Hotel.

It's been another busy month with the addition of a new kitty to our family, a trip up to Scotland for a fabulous workshop week, new kit launches in our online shop, and preps being made for the launch of the 2027 sign-ups next month - how time files!!! You can read about all of these things in this blog, but I am going to begin with a cute snap of our new kitten, Leo the Lion, a rescue kitten who is a complete fluffy bundle of joy!

Above: Leo the Lion!

Leo has made instant friends with our junior cat Mia, and it has been absolutely heavenly to watch them run around the house together playing hide and seek! The only problem is that he is partial to a premium ball of yarn, so at the moment I have to knit in secret or when he is asleep (but at least he has great taste!)

There are six squares to knit this month - the first time you've had this number in a month - so there is plenty to keep you busy over the next four weeks. As we are over halfway through the blanket, there will be some repeat squares each month going forward to the end of the project, but each month I will try to include some new squares too, just to keep you as motivated as I can.

If you do need any technical assistance, our library of tech vids is available to you at a click of a button. So make sure that you use this facility if you need any technical knitting support.

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

A NEW TECH VID THAT YOU MIGHT NEED FOR THE JULY SQUARES WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON. It will demonstrate how to sew a cast-off edge to a selvedge (side) edge, which you will be doing to join Square 17 to Square 18.

Due to the extreme hot weather we experienced towards the end of June, it was just TOO hot in our workroom to do the filming. However, I will crack on with it as soon as I have a spare half hour and will let you know when it is ready to view. In the meantime you could knit Square 18 and some of the other July squares too, and leave the joining of Squares 17 and 18 to later on if you need the technical support.

IF YOU ORDERED PRINTED PATTERNS THEN THEY ARE ON THEIR WAY TO YOU, but as Sue and I were both away in Scotland during the week when the patterns should have been posted, they may arrive a little after the 1st of the month.

So please bear with us, and remember that if you are eager to get started you can access the July digital file from your Debbie Abrahams account on our website. This is where all of your digital patterns are stored and you can access them anywhere and at any time.

I AM THRILLED TO SAY THAT OUR VERY POPULAR BABY BLANKET KITS ARE NOW BACK IN STOCK, so if you have been waiting patiently for them to return to our online shop, you can purchase a kit today!

Above: Love You To The Moon & Back.

Currently we have two designs, Love You To The Moon & Back (Classic colourway) and Now I Know my ABC's (Silver or Rose colurway).

And for those of you who are eager to know whether there is a new baby blanket kit in the pipeline, all I will say is watch this space...!

WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO HAVE FINALLY ADDED SOME NEW KITS TO OUR ONLINE SHOP, so if you fancy another Debbie project to knit up alongside your blanket squares, these three may be of interest to you...

Tuscan Cushion: my trips to the wonderful Watermill in Tuscany, Italy inspired this design which is the project that the ladies knitted during my most recent visit there in May. It is knitted in Rowan Summerlite DK and Felted Tweed and combines lace and bead squares with striped and slip-stitch patterns.

Below: the back panels of Tuscan Cushion.

Souk Cushion: last November I tutored a fabulous Stitchtopia tour of Morocco, and this project, inspired by the eclectic mix of patterns and colours of the local handicrafts, was what the ladies who came with me knitted. It combines lots of different yarns together including Alpaca Soft DK, Felted Tweed, my own branded yarn Light Wool DK and Yarnsmiths Merino Wool DK in a mixture of fairsle, striped and beaded squares.

Below: the front panel of Souk Cushion.

Flora Case: this brightly coloured case is knitted in the round using my own branded yarn, Light Wool DK. Fairisle bands of floral motifs are combined with beaded stripes, and a fabric lining and magnetic closure are included to complete it. It was the project that we included in this year's Mother's Day Mystery Knit Boxes.

Below: Flora Case.

