The Brilliant Bead Club: project 2, Sycamore Cowl

WELCOME TO THE SECOND INSTALMENT OF THE BRILLIANT BEAD CLUB and the launch of the Sycamore Cowl, an all-over slip-stitch pattern with sparkling red, teal and gold beads. It's the perfect time now to make a start on this so that when the days begin to cool down and the nights draw in, you have your Sycamore Cowl ready to wear!

So let's start with my video intro which is a friendly 'hello' from me to see how you are all getting on. In the intro I talk about the Sycamore Cowl and how it is knitted, so you might pick up some useful tips if you have five minutes to spare...

SILVER AND GOLD MEMBERS ALREADY HAVE THEIR SYCAMORE KNITTING KITS, as it was included in the first parcel we posted to you. And if you are a Bronze member then the beads and buttons for this project are in your Bead Box.

ALL OF THE MEMBERS WILL FIND THE DIGITAL PATTERN FOR THE SYCAMORE COWL IN THEIR DEBBIE ABRAHAMS ACCOUNT ON OUR WEBSITE. And if you can't remember how to access your digital pattern, here is a reminder:

• 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.

GOLD MEMBERS WILL HAVE THEIR PRINTED COPY OF THE PATTERN POSTED TO THEM, so hopefully you are sitting with your copy, ready to make a start. It will be delivered in a brown card envelope, so if it has not arrived yet, please keep an eye open for it as it will be with you very soon.

IF YOU NEED ANY HELP WITH KNITTING TECHNIQUES FOR THE SYCAMORE COWL, THEN MY TECHNICAL VIDEOS ARE JUST A TAP AWAY VIA A LINK TO TUTORIALS AT THE TOP OF THE HOMEPAGE. This gives you access to numerous short demos showing you many different knitting techniques which are used in the Sycamore Cowl, including:

• How to knit the two-colour slip-stitch pattern
• How to pick up stitches along a selvedge edge
• How to knit a neat cast-off stitch buttonhole
• How to carry yarns up the side of the work
• How to thread beads onto yarn
• Slip-stitch beading

SO LET'S TAKE A LOOK IN MORE DETAIL AT YOUR SECOND BRILLIANT BEAD CLUB PROJECT, SYCAMORE COWL... 

The cowl is knitted as a flat rectangular piece, and with 211 stitches to cast on, you will have to knit it on a circular needle, unless you have super long straight needles to hand.

The tension is given over the beaded slip-stitch pattern which may be difficult to count, so it's advisable to mark out the stitches and rows in your tension swatch so that you can count them more accurately. To do this, cast on 35 stitches using 3.50mm needles and Tropic, and work rows 21-24 once. Place a marker on the centre stitch of the knitting to mark row 1 of your row count. Then continue to repeat the four pattern rows (21-24) until you have completed 44 rows. Place another marker on the 44th row, and work another 4 rows in the pattern repeat, then stop. At the same time as you are working these rows, when you have worked 22 rows from the first marker, mark out 27 stitches by placing another two markers on the 5th stitch in from both side edges (this is 27 stitches inclusive of the marked stitches).

Ideally your swatch should be pinned out (blocked) and sprayed with cold water to relax the knitting before measuring the tension. Make sure it is fully dry before you take out the pins and record the measurements.

Measure the distance between the two markers for your 44 rows. Then measure the distance between the two other markers for your 27 stitches.

If your 44 rows measure more than 10cm, your row count is too loose and a smaller needle is recommended. Alternatively, if your 44 rows measure less than 10cm, your row count is too tight and a larger needle is recommended.

If your stitch measurement is more than 10cm across then your stitch count is too loose and a smaller needle size is recommended. Alternatively, if your stitch measurement is less than 10cm across then your stitch count is too tight and a larger needle is recommended.

It is very common for knitters to get either stitch tension correct and row tension wrong, or vice versa. If this happens to you, then the stitch count is more important than rows, so my advice would be to get your stitch count as close to the gauge as possible, even if it makes your row tension slightly wrong.

