WELCOME TO THE SECOND INSTALMENT OF THE 2019 MYSTERY CUSHION CLUB! There’s lots of hooking-in beads to get stuck into this month and just one panel to knit, so if you’re off on your holidays it’s the perfect project to pack in your suitcase. I’ve got some useful tips to help you with it, plus lots of other things to tell you about too, so here goes with all the latest news from the Debbie Abrahams Studio!...
THE SECOND SET OF PATTERNS WERE EMAILED TO ALL THE MEMBERS ON 15TH JULY, so hopefully you have all received them ok. The printed patterns (for those who paid for them), are also on their way, with the overseas posted on the 9th July and the UK posted on the 12th July. Please remember that the knitting kit for this project was sent to you in one parcel when the Club began on the 15th June, so please note that there are no further yarn parcels to be sent out and you have all of the materials you need for the cushion.
MEMBERSHIPS FOR THE 2020 MYSTERY BLANKET CLUB WILL BE ON SALE FROM THE 1ST AUGUST, so if you are enjoying the Mystery Cushion Club so far and think that you might want to treat yourself to another knitting adventure with me next year, then be sure to visit my online shop to purchase your membership. As with the Mystery Cushion, memberships are limited and when they have all sold out the Club will be closed.
There’s a special Early Bird discount if you sign up before August 31st, so make a note on your calendar to visit my web-shop to take advantage of this fabulous offer!
PREVIOUS MYSTERY BLANKETS:
Top: Back To The Country (2014)
Middle: Casa Battlo (2018)
Bottom: Retrospective (2017)
The Club will run exactly the same way as this year, with patterns spread across ten months and the knitting kit split into two parcels, posted in February and May. As memberships are limited, the patterns will only be available to those who have signed up to it. So if you want to be part of next year’s Mystery Blanket, don’t forget to secure your place by visiting the web-shop on my new website as soon as it launches in a few weeks’ time. You will find memberships with various options for UK, Europe and World Zones 1 and 2 to purchase in my online shop. Every year my Mystery Blanket Club has sold out, and next year I expect it do the same. There is a signing up deadline of 31st December 2019, however, the Club will close if the memberships sell out before this.
All members will be sent an emailed newsletter on the 1st August which will include more exciting news about this project and give you a glimpse of what I have in store for you next year…
THERE IS ONE PANEL TO KNIT THIS MONTH – THE UPPER BACK PANEL. So you can leave your Front Panel squares to one side for now and make a start on a brand new piece of knitting this month:
UPPER BACK PANEL: Gaia – striped pattern with a buttonhole band, fairisle and hooked-in beads:
This panel has a lot of different techniques in it including a two-colour garter stitch buttonhole band, beaded fairisle and hooked-in beads - so there’s plenty to keep you busy. It begins at the lower edge with the garter stitch edging in which there are six cast-off stitch buttonholes. I have written a tip for how to knit a neat buttonhole on page 6 of the mail out, so it would be a good idea to read this before making a start on them.
There are three charts for this panel and they are on page 8 of your mail out. Each one has a pattern repeat which has been clearly marked on the charts. In the written instructions on page 7 you are told how many times to repeat the pattern repeats in each chart. If this is something which you have not done before then it is very easy to do. Just remember that you read all right side rows from left to right and wrong side rows from right to left. So for example, on Row 1 of Chart 1 you begin at the bottom right-hand side of the chart, work the first four stitches outside of the bracket, then repeat the 12 stitch pattern repeat 9 times before working the last three stitches outside of the bracket. Then on Row 2 you begin on the left-hand side of the chart work the first three stitches outside of the bracket, then repeat the 12 stitch pattern repeat 9 times before working the last four stitches outside of the bracket.
There are two panels of hooked-in beads – in which there are over three-hundred beads! So this could take you some time, but it will be well worth it. I would strongly advise that you use dental floss (Oral B Superfloss is the one to buy) rather than a crochet hook to add in the beads as you might find it much easier to use with the Glace Cotton which has a tendency to split. Just make sure that you follow the chart very carefully as there are four different bead colours used in this chart. Enjoy!
MONTHLY MYSTERY CLUB MEETINGS ARE NOW BEING HELD IN BEESTON IN NOTTINGHAM FOR BOTH THE CUSHION AND THE BLANKET - so if you fancy a couple of hours of knit and chat then contact Sarah (formerly the owner of Yarn in Beeston) to find out the details. The meetings are usually held on the first Wednesday of the month at Sarah’s house between 4-6 where members meet up to knit and discuss their Mystery projects over a hot drink and a biscuit.
I was delighted to join the group at Sarah’s house on July 10th where we spent a lovely couple of hours together. Sarah made some delicious flapjacks that we all enjoyed with a hot drink – thanks Sarah!
Above: Sarah, Kerry and Jenny enjoy their knitting at the meeting - and look at those amazing flapjacks!
Below: the group get on with their Mystery knitting...
Jane Muggleton from Leicester was thrilled to have finished her last year’s Mystery Cushion project – ‘Eastern Promise’ – and sent in some photos of it after the meeting to share with us:
Jane only embarked on her first Mystery project in 2017 when she joined the Mystery Blanket Club and jumped right in the deep end with my ‘Retrospective’ design. So it’s fabulous to see the amazing progress she has made with her knitting within just a few years!
This is what Jane had to say about her Mystery Cushion knitting experience: “I really enjoyed today’s knit and natter - all things random! – and we even moved onto baking after you left! What a nice group of ladies!
I sourced the buttons for my cushion from another Mystery Cushion member on Ravelry. That little jar cost only about £5.00 and as you can see I have loads left over. The colours and shapes would be ideal for a creative child to enjoy. So I would happily let someone else have them if they could be used!!”
Great buttons Jane and just perfect in size and colour for your Eastern Promise cushion! Thanks for sharing your amazing button find with us - and your lovely photos too!
If you want to join us at the next Mystery Club meeting then contact Sarah by email to find out more: info@yarn-in-notts.co.uk. Please note that there is no meeting in August so the next meeting is on Wednesday 11th September from 16:00-18:00. I will be at the meeting and I hope to see you there too!
AND FINALLY FOR THIS MONTH … THE THEME OF THE MYSTERY CUSHION CLUB! I don’t think that we have had any correct guesses so far for the title of the Mystery Cushion. So here is another letter to help you. The letter I am giving you this month is ‘R’:
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ / _ R _ _ M _ _ _
Any ideas?!? Email Sue at sue@debbieabrahams.com to see if you are right, otherwise the theme will continue to be a “Mystery” for you until the next clue in another four weeks’ time…!
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, and I hope that you enjoy your Mystery knitting this month. There is so much going on in the Design studio at the moment with the brand new Mystery Baby Blanket Club due to start on 1st September, the design for the 2020 Mystery Blanket Club well underway, and new kits planned for the web-shop for Christmas. So there’s a lot for you to look forward to! And if you want more help, advice and all the latest news next month, then you know where to come on 15th August! Until then, take care, Debbie x