NEXT MONTH WE WILL BE LAUNCHING SIGN-UPS FOR OUR 2027 MYSTERY BLANKET CLUB, giving you plenty of time to get your membership sorted before the club begins in the following February. I can hardly believe that it will be my twentieth Mystery Blanket, so in honour of that it will be an extra special design with some super additional benefits for Early Birds to take advantage of.

Unlike all my other Mystery Blankets, I will be revealing the theme of it when we launch the sign-ups as I think it might be something that a lot of you will want to knit and definitely won't want to miss out on! But for those of you who love the 'mystery' aspect of this club, I won't be revealing anything about the individual squares until each mail-out is released, so you can still enjoy all the anticipation and excitement of a mystery KAL.

Keep an eye on your inbox towards the middle of August to find out more!

WATCH OUT FOR ANOTHER NEW LAUNCH NEXT MONTH - OUR 'KERRY MITTS'! This is the project that I designed for the Stitchtopia 'Ring of Kerry' tour last year, and has been eagerly anticipated since mentioning them in a previous blog. So if you are interested, keep an eye on your inbox!

Below: Kerry Mitts.

SO LET'S FIND OUT WHO ELSE HAS GUESSED THE TITLE OF THE MYSTERY BLANKET! Congrats this month go out to these lovely members who got it right: Myra Sharp, Ann Ronan, Janet Evans, Vicki Kilmurray and Dawn Powick. The guessing game is over for you, but there are still a large number of members who are trying to piece together the clues. So to help, another letter has been revealed in the word puzzle...

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

_ _ U L / _ F / M _ R _ C C _

There are not many more letters that I can give away without revealing the tile in its entirety, so if the penny hasn't dropped yet, it is sure to do so soon. And if you do get that lightbulb moment, why not write in to me at debbie@debbieabrahams with your guess to see if you are right!

THERE ARE SIX SQUARES TO KNIT THIS MONTH, WITH THREE OPTIONS TO CHOOSE:

Square 18, Option One: Rabat - cable and beads and an intarsia section:

Square 18, Option Two: Rabat - cable and beads and a three-colour slip-stitch section:

Square 19: Bahia - striped pattern with garter stitch and hooked-in beads (same for both options):

Square 20: Embossed - cable pattern with twisted stitches (same for both options):

Square 21: Majorelle 2 - slip-stitch bead pattern (same for both options):

Square 24, Option One: Rabat 2 - cable and beads and an intarsia section:

Square 24, Option Two: Rabat 2 - cable and beads and a three-colour slip-stitch section:

Square 44, Option One: Lavish - fairisle pattern with hooked-in beads:

Square 44, Option Two: Ornate 3 - striped pattern with textured stitches and slip-stitch beads:

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 gives 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 18, OPTION ONE, RABAT: this intarsia square is the beginning of a centrepiece, with Squares 18, 24, 25, 26 and 32 creating a central panel.

Tech vids to help you with this square:

If you decide to choose this option, then you will need to choose Option One for the squares mentioned above. In terms of difficulty, the intarsia is about as easy as you can get, with a simple triangular shape on a one-colour background. So perhaps go for this if you need to practise your intarsia skills.

The first thing to mention about this square is that it is knitted in the usual way, from top to bottom, it is positioned and joined in differently to all the other squares. The image on page 6 shows how it looks when it is knitted, but the image on the Piecing Diagram on page 4 shows how it is positioned, which is on its side. So you cannot pick up stitches from Square 17 to knit this square, you must cast it on separately and sew it to Square 17.

I am in the process of getting a tech vid recorded to show how to sew a cast-off edge to a selvedge edge, so when it is available I will let you know. However, this won't stop you from knitting this square or any of the others, so in the meantime you can crack on with them if you so wish.

In the cabled section you will see some instructions in green. These relate to specific rows on the chart on page 8, which you need to read and follow if you decide to work from the chart. Alternatively, you can work from the worded instructions only.

