6 important things to know about Bobble Stitch Crochet
Special textured stitches anyone? They are wonderful for making your crochet project more distinctive, likewise I love to use them in my amigurumis! In this post, we will be talking about what a bobble stitch is, how to change them into mini or large sizes, length-wise and width-wise. Then we will clear up the confusion with puff, popcorn and cluster stitches, see how they look in rows versus rounds. And finally, how I use that simple stitch in many different ways in my amigurumis!
Table of Contents Show
What is a bobble stitch?
A bobble stitch is actually a textured special stitch that arises from a group of double crochet stitches that are grouped together in the same stitch. This often gives rise to a roundish spherical appearance that makes a flat crochet piece more 3D in nature.
What are the crochet bobble stitch written instructions?
Here let us go through all the various different abbreviations pattern designers may use in their patterns to signify a crocheted bobble stitch, before we move onto the usual written instructions to describe this stitch.
What does Bo mean in crochet?
This is the standard abbreviation that is suggested by Craft Yarn Council, although to be honest, I do not see this being used frequently! It can be written as BO or bo or Bo or any variation of this. It all refers to bobble stitch.
What does BBL mean in crochet?
Bbl is another abbreviation some designers choose to use for their bobble stitch abbreviation. Remember to check their terminology right at the beginning before you start on the pattern.
What is Bob in crochet?
This is the preferred abbreviations for my own patterns, which incidentally does not appear on Craft Yarn Council but it is fairly easy to read. In the subsequent examples here, I might shorten bobble stitch crochet to just bob.
Written instructions for bobble stitch
Here I am writing out the instructions for a 4 double crochet bobble stitch or 4dc bob. It includes the following:
Yarn over, insert hook in indicated st, yarn over, pull up loop, yarn over, draw through 2 loops, (yarn over, insert hook in same st, yarn over, pull through 2 loops) 3 times, yarn over, pull through 5 loops on hook
How do you do a bobble stitch?
As for the step by step instructions, see further on below here:
1) Yarn over 1st, even before inserting the hook into st.
2) Insert hook into desired st, then yarn over again.
3) Draw yarn through, should have 3 loops on hook.
4) Yarn over again.
5) This time, draw yarn only through 2 (of 3) loops on hook. Should only have 2 loops on hook.
6) Steps 1-5 are similar to 1st step of doing a dc. Then repeat process: yarn over again.
7) Insert hook back into same st (as step 2). Yarn over then draw yarn through, should have 4 loops on hook.
8) Then yarn over and draw yarn only through 2 (of 4) loops on hook. Should have 3 loops left on hook.
9) Repeat process again another 2 more times until there are 5 loops on hook.
10) Finally yarn over for last time.
11) Pull yarn through all 5 loops on hook.
12) Insert hook into next st in the main row to perform a sc.
13) Yarn over and draw through.
14) Yarn over and draw through the 2 loops on hook to form next sc in main row.
15) Invert bobble outwards so that it looks like a bulging lump on the outside.
There you have the completed 4 double crochet bobble stitch!
Mini to large bobble stitches
In this section, we will be talking about different types of bobble stitches. By default, they usually refer to double crochet bobble stitches, but you can also crochet sc bob, hdc bob and tr bob! If you are not sure how to do basic crochet stitches like single crochet, half double crochet, double crochet or treble crochet, remember to check out this article, 'How to Learn Basic Crochet Stitches step by step for Absolute Beginners - 6 Easy Steps!'.
How do you do a single crochet bobble stitch?
Here we will be doing a 4 single crochet bobble stitch.
1) Insert hook into desired st, yarn over, pull through to get 2 loops on hook.
2) Yarn over again, draw through just 1 loop on hook, to get 2 loops on hook.
3) Then insert hook back into same st, yarn over again, draw through to get 3 loops on hook.
4) Yarn over, draw through just 1 loop on hook, to get 3 loops on hook.
5) Insert hook back into the same st for last time, yarn over, draw through to get 4 loops on hook.
6) Yarn over, draw through just 1 loop on hook, to get 4 loops on hook.
7) Finally yarn over and draw through all 4 loops on the hook to get a 4 sc bobble stitch.
How to do a half double crochet bobble stitch?
Technically a half double crochet bobble stitch is also called a puff stitch! Here we will be doing a 4hdc bobble stitch or a puff stitch:
1) Yarn over first, insert hook into desired st, yarn over again and draw yarn through, should have 3 loops on hook.
2) Yarn over again, insert hook into same st, ,yarn over and draw through a long loop, should have 5 loops on hook now.
3) Repeat step 2 again another 2 more times until there are 9 loops on hook.
4) Yarn over final time and draw through all 9 loops on hook.
You have completed the half double crochet bobble stitch or the puff stitch!
How to do a double crochet bobble stitch?
The most standard form of a bobble stitch is actually the double crochet bobble stitch, which has been mentioned above in detail already. In short, to make a 4dc bobble stitch:
Yarn over, insert hook in indicated st, yarn over, pull up loop, yarn over, draw through 2 loops, (yarn over, insert hook in same st, yarn over, pull through 2 loops) 3 times, yarn over, pull through 5 loops on hook
How do you do a treble crochet bobble stitch?
A treble crochet bobble stitch is larger than a regular double crochet bobble stitch and the steps are as follows:
1) Yarn over 2 times, even before inserting hook into st.
2) Insert hook into desired st, then yarn over again.
