Unless you didn't measure something accurately, there should be no problems. Sugar can have something added to it before its added to the rest of the mixture. In some cases sugar needs to be dissolved before the pectin is added anyway. even if its damp and clumping it should dissolve just fine in the liquid. If you didn't use any pectin and expect that the jam will set without its use, that would depend on how much natural pectin is already in the fruit. If its high, it should still be fine, if its low, you would have to bring the mixture to a boil for a while so that it can reduce moisture and help the natural pectin set. Even if it doesn't set (usually after about 15-25 days with added pectin) you can open each jar and reprocess using some pectin at that time. Being as accurate on ingredient amounts and quantities can vary, only because your making somthing from a source that could be sweet, sour, or low pectin, as well as its acidity. All these factors need to be considered in ANY recipe. Some people don't like a lot of sugar in jams or jellies, so they use less. If this is done, and no added or required pectin is added, the mixture may never set up. Jelly isn't really a difficult thing to master. Heck, I make yeast breads and muffins without any recipes of any kind. Been doing it so long, I can usually tell what is needed. Visual, taste, and smell are all needed to give you what you desire, as to an end result. Good luck. Always TASTE what you make before committing it to canning jars. Then your sure not to get any surprises.

so ...how did it go?

Thanks so much for taking the time to give such a complete answer. Actually, it set up just fine and is labeled and put away. I still can't believe I did that. If I could have caught the juice in the air and put it back, I would have done it.

Lots of times I make something that may specify that you do things in a specific order, but when it comes to jelly making, its not usually a problem if you added something in the wrong order. WHen I made my jellies with Pomona, at first, I tried to pour in the powder while stirring and boiling, and was faced with a few lumps, which wouldn't dissolve. Now, I make sure that I run the powder through my blender with some of the juices and/or water so that its easily poured into a boiling batch of jam. No more lumps and it dissolves quite fast that way. The last thing is the calcium. Once thats in there, I can actually see the jelly setting up on the spoon and ladle. Soon, I plan to make a big batch of sugarless red raspberry jam without seeds.