It is super important that when working, 'keeping yarn held at front, sl 1 knitwise, psso, that you do keep the yarn held at the front of the work as instructed, otherwise you will not get the increase of one stitch.

After working the cabled section there are a few rows of garter stitch (knit all stitches) and a decrease row too before the intarsia section begins. I used three balls/bobbins of yarn for this - two of Turquoise and one of Indigo.

Unfortunately in all of the images in this mail-out, the tip of the Indigo triangle has been cropped out, but you can see it clearly on the chart.

SQUARE 18, OPTION TWO, RABAT: if you don't want to knit intarsia then this is your alternative option, which replaces the colour work with a three-colour slip-stitch pattern.

Tech vids to help you with this square:

The cabled section at the beginning of this square is the same as Option One, so if you have not read the notes above about it, it would be wise to do so. As with Option One, it is knitted as a separate panel and joined on its side to Square 17.

You might recognise the multi-coloured slip-stitch pattern in the top section from a previous square, numbers 1 and 43, Fes, Option Two. It is the same pattern but in a different colourway. It involves slipping stitches on right-side rows with yarn held at the front between alternate knit stitches, and then slipping stitches with the yarn held on the wrong-side of the work between alternate purl stitches. Once you get going it is really easy to do. Just remember to change colour every two rows following the instructions in the mail-out, and keep them in the same colour sequence which rotates in a loop until the end of the square.

SQUARE 19, BAHIA: this simple stripe pattern is an exact repeat of Square 31.

Tech vids to help you with this square:

Garter stitch stripes are combined with stocking stitch stripes in this all-over stripe pattern repeat. Cut off yarns when instructed, but Stone can be carried up the side of the work to reduce the amount of loose ends.

Remember that if you are familiar with fairisle you could use the weaving-in technique to get rid of some of the loose ends on the wrong side of the work.

There's just one more thing to mention, and that is the variable needle sizes. Your main needle for this square is 3.50mm, but 2.50mm needles are needed for the garter stitch stripes. If you don't change your needles then your garter stitch stripes will be looser than the stocking stitch stripes, and consequently the width of the square might be a bit wavy and the square may knit up too long in length.

SQUARE 20, EMBOSSED: this cable pattern is an exact repeat of Square 30.

Tech vids to help you with this square:

As with Square 30, 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, so if cable charts are relatively new to you and you want to try working from one, you can double check your rows by cross-referencing them on the chart.

I always think that a chart can be off-putting, but if you familiarise yourself first with the symbols before you begin, then you will find it easier to follow. You can see below that there are dense sections of symbols where stitches are worked through the back of the loop (represented by a horizontal dash) and reverse stitches (represented by a cross). So it may look very complicated to the eye, but once you make a start and get the first few rows completed, it will get easier to knit.

There is an increase in the first of these two rows, so make sure that you read the brackets correctly to achieve the number of stitches required at the end of this row. Brackets are commonly misread and are often the cause of a row not working out. Just keep in mind that these sorts of instructions with brackets are the same as reading a mathematical equation. What is inside the brackets is repeated (five times in this case) with some stitches knitted outside of the brackets at the beginning and the end of the instruction.

By knitting and purling stitches through the back of the loop, they are twisted which tightens them up and consequently makes them look much neater. It can be a bit hard going in comparision to knitting a regular cable pattern, but you can see the difference quite clearly if you look at the parts of the cable where the stitches are not twisted - don't they look neat!

SQUARE 21, MAJORELLE 2: this is an exact repeat of Square 29 and completes strip number 3 of the blanket.

Tech vids to help you with this square:

All of the beads in this square are pre-threaded and added to the knitting using the slip-stitch technique. They are threaded on in two batches, chart rows 1-38 and chart rows 39-64. Be aware that beads are knitted in on both right-side and wrong-side rows.

You will know from knitting other squares in this blanket with several different colour beads how important it is that they are threaded on in the exact order. So take your time, and if possible ask a willing friend or relative to read the sequence out to you as you thread on the beads. It would make the job much easier and you are less likely to make a bead threading error, resulting in a much happier all-round beading experience!