You should have enough yarn to complete the whole project after knitting the tension swatch, but if you run short of any of the colours you can undo the swatch and re-use the yarn.

On page 2 you will find a short list of Pattern notes which are worth a read before you begin. They bring your attention to important things about the project that will help you to understand the pattern better.

After the Pattern notes you will see a list of Abbreviations which are used in this pattern. 

The first instruction is to knit the Lower Edging, which is garter stitch with a row of alternate Gold and Red beads. These need to be pre-threaded before you cast on as they are added in using the slip-stitch method. Just take note of Row 4 on which alternate stitches are slipped. On Row 5 the beads are placed on the stitches that were knitted on Row 4. You are knitting this Lower Edging using 2.50mm needles.

Above: the Lower Edging (which becomes the neck edge).

The first batch of bead threading for the Main Panel begins on page 2, so you need to do this before you make a start on the slip-stitch pattern. When your beads are threaded on, you can start knitting the Main Panel. It's a very easy pattern to knit, with the yarn taken back and forth between the needles after every three stitches, with beads placed in between on all right-side rows. Just make sure that you take the yarn back and forth without allowing it to go over the needle, otherwise you will create an increase. 

On wrong-side rows the yarn is always kept towards you on the wrong side of the work as you slip the stitches, so there is no movement of the yarn between the needles.

Take a look at the tech vid for this slip-stitch pattern in Tutorials. You'll find it in the Tutorials in The Brilliant Bead Club 2026 category.

After row 20 is completed, the colours change - Sun Valley and Turquoise are cut off and replaced by Tropic and Sulfur. In this section there are no beads, until the colours change back to Sun Valley and Turquoise on Row 39.

Terracotta is the only yarn that continues to be used throughout the whole slip-stitch pattern and is not cut off until the Main Panel is completed.

The Upper Edging begins on Row 103 on page 3. Row 106 is a decrease row which reduces the number of stitches down to 203 stitches. This edging is striped garter stitch using Tropic and Terracotta.

After blocking and pressing the panel, the Left Edging is picked up - if you are not sure how to pick up stitches, take a look at my tech vid that demos how to pick up stitches along a selvedge edge (click on the link at the top of this blog). There are 69 stitches to pick up in total, which need to be spaced as evenly as possible along the left edge. You are using a smaller needle (2.50mm) and Terracotta yarn for this (see page 3).

The Right Edging is picked up and knitted in the same way, but it has six buttonholes knitted in the centre rows of the edging. The buttonholes are created by casting off stitches and then casting them back on when you work the next row. There is a tech vid that shows you how to do this if you need some guidance.

There is minimal finishing to do when the knitting is completed - just the loose ends to sew neatly into the back of the work and six buttons to sew on. You can use any colour of your choice to sew on the buttons. I alternated the colours of the buttons, but feel free to sew them on in whatever order you like! If you take a look at the very first image of the cowl at the beginning of this blog, you can see where they are positioned on the Lower Edging.

Note that when the cowl is completed, the Lower Edging becomes the neck edge, so that the super sparkly beads are on the edge closest to your face (see image below).

(There is just one very minor pattern error to note on page 4 where it says 'Upper Edging' after 'Finishing' on page 4 - 'Upper Edging' should not be there - somehow it sneaked into the pattern, so please ignore it).

And that's your second project completed, the Sycamore Cowl! Ready to wear as the seasons change and the temperatures cool down - enjoy!

IF YOU HAVE NOT SIGNED UP TO THE BRILLIANT BEAD CLUB AND WISHED YOU HAD, THEN THERE IS STILL TIME. We are keeping memberships for this club open until after the final pattern is released in February 2027. At whatever point in the year you decide to join, we will backdate your patterns and send you whichever launches you may have missed, so you will be able to knit up all four projects.

Here is a reminder of the three levels of membership and what you will receive.

