Mystery Blanket Club 2008
Welcome to everyone that has subscribed to the Mystery Blanket Club and happy knitting new year to you all!
There are 80 members in the Club (see update below), with knitters participating from all over the world: Australia, USA, France, Spain, The Netherlands and the UK. So my sincerest thanks goes out to all of you for supporting my first- ever Mystery Blanket Club.
If you need to contact me about anything to do with the project please email me and I will respond to your query as quickly as possible. I know that many of you are having knit-alongs and are planning to get together to knit your squares, so if you can help each other out too, that would be a great help!
Please visit this page regularly as a “meeting-place” for the project. I will post any extra notes on this page that might help you with your Mystery Blanket. And please feel free to email me with any comments that you have. I am always happy to hear from you.
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POST 6 FROM DEBBIE on 06.05.08
MYSTERY BLANKET CLUB – PRIZE DRAW 05
The winner this month is: Member 37: Pauline Chambers
Well done! You have won a set of 8 of any of the hand-made ceramic buttons on my website. I will contact you personally to discuss your choice of buttons and delivery.
ANOTHER SHEEP is the brother (or sister!) of the Sheep that you knitted up in January, but this one has a black face instead of a white one. So the tips that I gave you back in January about how to approach this square apply to this design also. Remember that small details can be embroidered onto the knitting afterwards if you prefer, although having said that, I would choose to knit the entire square in intarsia with separate balls of yarn for every block of colour. Having spoken to several of you about the first Sheep square I think that most of you have persevered with the intarsia, which is great news! But whatever technique you do decide to use, I hope that Another Sheep is as fun to knit up as the first Sheep.
A copy of THE MAY 2008 ROWAN NEWSLETTER has just landed on my doorstep this morning, and within the first few pages there is a feature on the current Mystery Blanket Club. If you are a Rowan International member then you may have already seen the article. I just wanted to point out that the sub form they have included at the end of the article is in fact the form for this current Club and it shouldn’t be used to apply for the 2009 Club. I will be drawing up a new form for the next Club and I will email this to all of the current members and other interested knitters in December. I have already had lots of emails from knitters that are interested in Mystery Blanket Club 2, so I have decided that the number of members next year will be raised above 80, however, it will still be kept small and exclusive, just like the current club, and everyone that is currently a member will have first offer of joining the next one. So don’t worry – if you want to join up again next year, your place is safe!
Happy knitting this month and don’t forget to contact me if you have any queries about anything (or just fancy a natter!): debbie@da-handknits.demon.co.uk
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POST 5 FROM DEBBIE on 02.04.08
MYSTERY BLANKET CLUB – PRIZE DRAW 04
The winner this month is: Member 36: Felicity Miller
Well done! You have won a Denim Hearts Cushion (HC3) knitting kit. I will contact you personally to discuss delivery.
MY IDEAS BEHIND THE THEME OF THE MYSTERY BLANKET: Now that we are approaching the half-way stage of the Mystery Blanket I felt members might like to learn something of the thought processes involved in the design of this sort of project.
My first task was to select a theme which would have wide appeal, would be accessible and would contain enough in the way of knitting processes and techniques to sustain interest over the life of the project. Hence the choice of the English countryside as the theme – familiar to all yet capable of being interpreted in subtle and interesting ways.
The choice of a colour scheme is of prime importance, and for this project I wanted to bring to mind the traditional colours of our natural setting. Anyone at all familiar with the works of some of our Old Masters will know of the palettes favoured by Constable and Gainsborough, to name just two. Soft, atmospheric tones, calm and serene, “ seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness.” Incidentally, I have borrowed Constable’s idea of always inserting somewhere in the picture a splash of bright red as a counterpoint to the quieter tones which are characteristic of my design, and here this is featured in the Flower and the Farmhouse.
I am already thinking ahead to next year’s Mystery Blanket and this will be a total contrast to this year’s theme. I am considering a project which will call for a vibrant colour scheme, with a somewhat more exotic flavour, and this will provide a complete contrast to the design you are all working through now, and will present fresh challenges.
I hope you will continue to enjoy the current project, and all I will say is – watch this space!
