How to Knit Bubble Stitch

Knitting trends come and go, and of course it depends on where you look what things you will find that are popular, but I feel like I have been seeing a lot of bubble stitch knitting projects lately.

Bubble stitch looks sort of like a large, flat bobble, but the technique to make it is different. Bobbles can be made in different ways, but they’re generally made by increasing stitches, working just those stitches and decreasing again before continuing the work.

Bubble stitch uses a technique known as knit 4 below. To work it, you drop four rows of stitches, then knit them together with the stitch you dropped.

It sounds a little confusing but once you see it in action it’s not too difficult. Studio Knits has both a blog post and a video about how to knit bubble stitch that should help you grasp it.

The good news is most of the pattern is just stockinette stitch, and the pattern repeat is only 12 rows long. You can switch colors on the rows where the bubbles are made, or keep the work in a single color.

If you want to try your hand a bubble stitch, here are a few projects to try.

The bubble stitch blankie pattern is a free Ravelry download designed by Cathy Dages. It uses DK weight yarn and has a garter stitch border you knit as you go.

The bubble stitch beanie from Stephanie Blanchard on Ravlery uses two colors of worsted weight yarn. The pattern comes in two sizes. A video tutorial is available.

The Bubblegum jumper from Aliza Knits on Etsy is one that caught my eye because of the fun colors. If you don’t want to stripe it you can of course work it in a solid color. This pattern uses bulky yarn and comes in nine sizes.

Wool and the Gang’s Jasper sweater is on the high end in terms of cost (the pattern is only available as part of a kit) but it features a fun allover bubble pattern with ribbed edgings.

How To Make Bobbles

Knitting pattern for make bobble cardigan

Next Pattern:

Using your yarn stash is important to me throughout the year, but as I start to feel the end of the year coming on I get more excited about using things I already have in the house. Maybe that’s because I don’t want to go to a store in the thick of holiday shopping times, or I like the idea of having a little space in my stash when the new year rolls around.

It’s super satisfying to use up all the little odd balls you’ve made over the year (or years), and I have several stash busting blankets I work on when it’s cold and will maybe finish someday.

If you’d like to start a stash busting project that’s perfect for using up odd balls, check out the Soukish pattern from Neisha Abdulla. This pattern is made for fingering weight/sock yarn, and it’s worked in a tube with allover color work.

This is great for a couple of reasons. You don’t really have to weave in your ends when you can hide them in a tube (this is one time you might even get by just tying a knot when you change colors!) and you can change colors whenever you run out of yarn and it will look good.

Of course the pattern is made with blocks where the designer changed colors, but you can change yours more or less often as you need to make it work for your stash. You can use blank charts to design your own color combinations, or even your own stitch patterns if you like. You can also adjust the length of the scarf as needed or turn it into a cowl based on the amount of yarn you have.

This project looks like a lot of fun and would be a great thing to have on hand to stitch up and then to wear during the cold, gloomy months.

You can get a copy of the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Neisha Abdulla]

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