Knit Maker 102
Lesson Info
How to Bobble Stitch
All right, now we're gonna go to a little bit more of extreme texture. So years ago I used to host this show called Knitty Gritty for DIY Network and I had this guest on, and she was the coolest and she taught this project that was called, it was a braille sweater. And she had created some really chunky bobbles that spelled out a message on the sweater. It was really sweet and it was super cool. And it was at that point that I totally fell in love with bobbles. And so much, much later I, well, I've designed a bunch with bobbles since, but, much later for a book that I wrote called Step It Up Knits for Chronicle, I came up with these little bobbled mittens. And they are going to be a bonus project for you in the course materials so you'll be able to make them. And here you can see that I've done bobbles which are just these huge little, like, nubbins of fun. And for this project I did them at an angel but you can really use them in any way, shape, or form any time that you want some ext...
ra, extra interest. And really they're tons of fun. I love bobbles, especially for pieces like a big chunky scarf, maybe a hat, or kids garments. There's nothing cuter than a little chubby baby in a pullover sweater that's got bobbles all over it. It's the cutest ever. And I'm gonna show you how to work with bobbles. This time the mittens are on a worsted weight yarn, but I'm gonna go, as I think I've mentioned a lot, I'm really into chunkier yarns right now. And the folks at Plymouth were so nice to send me a ton of their Galway yarn for these courses. And I've been having a lot of fun with it. And so that's what I'm gonna be using. So we're gonna be on bigger needles than normal and then we're gonna be working with this chunky yarn. So I'm just gonna show you how to make a bobble and you can use it with the project that will come with the course materials, or also just knit away bobbles just to make your heart happy. All right, so, I'm just gonna kinda knit over to where a bobble would be on this swatch. I already worked a few bobble rows, or a couple bobble rows, but a few rows overall in general. So to knit a bobble all you're doing is you're creating a bunch of fabric in one area. So, you're going to, I'm gonna move this out of the way so it's not distracting, you're going to knit in the front of the stitch, leaving the stitch on the needle, on the left hand needle. Then you're gonna knit in the back of the stitch, and then you're gonna repeat that whole process. So that loop in still on your left hand needle. You're gonna knit in the front of that, and then you're gonna knit in the back of it again. And it'll start to feel a little tight. That's totally normal. Okay, so now, you can see where I used to have one stitch I now have many. I have four stitches here. So then, I'm gonna ignore all that's going on on the rest of the needle and I'm gonna flip the whole piece over. Then I'm gonna purl it. Just those bobble stitches though. I'm ignoring all of the other stitches. This is the bobble's time to shine. I'm flipping it over again. I'm gonna knit those stitches again, four stitches. So I'm creating more rows on this tiny little piece of fabric than I am for the rest of the piece. Okay, so I could either end it here, but I want by bobble to be bigger so I'm gonna flip it over again. So you could end it there or you could do as I'm doing, another row. And just follow whatever the pattern says or whatever you think looks best for your piece. And then I'm gonna knit them one more time. And now look at all that fabric that I've created. And you can see there's kind of a hole in between because I have, you know, at least four more rows on that fabric than the rest of it. So now I need to close the top of the bobble. So one by one, I'm just gonna drop these stitches, over the first stitch. And that kind of seals it off. So I made this one actually bigger than the rows before just because I wanted to and it looks super fun. But I'm gonna show you now how to make just the version that is in your mittens pattern and also the one down there. But I love that. I mean, look at how fun that is. I actually kinda like the bigger ones better. But, you could go as long as you, at a certain point it starts to look ribbony, because you've created so much fabric that you may not get the bobble look but you could still get something really cool out of it. All right, so, we're gonna knit in the front, knit in the back, leaving that stitch still on your left hand needle. And then we're gonna repeat that process again, knit in the front. Knit in the back. Then we're gonna flip that whole piece over, and we are going to purl it. So, again, just those four stitches. And this time I'm gonna make the piece smaller. I'm gonna make the bobble smaller so I won't be flipping it again. I'm just doing the purl row that one time. So now I'm knitting those same four stitches. And I'm ready to close that bobble off. So I'm slipping each stitch, I just take the tip of my left hand needle, and I flip it over. And there's my little nubbin. And then you would just keep going and continuing, on and on. So you can see how just working two other rows significantly change the bobble size. But it's super fun to play with and so cute. I can't wait for you to download the pattern for the mittens and finish them and take pictures of them and then tag me. Tag @vickiehowell, tag @creativelive so that we can see your finished objects. And don't you worry, we will be covering knitting with double pointed needles which you also need for this project. But the most important thing to do is go and check out the bonus material so that you can get this pattern. All right, it's time to move on.
Class Description
Are you a beginning knitter ready to advance your skills? Join Vickie Howell and learn how to knit advanced beginner projects like hats, mittens, and chunky lace cowls.
This class will give you both the confidence and the practical tools you need to take the next steps in your knitting process. As you build on your basic knitting skills, you’ll learn how to:
- Work with advanced tools, like fancier yarns and double-pointed needles
- Pick up stitches and knit in the round using double-pointed needles
- Read a knitting chart
- Increase using the M1 and kf&b methods
- Decreasing using the k2tog and ssk methods
Vickie will guide you through the creation of bobble stitches, cable knits, mosaic color-work, how to block your projects, and basic lace knitting.
Don’t be afraid to try out more complicated projects and produce more elaborate knitted goods! You’ll leave this class in it to knit it, with the confidence and tools you need to create gorgeous work.
Lessons
1Class Introduction2Class Introduction
3How to Increase Using M1, YO, and kf&b Methods
4How to Basic Cable Stitch
5How to Use Mosaic Colorwork Stitch Pattern
6How to Lace Diamond Stitch Pattern & Read Chart
7How to Block
8How to Bobble Stitch
9How to Pick Up Stitches
10How to Knit in-the-round Using Double Pointed Needles