COUNTRY STRIPE 1: some of you noticed that this square was photographed upside down on Gallery 3 – (sorry!) – so this has been rotated round on Gallery 4 so that it is the right way up. It was also noticed by many of you that there was a discrepancy between the photo of Wheatfields 2 (colourway 2) and the pattern instructions for it. But as it says on the Gallery page, please always follow the pattern instructions for the square and use the photos as a reference only. The photo of Wheatfields 2 (colourway 2) on Gallery 4 is now correct and it matches the pattern instructions. I do apologise for these errors, but while I try my best to make sure that everything is photographed and written up correctly, errors still happen sometimes. Thank you for those of you who have contacted me and brought these mistakes to my attention.
THERE WILL BE A MYSTERY BLANKET 2 commencing in January 2009, and many of you have already contacted me to ask me to put your names down for it. However, every member will be automatically sent an offer to join the next Club before it is advertised on my website in December. So you don’t need to request your name to be put down anymore, but thank you to those that have done so already! I have a lot of names on my waiting list, so I think that the Club will be extended to a greater number of members next time, but it will still be an exclusive one-off project that will only be for those that join up. You will all be sent an email at the beginning of December, so if you want a place in the Club please send me back your subscription form as soon as possible.
And as explained above, the theme will be completely different with different yarns and colours used. I am also thinking about offering a slightly easier project (just stripes, textures and beads) in addition to a more advanced project (incorporating all of those techniques plus intarsia and fairisle colour work, like the current blanket). The theme and colours for both of them will be the same, but the easier option will give new knitters and beginners the opportunity to join in too!
IF YOU ARE PAYING ME BY CHEQUE EACH MONTH please can you remember that you need to make your cheque payable to DEBBIE ABRAHAMS and not to da-handknits.
Many thanks and happy knitting this month!
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POST 4 FROM DEBBIE on 06.03.08
MYSTERY BLANKET CLUB – PRIZE DRAW 03
The winner this month is: Member 74: Brenda Gregory
Well done! You have won a copy of my brand new book, "Design Your Own Knits". I will contact you personally to discuss delivery.
THE THEME OF THE MYSTERY BLANKET has now been guessed by many of you.some guesses were very close, but most of you came up with "In The Country", which is the right answer! And now you have received your third mail-out, you should be getting a good idea of what the design is looking like. There are a few new squares still to come, but there will also be repeats now of squares you have already knitted before. Anyway, I hope that you are still all enjoying it and like the March squares. Happy knitting!
THE FARMHOUSE should be knitted using the Intarsia technique – that is, using separate balls of yarn for EACH section of colour. If the colour changes are a bit too fast and furious for you, then remember that you can always swiss-darn small details onto the knitting afterwards (like the windows and door). There are lots of beads on this one, so make sure that you thread the correct colour beads onto the correct colour yarn.and follow the chart nice and carefully!
CARRY YARNS UP THE EDGES of your Old Stone Wall and Furrows squares. There is no need to cut them off at the ends of rows as you will always be at the correct end of the work to pick up the colour that you need. I designed these squares like this on purpose to eliminate the numerous ends that you might have otherwise had (and I know how much some of you hate sewing in ends!!!)
DON'T PANIC that the Country Stripe 1 square only has 48 rows. It will block out perfectly ok to match the other squares in the blanket (most of which are 50 rows). It was purely a "design" decision to make the pattern repeat work satisfactorily! Happy knitting!.....
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POST 3 FROM DEBBIE on 06.02.08
MYSTERY BLANKET CLUB – PRIZE DRAW 02
The winner this month is: Member 77: Tessa Hargreaves
Well done! You have won a Green Fish Bag kit. I will contact you personally to discuss delivery.
THE THEME OF THE MYSTERY BLANKET was probably very obvious from the first mail out, however, can any of you guess the name of the blanket from the blanks below?
I N / — H — / — O — — — — Y
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COUNTRY CABLE 1 AND COUNTRY CABLE 2, I hear a lot of you asking! The difference is that the stitches are held at the front for Cable 1 and at the back for Cable 2, thus changing the direction of the twist.
FURROWS is best knitted if the unused yarns are carried up the side of the work. You should never have to cut any of the three colours off until you reach the end of the square because you are always at the correct end of the knitting to pick up the next colour that you need. It's easy and there are less ends to sew in!
