HELLO AND WELCOME TO THE THIRD INSTALMENT OF THE MYSTERY CUSHION CLUB! And as the weather here in Nottingham turns autumnal with cooler days and darker evenings ahead, I am starting to think of all the new projects for 2018, including the new Mystery Blanket and Mystery Cushion – both of which are underway in the Design Room. It’s a very exciting time! However, before I tell you more about that, let’s take a minute to catch up with what little Seth has been up to since the last blog. A few weeks ago we took him to a lovely little farm and adventure park called Wheelgate in Nottinghamshire. There was plenty for him to do, but most of all he enjoyed driving round on the miniature tractors. So here he is in his own little tractor, having great fun at pretending to be on the farm. Watch out Daddy – I think I know what’s going to be on his Christmas list this year!!!...
WE DECIDED TO GET THE PATTERNS FOR SEPTEMBER OUT TO YOU EARLY, JUST AHEAD OF THE UK BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND, which meant if you wanted to you could crack on with this month's blocks early. The printed patterns were also sent out slightly early, so hopefully all of you who opted for them have received them by now.
MEMBERSHIPS FOR THE 2018 MYSTERY BLANKET CLUB ARE STILL SELLING WELL, and we have now sold over half of the places. As I said earlier on in the blog, it’s all systems “go” in the Design Room with the colour palette finalised and the first samples being worked on for the new Mystery Blanket design. And what makes next year's project even more special is that Rowan have given me the freedom to dye up my own shades, which means I have created my own unique colour palette for the design. I don’t like to give too much away about any of my Mystery projects, however, I can tell you that the colours I have chosen are strong and vibrant, mixing deep indigo with Mediterranean blues, terracotta, sunshine yellow, rich red and emerald green – plus many other shades too. So if you fancy another Mystery knitting adventure next year and have not yet signed up to the 2018 Club, there is still time. To find out more about the Club, visit the dedicated page on my website: https://debbieabrahams.com/pages/faq#mysteryfaq.
You can buy your membership in the online shop on my website now, using all major credit and debit cards or Paypal. http://www.debbieabrahams.com/mystery-clubs/mystery-blanket/
But don’t delay! – the clock is ticking down to that 31st December deadline!...
PLEASE NOTE THAT 2017 MYSTERY CUSHION MEMBERS DO NOT GET A DISCOUNT ON THE 2018 MYSTERY BLANKET CLUB, however, if you join the 2018 Mystery Blanket Club you will get a discount on the 2018 Mystery Cushion Club.
SO, WHICH BLOCKS ARE YOU KNITTING UP THIS MONTH? Here’s a list of what’s in store for you in the September instalment, plus some tips and advice to help you on your way this month :
FRONT PANEL, Block 6: Razzle Dazzle – striped pattern with beads and beaded loops
FRONT PANEL, Block 11: Jazz – garter stitch stripes
BACK PANEL, Block 12: Tango Stripe #1 – stocking stitch stripes
BACK PANEL, Block 13: Tango Stripe #2 – stocking stitch stripes
BLOCK 6, RAZZLE DAZZLE, INTRODUCES A NEW TECHNIQUE TO THE PROJECT, which is knitting a beaded loop. Sets of eight beads are suspended on loops of yarn that are held across four slipped stitches at a time, with nine loops in total in each row. Instructions for the beaded loop technique can be found in the Pattern notes and tips on page 5 of the September file. It is important that the beaded loops are knitted tightly so that the beads fill the loops rather than sitting loosely on them, so this means that a good pull up on the yarn is essential as you knit the last stitch to secure each loop in place. This block has a high row count due to the garter stitch stripes and the bead work, however, it should measure the same dimensions as the other whole blocks you have knitted so far. It’s also worth pointing out there are needle size changes throughout this block which are necessary to ensure an even tension and consistent width of fabric.
BLOCK 11, JAZZ, IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS BLOCK 1 FROM MAIL OUT 1, except that you continue to knit it onto the block below (Block 10), rather than casting on a new piece of knitting. Just make sure that you note the smaller needle size - it is recommended that you use 2.25mm needles as garter stitch loosens the stitch tension.
BLOCKS 12 and 13, TANGO STRIPE #1 AND TANGO STRIPE #2 RESPECTIVELY, are the first panels you have been given for the Back Panel. They are very easy to knit stocking stitch stripes, using three colours in each block. In Tango Stripe #1, I carried Still Grey up the side of the work all the way to the cast off at the top, but I cut off and re-joined High Tide and Navy Ink after every twenty row repeat. I could have carried all three yarns up the side, but decided against this as it would have made the right-hand edge of the fabric very bulky. I know that this means more ends to sew in later on, but I thought that this was preferable to having bulky edges. I did the same for Tango Stripe #2, taking Lilac up the side of the work instead of Still Grey.
YARN IN NOTTINGHAM START UP THEIR MYSTERY CLUB MEETINGS AGAIN THIS MONTH – and the next meeting is on Wednesday 6th September. The meetings are open to members taking part in this year's Cushion and Blanket Clubs, but members from previous years are also very welcome to join us. It’s not only a great way to meet other members, but you can also get help and advice with any of the techniques you might be struggling with in your Mystery projects. I will be attending the meeting, along with little Seth (who is usually asleep for the duration of the meeting!). So if you live locally and have the time, why not pop along between 4-6pm to Yarn at 55 Chilwell Road, Beeston, Nottingham NG9 1EN, , tel: 0115 9253606, email: info@yarn-in-notts.co.uk. I look forward to seeing you there!
AND FINALLY FOR THIS MONTH … THE THEME OF THE MYSTERY CUSHION CLUB! We've only had two more correct answers so far for the title of this year's Mystery Cushion, so well done to Debby Sutcliffe from Ipswich, Suffolk, UK, and Andrea Fabis from Sindelfingen, Germany! This means that many of you are still trying to guess what it is, so here's another letter to give you a clue...the letter I am giving you this month is “P”…
_ E _ R _ P _ _ _ _
You will find more Mystery Club news on my September Mystery Blanket blog, including reports on my recent workshop events at Rookery Hall and Wadenhoe. So if you haven’t read that blog already it might be a good idea to take a look at it to see what else has been going on in Debbie’s world of Mystery projects. But for all your October Mystery Cushion news, please don’t forget to come back here again next month as we enter the penultimate instalment of this year’s Mystery Cushion project! Until then, keep knitting, and have fun! Debbie x
