Tag Archives: mystery blanket

January 2025

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Crafting wise, 2025 has got off to a good start, with some done everyday. I always aim to do some everyday,but this year as I want to craft everyday and make more items, I have noticed that occasionally, I would have gone to bed without doing it. So I am making a proper effort to do it.

I started the new year with a few knitting WIPs , including Debbie Abraham’s mystery blanket 2024, my Wicked tank top, my Meadow Slipover , Debbie Abraham’s baby blanket 2023 and the Good morning blanket by Purl Soho. Progress has been made on all except the baby blanket and the meadow Slipover. Sewing has been a big plus and so far I have managed to complete a number of items.

Amongst the items I made were 2 of @Adamsews EPP Keeper Case from the Alice Caroline Christmas sewing festival. All fabrics and notions were from stash as I am still aiming for a no craft purchases year. I made padded matching needle case so that the needles won’t pierced the plastic pocket.

EPP keeper case

Also made a pouch which was supposed to be a 10 minute make, this was an epic fail as it took much longer. I have a much easier and quicker way to make the same item.

I love sewing so sometimes if I don’t have anything in particular I want or need to sew I will find a pattern I like and make a few of the same. These reusable coffee cup sleeves were one of those projects, a few have gone into the wild are in use already. Some are reversible, so a festive fabric one side and something else on the other.

A few of the coffee cup sleeves

If you scroll down you will see the Anjou Slipover I made that was too big, so I took it in and made a drawstring small pouch with it.

And after a couple of years I finished the embroidery kit I was gifted one Christmas

Looking forward to a year of working through my stashes. My wonderful granddaughter will be helping me to. Her sewing confidence is growing fantastically.

December 2024

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t’s a little earlier than usual, this post, while I am in the zone. My WIP list  doesn’t seem to be getting much shorter but I am making progress on them. 

Debbie Abrahams mystery blanket for this year still has 20 squares to be knit and I don’t think it will be finished this year, I am determined to complete it and send it off before the next one arrives.

The wicked tank top is still very much where it was after seeing the film for the second time. I do want to see it again and was contemplating the sing a long version, when I realised I don’t want to watch it with loads of people singing, yet.  Although if my granddaughter wants to go I may be persuaded .

There is another vest/tank top I have on the go.  For this one, the Open Trails Sweater Vest by Ashley Lillis ,  I will be utilising the yarn I bought for the Fletcher cowl. It is a beautiful Blue Sky Fibers yarn  from Tribe Yarns ,  the cowl frustrated me when wearing it so much that I frogged it and am repurposing it. It is going to be so cosy. 


I have managed to get a few bits sewn and hope to progress and complete this embroidery which was a gift a couple of Christmas ago. Not sure what I will use the finished item for.

In the sewn items it has mainly been the grandchildren using the machine, but I have managed to make some gift bags and reusable coffee sleeves. I want to make at least one  of my PDF patterns a month next year.  I also plan on destashing a lot of my craft books and am not buying any more knitting or sewing patterns next year. Well that’s the plan anyway.

November 2024

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I haven’t completed a lot in the last few months, at least that is how it feels. I am working hard to finish this years Mystery Blanket before the next one starts. I’m making good progress and I really enjoy the knitting of them, however I came to a realisation recently that one of the reasons I have started signing up to them again is FOMO ( fear of missing out] , as there are a few that I wish I’d signed up for in the years I didn’t .

Melpomene is still on the needles and I never managed to get past the cast on Stage for the Sisu KAL, the yarn and pattern are still all kitted up to be knit at a later date. I did manage to finish the MMosiac blanket, I haven’t blocked it as the recipient will wash it once they get it. The only thing I don’t like about it is how the garter stitch edging waves pre blocking.

Mosaic Blanket

I took part in a test knit for Anjou Slipover using more stash yarn. I knitted a size that is way too big but I shall use my sewing skills and take the side seams in. It is lovely and soft and warm. The yarn is Leader of The PAC from Hobbycraft, which I bought with a voucher from work last Christmas. Once I got my head around the very simple pattern it went really quickly.

Anjou Slipover

Sewing has gone reasonably well, a quilted zipped pouch was made as well as some gift bags, pencil cases and book marks. I did fall of the wagon and out of the Last Sewist Standing event , as Liberty launched two Wicked themed fabrics and whilst I know there will always be more fabric, I still think about the Liberty Hello Kitty fabric I didn’t buy and still, regret not getting it. So I bought 1 metre in each of the designs. I’m going to use them to sew a project bag from the Alice Caroline Christmas sewing event. Hopefully will have a few more pictures of finished items next month.

August 2024

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I’m still knitting the two blankets mentioned previously , the mosaic one has the finishing line in site. As well as signing up to the Sisu berry KAL, I have signed up to the Ravelry Romi Hill group one skien , one month KAL, pattern I have chosen for this is from deep stash Melopemene using yarn from RiverKnits that I’d frogged from another project, so far it’s looking good.

I have also signed up to the 10,000 yard challenge, encouraging you to knit from stash , if you buy more you have to start again. As this included WIPs I should do okay. This years mystery blanket from Debbie Brahmas is back on tracking, or should I say getting there. In an effort to help I bagged a few squares up with the yarn, pattern , beads etc and it seems to be working. One tip I have for hooked in beads is to use a water bottle lid to put a few in at a time. I find this really useful and portable.

Sewing wise I am still in #lastsewiststanding heavyweight section. I haven’t sewn a huge amount but have managed to finish my first Lena Shift Dress. Will definitely be making another one but will make a smaller size for the next and shoulders. It has pockets ,

Lena Shift Dress

January 2024

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Well the year started reasonably well with my crafting. I finished the Kyra sweater which I love, although I am thinking of using some of the left over yarn to make the roll neck a bit longer.