CALLING ANY MYSTERY BLANKET KNITTERS IN THE COVENTRY AREA! – Jeanette Spracklen would love to meet up with anyone in the area for a knit-a-long. If you are interested in joining Jeanette, please contact her on the following email address: jeanette.spracklen@ntlworld.com
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POST 2 FROM DEBBIE on 31.01.08
YOUR SECOND PARCELS HAVE BEEN POSTED and are on their way to you. Because there are a lot of balls of yarn in this next parcel, I have sent all of the UK parcels by Second Class post. However, they should still arrive at your doorstep at the beginning of February, ready for you all to get knitting again straight away. Please note that the remaining parcels will have between 1 and 4 balls of yarn in each of them and they will all be sent by First Class post. All of the overseas parcels for February were posted on the 29th January and should be with you soon! Happy knitting everyone!
REQUEST FOR MYSTERY CLUB MEMBERS IN THE LONDON SW POSTCODE AREA: Nathalie Grauque has asked if any members in this area would like to meet up for a Mystery Blanket knit-in. There are plans in motion to meet up on the second Tuesday of every month between 7.00pm — 9.00pm, starting on February 12th. If you would like to take her up on this offer, please contact her directly for more details at the following email address: natgiauque@yahoo.co.uk
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POST 1 FROM DEBBIE on 08.01.08
KIDSILK AURA – use single or double? I have had a few queries from you about whether to use the Kidsilk Aura single or double. Please use it single as it is a double-knitting weight yarn and will knit up to the same tension as Wool Cotton DK.
IF YOUR PARCEL DOESN’T ARRIVE within the first week of the month, please can you let me know by email and I will chase it with the Post Office. If the parcel cannot be traced I will send you a replacement parcel. If the original parcel turns up at your door at a later date, I will ask you if you would kindly return it to me, and I will refund your postage costs.
BLOCKING & PRESSING: Because of the different stitches used in some of the squares, when knitted up they may appear to be slightly different in size to each other. However, they are all knitted to 50 rows, and have the same number of stitches (between 37-39). So it is advisable to block and press your squares as you knit them by pinning them out to the same size and making sure that they are all uniform in width and length. This may mean stretching out cables or squeezing in a bit of the length on some of the stocking stitch squares, but it works – trust me! And when the whole blanket is completed, the weight of the finished piece will pull all of the squares into shape anyway. Wool Cotton can be pressed using a damp cloth and a moderate iron. The Kidsilk Aura will be fine with this too.
SHEEP – INTARSIA OR FAIRISLE? I would knit the Sheep square using the Intarsia technique of colour knitting. This involves winding off small amounts of yarn for each section of colour, and not carrying yarns across the back of the work. Look at the chart and break it down into separate areas of colour, seeing each area as a new ball of yarn. You could knit his legs (two at a time!) using the fairisle technique as there is only one stitch of green between them. And you could swiss-darn his ears on afterwards if that is easier for you to do. There are no right or wrong ways of knitting this square up, so don’t worry too much about whether the technique you are using is right or wrong. If it looks good, go with it! Baaaaaaaaaa!
THERE HAS BEEN A SMALL EXTENSION TO THE NUMBER OF MEMBERS in the Club, which is now 80. This is largely due to “unexpected” cheques and sub forms that arrived in the post after Christmas and New Year which I decided to honour. However, I have already had the remaining places up to 80 reserved now, so I am afraid that no other knitters can apply. The number of members will not be raised again, and any cheques that are received will have to be returned. If you are one of the knitters that have already contacted me and confirmed your place, your membership is safe and will be completed when your form is returned to me. My apologies go out to anyone that has now “missed the boat”, but who knows…there could be a Mystery Blanket 2 next year?!?...we’ll see!
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MYSTERY BLANKET CLUB – PRIZE DRAW 01
The winner this month is: Member 34: Gill Ashby
Well done! You have won a signed copy of my brand new book, “25 Beaded Knits”. I will contact you personally by email to discuss delivery.
Fingers crossed everyone for the next prize draw...!
Happy knitting!
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Email your comments to –
Debbie Abrahams
DA-Handknits, 30 Bannerman Road, Nottingham NG6 9HZ
Tel: +44 (0)115 916 1524
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