The bobble stitch is a surprisingly easy stitch with loads of personality! Even a beginner can tackle this stitch. If you know how to do the basic knit and purl stitches and the yarn over increase, the bobble stitch is just a slight modification! To make it even easier, there’s a video tutorial:
Stitch Pattern
The bobble stitch is worked across any number of stitches because the entire “bobble” is worked into only one stitch. So you can put any number of stitches between bobbles or pop a bobble anywhere in an existing knit stitch in a pattern.
To work a bobble stitch, on the right side, into the desired knit stitch:
-
Knit into the stitch but don’t drop the stitch off the left needle. *Yarn over and knit into the stitch again.* Repeat between ** as many times as you’d like for bigger and bigger bobbles.
-
With all of the new stitches worked into that one stitch (you may have 3, 5 or more depending on how many repeats you did), turn your work. Purl across all of your new stitches.
-
Turn your work and knit across the increase stitches.
-
Turn again and purl.
-
Turn back to the right side and decrease back down to 1 stitch. To do this, slip the first stitch and k2tog the rem sts. If you have 3 or more bobble sts remaining, ssk the rem sts and k2tog until only 1 stitch and the slipped st remain. Then pass the slipped stitch over (psso).
Row 2: Purl all sts
An extra step on the wrong side row, to secure your bobble and really make it stick out is to wrap a little support strand around it.
To do that, when you purl up to the bobble stitch, slip the bobble stitch and bring your working yarn under and around the bobble. Slip the bobble back onto the left needle and purl it very tightly to draw that wrap around the bobble closed.
This will make your bobble look more round and prevent it from sinking back into the fabric.
And if you’re obsessed with this new stitch and want a pattern you can try out with it right now, check out my Bohemian Bobbles throw pillow pattern HERE.