Bronze membership: beads, emailed patterns, fastenings, woven labels, TBBC pen (includes 14 different colours across 5,500 Debbie Abrahams Size 6 beads packaged in a black magnetic bead-box).

Silver membership: beads, woven labels, TBBC pen, 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.

Gold membership: beads, TBBC pen, 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.

Remember that there is an extra benefit for all members, 10% off the cost of Debbie Abrahams beads until February 2027 purchased through our web-shop using a unique code that we included in your confirmation email.

BRONZE MEMBERS WILL RECEIVE A BEAD PACK FOR EACH OF THE FOUR PROJECTS, which are all in the black magnetic bead box, along with the turquoise TBBC pen. Each pack is clearly labelled for each project. This is the only shipment for Bronze members.

You will find a list of the contents of each of the four projects on the back of the postcards in each of the bead packs. So if you want to stick to what I have used, this is your shopping list. However, if you are planning to put together your own choice of colours and yarns then you need to keep an eye on the weight of the yarn you are using, the specified needle sizes and meterage per ball to make sure that you achieve the correct tension and have sufficient yarn to complete the project.

SILVER MEMBERS WILL RECEIVE TWO SEPARATE PACKAGES, ONE WHEN YOU SIGN UP AND A SECOND ONE IN NOVEMBER. The first package includes the full knitting kits for Majorelle Bag and Sycamore Cowl, plus the black canvas case and magnetic bead box.

GOLD MEMBERS WILL ALSO RECEIVE TWO SEPARATE PACKAGES, which include everything listed above for Silver members with the addition of printed patterns. In this first package the printed pattern for Majorelle Bag is included. The printed patterns for the remaining three projects will be posted when each new project is launched.

WHEN EACH NEW PROJECT IS LAUNCHED, ALL OF THE MEMBERS WILL RECEIVE AN EMAIL FROM US TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THE DIGITAL VERSION OF THE PATTERN IS AVAILABLE, and that you can download it from your Debbie Abrahams account on our website. If you cannot find this email from us, please get in touch straight away. Often our emails end up in Spam, but sometimes the address is incorrect or we have used an alternative email address for you which you have not checked. It is very important that we have your correct email address otherwise you will miss out on all the club news and alerts, plus any other exciting things we need to tell you about throughout the year.

These are the dates of the four project launches:

• Project 1, Majorelle Bag: already launched.
• Project 2, Sycamore Cowl: already launched.
• Project 3, Nordic Village Cushion: Saturday 14th November
• Project 4, Valentine Storage Bag: Saturday 13th February

WE ARE ACTIVE ON SEVERAL SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS AND THERE ARE A COUPLE OF FABULOUS HELPFUL GROUPS YOU COULD JOIN! 

You never need to feel that you are on your own when you are part of a Debbie Abrahams 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! Although some of these groups are set up for the Mystery Blanket, I am sure you will be welcomed with open arms if you joined them and shared your Brilliant Bead Club queries and experiences. They are all so friendly and lovely!

• 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, so it's well worth joining.
  

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

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

IF YOU LIVE IN OR CLOSE TO NOTTINGHAM, THEN JOIN US AT 'YARN LOFT' FOR REGULAR CLUB MEETINGS! Our monthly meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month at Doreen's wonderful knitting shop, Yarn Loft, in Nottingham. Pop along for a cuppa, cake and a chat with me and some of the members for a couple of hours. It's a great way to share ideas, answer your queries and crack on with your project!

Our next meeting is on Wednesday 2nd September from 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 some of you there!

So now you can make a start on your second beaded project, which is the perfect accessory for the Autumn season ahead! The all-over repeat pattern makes it an easy one to knit, so hopefully you will have a lot of fun and enjoyment making your cowl with minimal stress levels. But if you do need any advice, you can contact me directly at debbie@debbieabrahams.com and I will give you all the support and help you need. The next project is the Nordic Village Cushion, which means that Christmas is on it's way! But hey, let's get Autumn sorted first and make a start on the Sycamore Cowl! Take care and happy knitting, Debbie, x