By Show Me Step by StepPublished
Based on a video by Voolenvine.
A bobble is a little ball of knitting that sits on top of your fabric. You make it by working five new stitches into one stitch, knitting back and forth on those five for a few rows, then closing them back down to one. Kristin Lehrer of Voolenvine shows the classic method, plus one extra move that keeps the bobble from sinking back into the fabric. She calls it choking the bobble. It works.
Patterns usually write a bobble as MB, for make bobble, and spell out the exact recipe in the stitch key. Bobbles vary. Some use three stitches, some five, some work two rows and some four. Always follow the pattern's own version so your bobbles match the designer's gauge. The method here is a solid default when a pattern leaves it up to you.
A bobble is only attached at its base, so it tends to lean or sink back into the stockinette around it. The choke wrap fixes that. After closing the bobble you bring the yarn to the front, move the bobble stitch to the left needle, take the yarn to the back and move the stitch back. The yarn now hugs the bobble's neck. Hold it snug and knit the next stitch. The bobble stands up on its own, no extra sewing needed.
Kristin uses a DK weight yarn on US 7 (4.5 mm) needles. Smooth, light-colored yarn shows bobbles best. Fuzzy mohair or very dark yarn hides them. Wool has a bit of spring that helps bobbles keep their shape. Cotton makes crisp but heavier bobbles that pull down on a garment, so keep them small and far apart.
Bobbles look great scattered across a hat brim or a baby blanket border, lined up between cables on a sweater or as the center of a knitted flower. A single row of them makes a fun edging on a cowl. On anything a baby might chew, use the choke wrap and a firm tension so nothing loosens.
Bobbles are increases and decreases packed into one spot, so it helps to know how to increase and how to decrease first. The slipped stitches are covered in how to slip a stitch. Bobbles pair well with cables.
10 steps · about 8 minutes.Check off each step as you go and your progress saves automatically.
Work a right side row as normal until you reach the stitch where the bobble goes. Kristin knits English style, throwing the yarn with her right hand, but the steps are the same if you knit continental. Stop with the bobble stitch sitting first on your left needle. If you knit one stitch too many, like Kristin did, tink it back before you start.
Tip
Place a stitch marker before each bobble stitch on your first bobble row so you never miss one.
Insert your right needle into the stitch as if to knit, wrap the yarn and pull the loop through. Here is the catch. Do not slide the old stitch off the left needle. Leave it right where it is. You now have one new loop on the right needle and the original stitch still waiting on the left, ready to be worked again.
Tip
Keep the old stitch near the tip of the left needle so it stays loose enough to work four more times.
Bring the yarn to the front and purl into that same stitch, still leaving it on the left needle. Take the yarn to the back and knit into it again. That gives you three new loops. Keep alternating purl and knit until you have five loops on the right needle. You always finish on a knit: knit, purl, knit, purl, knit.
Tip
Count each new loop out loud. It is easy to lose track at four.
Once all five loops are on the right needle, slide the original stitch off the left needle. One stitch has become five. They will look tight and bunched together at the end of the right needle. That is normal. These five stitches are the whole bobble, and the next four short rows turn them into a round little ball.
Tip
Before you move on, check that you have exactly five loops. A sixth loop makes a lopsided bobble.
Instead of knitting on, turn your work so the purl side faces you. The five bobble stitches are now first on the left needle. Slip the first stitch purlwise, since you are on the purl side. That counts as stitch one. Purl the next four. You have worked one short row over the bobble stitches only.
Tip
Ignore the rest of the row. Those stitches wait on the other needle until the bobble is done.
Turn your work again so the knit side faces you. Slip the first stitch knitwise this time, because you are on the knit side. Knit the second, third, fourth and fifth stitches. Going back and forth like this is what builds the body of the bobble. Each short row adds a little more fabric inside that one small spot.
Tip
For a bigger bobble, repeat the purl row and knit row once more before decreasing.
Turn to the purl side again. Slip the first stitch purlwise. Then purl the next two stitches together, and purl the last two stitches together. Five stitches are now three. This part gets fiddly because the stitches are packed tight. Kristin's advice is to be patient. Push the stitches near the tip and work slowly.
Tip
A sharp-tipped needle makes the purl two together much easier on tight bobble stitches.
Turn to the knit side one last time. Slip the first stitch. Knit the next two stitches together. Then lift the slipped stitch over the new stitch and off the needle. Three stitches become one, and the bobble closes into a round ball. You are back to the single stitch you started with.
Tip
Use the left needle tip to lift the slipped stitch. Your fingers will crowd the bobble.
This is the move that makes it pop. Bring the yarn to the front of your work. Slip the bobble stitch back to the left needle. Take the yarn to the back and slip the stitch back to the right needle. The working yarn now wraps around the bobble's neck, like a scarf around its chin. Kristin calls it choking the bobble.
Tip
Slip the stitch purlwise both times so it does not twist.
Hold the working yarn taut so the wrap stays snug around the base of the bobble. Then knit the next stitch. That locks the wrap in place. The bobble now stands out from the fabric instead of sinking back in. Keep knitting to the next bobble stitch and repeat the whole sequence. It goes quicker every time.
Tip
Purl the stitches above the bobble on the next row as normal. Do not purl the bobble itself.
Keep going
How to Knit a Pillow Cover
How to Knit a Bobble That Pops - Easy 5-Stitch Bobble
Knit Picks
Knit Picks Options Interchangeable Needle Set
Swap tips and cables for any project instead of buying single needles forever. The nickel tips are slick and fast, and it all lives in one case.
Lion Brand
Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton Yarn
Mercerized cotton with crisp stitch definition and a subtle sheen, machine washable. A workhorse for dishcloths, bags, and warm-weather garments.
Clover
Clover Locking Stitch Markers (20-pack)
Lock onto the needle so they never slide off, and mark repeats, increases, and the start of a round. Small tool, saves the most frogging.
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