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:

If you’re looking for a sweater knitting pattern that uses up some of your stash and allows you to make just the sweater you want, the Marlina Rib by Shay Johson might be just the thing.

It’s worked with two strands of fingering weight yarn held together to make a DK weight gauge, so you can use the same two yarns throughout or change one or both regularly for an even more colorful look.

The pattern has options to make it either a crewneck or a henley style with buttons, tapered or relaxed sleeves, and a straight hemline or a split hem with buttons (which sounds so cute if you do the henley with split hem and match the buttons on both parts).

It’s also knit from the top down so you can make the body and the sleeves as long as you want. There are 10 sizes available in the pattern, with a chest circumference ranging from 32 to 68 inches, or 81.5 to 172.5 cm. It’s meant to be worn with 4-6 inches/10-15 cm of positive ease at the chest.

The pattern page on Ravelry includes tons of measurements and yardage estimates so you can make sure you’ll get a good fit for your body before you even buy the pattern. Shay also shows a few variations of the sweater so you can see how different options look before you decide how you want to put them together.

The stitch pattern is 1×2 ribbing, which is really easy to do and gives a look almost like fisherman’s rib that’s relaxed and easy to wear.

This sweater looks like a great option for people who are somewhat new to sweater knitting or those who love to have lots of customization options (because it’s like getting multiple sweater patterns in one!).

Check out all the details and grab a copy of the pattern for yourself at Ravelry.

[Photo: Shay Johnson]

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