SQUARE 24, OPTION ONE, RABAT 2: this is very similar to Square 18, but it is positioned differently when attached to the square below it, and there is a change to the colours of the yarn and beads too.

Tech vids to help you with this square:

You can read back through all the tips and advice above for Square 18, Option One for this square as the knitting of it is the same. However, there is one big difference - it can be picked up and knitted from Square 23 (or cast on separately) as it is positioned the correct way up and not on it's side so that the triangular shape is facing upwards (see image above).

Another difference is in the colours used. Rose is swapped out for Crimson, and Gold beads are swapped out for Yellow, with everything else identical to Square 18.

SQUARE 24, OPTION TWO, RABAT 2: like Option One, this is also similar to Square 18, but it is positioned differently when attached to the square below it, and there is a change to the colours of the yarn and beads.

You can read back through all the tips and advice above for Square 18, Option Two for this square as the knitting of it is the same. However, there is one big difference - it can be picked up and knitted from Square 23 (or cast on separately) as it is positioned the correct way up and not on it's side so that the triangular shape is facing upwards (see image above).

The colour changes are the same as Option One - Rose is swapped out for Crimson, and Gold beads are swapped out for Yellow, with everything else identical to Square 18.

There is one issue that I've just noticed with the chart for this square on page 29. Some of the beads have not been coloured in on the chart. However, you can see what they are by looking at the right-hand side of the chart where the colours are listed for each row.

SQUARE 44, OPTION ONE, LAVISH: this fairisle patterned square is the same as Square 6.

Tech vids to help you with this square:

I would recommend that you choose the same option for this square that you knitted for Square 6 to keep the overall design balanced.

If you are picking up stitches from Square 43 to knit this square, then you will need to follow the instructions on page 31. As there were two options offered for Square 43 you will see that there are different picking up instructions depending on which option you chose for Square 43.

This pattern is worked partially from worded instructions and partially from charts, beginning on page 31 and working from Chart 1 first. Rows of Tangerine garter stitch separate the bands of fairisle, with Indigo beads hooked onto some of the stitches.

Remember to keep an eye out for needle size changes - 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 44, OPTION TWO, ORNATE 3: if preferred you can knit this alternative option instead, which is very similar to Squares 6 and 8, Option Two - which is why it shares the same name.

Tech vids to help you with this square:

I would recommend that you choose the same option for this square that you knitted for Square 6 to keep the overall design balanced.

Previous Ornate (Option 2) squares had Indigo and Red beads, but in this version of it you are adding in Gold beads.

There are separate instructions for picking up of the stitches depending on which option you chose for Square 43. These instructions are on page 33.

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.

Here is a reminder about the 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.

A bumper month for squares and plenty to keep you busy, enjoy!

THE SEAMILL HYDRO HOTEL & SPA IN WEST KILBRIDE, SCOTLAND WAS THE LOCATION FOR MY MOST RECENT KNITTING HOLIDAY, and I was joined there by a group of twenty-one very friendly and excited ladies who were looking forward to a much needed break on the coast.

We visited this hotel last year, and had such a fabulous time that we just had to go back! The hotel is located opposite the Isle of Arran with instant access to the beach at the back of the hotel. Our workshop room faced the sea with huge floor to ceiling windows enabling stunning views of the scenery.

Above: June working on her Secret Cove Case.

I designed a new project for this knitting holiday, which the ladies worked on during their stay. This is the Secret Cove Purse and Case, inspired by the Seashore blanket which was last year's MBC.

Below: Secret Cove Case.

Above: Secret Cove Purse.

We will be launching this kit in our online shop soon if you fancy knitting it yourself.

Above: left to right, Lynda, Deirdre, Barbara, Sandra, Gwyn and Rosemary.

