I know a lot of people think bobbles are kinda frou-frouy.  They take up a fair amount of yarn and they’re a pain in the butt besides.  But, judiciously placed, bobbles can add real textural interest (as in an Aran sweater) and they can be easy and fun as well.

This is my favorite technique for the little fellas. *

When you get to the stitch were you want to place the bobble, do a double-increase.  Here, a [K1, YO, K1] all in one stitch is used.  This bobble is just three stitches wide but you can use as many YO, K1s as you like to make as big a bobble as you want.

1.  Knit 1.
2.  YO and knit again.
3.  Remove stitch from left needle.

Turn work and purl these three stitches.  Knitting backwards is a real time-saver here, but turning and purling works just fine :) Then turn the work back to the front side.  Insert the right needle from front to back into the second stitch on the left needle.  Lift it up and over the first stich and let it drop off.  Do the same with the next stitch back on the left needle.  You have one stitch left.  Knit into the back of this stitch.

1.  Right needle inserted into stitch.
2.  Lifting up and dropping over and off.
3.  Knit the last stitch through the back.

When you’re working back along the wrong side row, you can also purl the bobble stitch through the back.  It isn’t absolutely necessary but there are a couple of reasons to consider it.  First, it virtually guarantees that your bobble will never “drift” to the back of the material.  The double twist (from knitting the bobble through the back on the front and then purling it through the back on the back) also serves to give the bobble a bit more height and definition.

Completed Bobble

This is an adaptable technique.  The demo was made over three stitches, but you can use as many sitches as you like or can handle.  You can also work more rows to increase the vertical size of the bobble.

Assorted Bobbles

The top row are 3-stitch bobbles, worked over two rows.  The second row are 5-stitch bobbles - also worked over two rows.  Notice they have a slightly flatted appearance.  Another couple of rows here would have rounded the shape more.  The bottom bobble was done over seven stitches and 5 rows, but, as an experiment, I did a 3-stitch bobble in the center of it.

So I guess this one is more like a booble :)

Booble

Wrong Side

Experiment - play with the number of stitches and rows and see what you come up with!

Have a nice weekend, everyone!

*Note: I re-wrote this somewhat over the weekend as the original post seemed murky to me.  I want this to be helpful, not confusing!