Kyra

I was catching up on my mystery baby blanket 2023 by Debbie Abrahams I will definitely be knitting another one of these. You will be able to buy this kit once the mystery blanket has been completed from Debbie.

Mystery Baby Blanket 2023

I cast on Artus and this was going swimmingly, then, I kept going wrong on the slip stitch and had to undo section multiple times, finally finished that section then started the Mosaic section and had to rip back the first row 3 times, so this is hibernating in a bag.

I also discover my part knitted mystery blanket from 2017 which will have to wait until I’ve finished this years one. I started a lovely cable sweater it’s supposed to a be a little over sized, at the moment the rib looks way to wide. I know rib can come in the more you knit so will give it a few more rows to see otherwise this will be ripped back as well. To be honest – I seem to be using this phrase a lot this week- nothing is really inspiring me or making me want to knit at the moment. I do have a couple of sewing projects lined up, small ones and have just received the yarn for this year’s mystery blanket which has a wonderful palette so am hoping this will be in the inspiration and bring back my sewing mojo.

August Crafting

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I’m still crafting most days and recently finished the second baby blanket . I used Debbie Abrahams Mystery Baby Blanket pattern from 2019, using some leftovers and a few new balls. It really is interesting to see how different colour ways change the whole look of it. Really enjoy knitting this and have signed up for this years one .

My colourway
Original colourway

2020 The Year of Blankets & Shawls

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This is the year I am aiming to complete some of my mystery blanket kits from Debbie Abrahams. I purchased them every year since she started her mystery blankets until 2018, when I thought that I had too many untouched to justify another.. I have knitted some but have too many languishing in airtight containers. In February I finally finished MB 2016 A French Romance. there was real sense of satisfaction when it was finished.

I am currently on the final stretch of the first Mystery Baby Blanket Club from Debbie. I decided to go for this one as it’s nice to have a baby blanket in store for any babies arriving and I can knit another using stash yarn. I am still working on destashing and am avoiding temptation as much as possible. I am also working through my shawl patterns and using stash to knit them up. Shawls have become my go to as they can double up as a scarf and a shawl. Currently on the needles is Learning to Cry from @curioushandmade in the gorgeous Jelly KSH and Wool Cotton

Catching UP

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Not done as much as I had planned on the crafting front, but, I have made good headway on my Debbie Abrahams Mystery Blanket from 2016. Out of the seven strips and 4 borders , I have managed to complete, 4 strips, 1 border and a few squares. To save my arms from the weight of the completed blanket when doing the borders I am knitting the side borders on the strip before I sew them together.

So far I have sewn two sets of strips together and am feeling a sense of completion. What I like about Debbies Blankets are the range of techniques , colours and yarn choices. The 2016 one has beading, bobbles, cables, lace, intarsia, swiss darning and stranded knitting. Each square feels like one has actually completed an item, which I guess one has. I am on track to complete this by the end of June.

Strips so far

Ravellenics

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I thought I would take part in this years Ravellenics. For those of you not in the know, Ravellenics is a knitting competition on the fabulous Ravelry. timed to tie in with the Olympic games. We cast on during the opening ceremony and finish before the end of the closing one. There are numerous events for us to take part in and laurels to be won. These include WIP Wrestling, Scarf Hockey and Bag Backstroke, full list below with how many competing in each category. For each event we wish to enter we set up a project page with tags for the relevant event. I am in Team Tea Yarn 2016

Ravellenic Summer Games 2016 Events

Afghan Marathon 174 entries 1%
Bag Backstroke 118 entries 7%
Cowl Jump 352 entries 1%
Frogging Trampoline 764 entries 43%
Garment Polo 148 entries 7%
Hat Dash 721 entries 5%
Household Heptathalon 331 entries 9%
Mitten Medley 255 entries 2%
Scarf Hockey 261 entries 2%
Shawl Sailing 842 entries 0%
Sock-Put 541 entries 1%
Sweater Triathalon 617 entries 0%
Synchronized Spinning 135 entries 8%
Toy Toss 310 entries 7%
WIPs Wrestling 2953 entries 3%
The other projects I plan on knitting are Zauberlehring a nice easy scarf to do whenever I have time but can’t concentrate on something more difficult, Daughter of Eve fingerless mitts and  Back hand Hitch fingerless mittens for Harry or Evalyn as I can’t decide on which yarn to use. The final project I entered was this years Mystery Blanket from Debbie Abrahams. I am behind with my squares so I have set myself the target to finish the ones up to August as well. I made my self a chart so I can track how much I have do and how much I have done.
 I am really looking forward to all this knitting , once it’s all done I can get back to some sewing.

Over commit much?

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Late last year I bought Ysoldas Follow the Arrow MKAL (mystery knit a long). I was determined to knit from stash and found some Precious 4ply silk.itisso lovely and soft and a dream to knit with. I cannot post a picture of the shawl until the knit a long is finished but here’s the yarn.
image

When I signed up to this I thought that I’d never done a mystery knit a long before, then brain kicked in and I remembered Debbie Abrahams Mystery Blanket . I guess I don’t think of it as a mystery knit a long and yet that is definitely what it is. So as well as doing the follow the arrow shawl, I am doing Debbie Abrahams Mystery Blanket and a smaller version of her playmat blanket. In my brain fog I also signed up for a couple of swaps which involve knitting a small item. There are also the birthday presents I will be knitting and I have a long list of sewing I need to do. I knitted option B in the shawl but after seeing option A I was very tempted to cast on another shawl, luckily common sense took  ovetr and if I haven’t got too much on once its finished I may knit another and use more of my stash.
I am only putting totals in and out once a project is finished