The group were wonderful and everyone gelled together with some of the ladies meeting up with friends made from previous workshops, and many new friendships made too. It was a very relaxing break in a beautiful hotel in a stunning location with lots of lovely food and drink, and oodles of knitting time, so it ticked everyone's boxes for the perfect week away!

Above: Felicity enjoys her knitting at Seamill's!

We hope to return to Seamill's in 2028, so keep your eyes posted for news of our next trip there!

A COUPLE OF THE MEMBERS HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH TO SHARE THEIR RECENT ACHEIVEMENTS, so I am thrilled to begin with Raewyn Mckeown from Rotorua in New Zealand who was over the moon to have completed her Seashore blanket!

Raewyn says: "The final product for 2025, and I love it! So peaceful and beautiful colours. It resides on our bed. Thank you."

What a huge achievement to have completed your Mystery Blanket, which I know at times was very challenging. I can see that you've opted Raewyn for Option One squares, which you have knitted beautifully. You should be very proud of your Mystery Blanket, it is stunning!

Sian Bennett from Carmarthen in Wales, UK knitted the 2020 Mystery Blanket, 'Our Precious Earth', but recently completed a second reknit of it, with a splendid redesign of the centre square.

Sian says: "I gave away my original 2020 blanket to a friend- it’s one of my favourites so I decided to reknit is this year. There were so many colours but I had a lot of the original yarns and substituted from my stash when necessary. I’ve had a go at a redesign of the central square- hopefully in keeping with the theme! Thanks for your marvellous designs - I’ve learnt so much from knitting them!"

This is wonderful to see and hear, and I think you deserve a bit pat on the back Sian for reknitting another whole Mystery Blanket! Your friend is very lucky to have someones as kind as you in her life, what a fabulous gift and one to keep and treasure forever.

IF YOU HAVE A STORY, WORDS AND OR PICS TO SHARE, then please send them into me at debbie@debbieabrahams.com and with your permission I will include them in the next blog.

OUR 'MYSTERY' MEETINGS AT YARN LOFT CONTINUE TO BE A LOT OF FUN, and I caught up with some of the members there last month for another cheerful couple of hours.

Above: left to right, Carol, Kerry and Michelle progressing with their blanket squares at the meeting.

I was so impressed with how well everyone was getting on with their blanket squares, with many of them bang up to date. To see the squares on needles being knitted and enjoyed was a complete joy to me as I sat there remembering the many hours spent designing them. With a large portion of the blanket now knitted, the project is really starting to take shape, and the ladies at the meeting seemed really happy with it so far, with Kerry commenting that it was her favourite Mystery Blanket so far - thanks Kerry!

Below: left to right, Vanessa, Mary, Doreen and Carol, concentration levels at maximum!

If you want to join us at our next meeting on Wednesday 1st July this will be the last meeting before we break for the summer holidays in August. 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!

DON'T FORGET TO JOIN OUR VIBRANT AND HELPFUL SOCIAL MEDIA GROUPS FOR THE MYSTERY BLANKET!

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!

Instagram: debbieabrahams_knitting
Pinterest: debbieabrahams@debbieabrahamsk
Facebook: Debbie Abrahams Handknits

AND FINALLY, I AM THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE THE WINNER OF THE SIXTH 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 SIX(JULY): this months' winner is Member 189, Sandy Snoxall from Rayleigh in Esssex, UK. Well done Sandy! 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.

The temperatures here in the UK have been well above average making knitting and any other crafts difficult to do in the extreme heat, so I am hoping that the current cooler weather is going to continue for a bit so I can knit more comfortably. I have several projects on the go at the moment, with the 2027 Mystery Blanket top of the list, and with more workshops booked in over the next few months aswell, life is going to be very busy! So there's lots to look forward to this summer and beyond.

It's now time to grab your knitting needles and crack on with this month's squares. I hope that you continue to enjoy your blanket knitting and have a fabulous and not too hot July, Until next time, take care and keep cool, Debbie xx