3) Draw yarn through, should have 4 loops on hook.
4) Yarn over again.
5) This time, draw yarn only through 2 (of 4) loops on hook.
6) Yarn over again and draw yarn through 2 (of 3) loops on hook.
7) Repeat: yarn over 2 times.
8) Insert back into same st (as point 2) and pull through.
9) Yo, draw through 2 (of 5) loops. Will get 4 loops left on hook.
10) Yarn over, draw through 2 (of 4) loops.
11) Repeat press another 2 more times until there are 5 loops on hook.
12) Finally yarn over for last time.
13) Pull yarn through all 5 loops on hook.
14) Sc1 into next main st in a round.
15) Invert bobble stitch outwards so that it is bulging on the outside.
Finally completed 4tr bob, looking slightly like an ovoid shape.
How many stitches are in a bobble stitch?
Above we changed the height of the bobble stitches, while here we will change the width of the bobble stitch. The next 3 examples include changing the number of double crochet stitches within the bobble stitch to get varying sizes as well.
How do you crochet a 3 stitch bobble?
The written instructions for 3dc bobble stitch are as follows:
Yarn over, insert hook in indicated st, yarn over, pull up loop, yarn over, draw through 2 loops, (yarn over, insert hook in same st, yarn over, pull through 2 loops) 2 times, yarn over, pull through 4 loops on hook
How do you do a 4 bobble stitch?
Just like what was stated above, the instructions for 4dc bobble stitch:
Yarn over, insert hook in indicated st, yarn over, pull up loop, yarn over, draw through 2 loops, (yarn over, insert hook in same st, yarn over, pull through 2 loops) 3 times, yarn over, pull through 5 loops on hook
How do you make a 5 stitch bobble?
Finally the widest example here using double crochet stitches is the 5dc bobble stitch:
Yarn over, insert hook in indicated st, yarn over, pull up loop, yarn over, draw through 2 loops, (yarn over, insert hook in same st, yarn over, pull through 2 loops) 4 times, yarn over, pull through 6 loops on hook
Special stitches similar to bobble stitches
In this section, we will talk about different special stitches that look similar and have steps that are pretty similar as well - they include the puff stitch, the bobble stitch, the popcorn stitch and the cluster stitch.
Is a puff stitch the same as a bobble stitch?
Like I mentioned above, a puff stitch is technically a half double crochet bobble stitch, while a bobble stitch routinely refers to a double crochet bobble stitch. See the different steps involved in each type of special stitch above.
Is popcorn stitch the same as bobble?
No they are not the same. The steps involved in a popcorn stitch and bobble stitch are very different and the appearance is also different. Both are bulging outwards and have textured appearance, but one is more spherical in shape while the other more conical.
I mentioned the bobble stitch earlier while just below I have included the steps for a popcorn stitch. To make a 3dc popcorn stitch, the following steps are involved.
1) Make a double crochet stitch - yarn over first, then insert hook, yarn over, draw yarn through, yarn over again and draw through 2 (of 3 loops). Then yarn over final time, draw through last 2 loops on hook.
2) Repeat again another 2 more times into the same st to get 3dc in the same st.
3) Drop the loop from hook. Insert hook into the 1st dc done (both front and back loops).
4) Grab the dropped loop and draw it through the first dc st.
5) The popcorn st looks like it is popping forward in the front.
6) Do a sc in the next st to seal the popcorn st down securely.
See the differences in appearance between a bobble stitch and a popcorn stitch.
What is the difference between a cluster and a bobble stitch?
There is quite a lot of differing opinions about crocheting cluster stitches unfortunately. I was also confused about this for a long time and went around researching. Fortunately or unfortunately, it really depends finally on what the pattern designer wants so remember to check the initial terminology.
For cluster stitches, some crocheters choose the do the cluster stitches in the SAME stitch, while other do the cluster stitch in multiple consecutive stitches and joining them up together at the top, much like you would for a double crochet decrease.
There is more on the differences for double crochet decrease and double crochet cluster stitch here in this article, '15 different detailed Ways on How to Decrease in Crochet'.
To be extremely honest, personally I have been crocheting cluster stitches like they are double crochet decreases, which is probably not right! Here I have laid out the steps for a double crochet cluster stitch... which if you see closely, is very similar to a bobble stitch.
Double crochet cluster stitch involves the following steps.
1. Yarn over the hook before inserting the hook.
2. Insert your hook into the desired stitch.
3. Yarn over again, pull yarn through the stitch.
4. Yarn over, draw through 2 (of 3) loops, should have 2 loops on the hook.
5. Yarn over again, insert hook into SAME stitch.
6. Yarn over, pull yarn through the stitch, should have 4 loops on the hook.
7. Yarn over, draw through 2 (of 4) loops, should have 3 loops left on the hook.
8. Yarn over for last time.
9. Draw yarn through all 3 loops on the hook.
The actual steps involved above are similar to that for the start of a bobble stitch. The biggest difference is that bobble stitch often involve more double crochet stitches in the same stitch, such that a bulge is created on one side, resulting in a 'bob' appearance. A cluster stitch appearance is generally flatter and not so textured.
Working bobble stitches in rows and rounds
The steps involve in crocheting the bobble stitch, whether in a row or in a round are the same, except the final appearance might look slightly different.
How to crochet bobble stitch in a row?
Proceed with crocheting a bobble stitch like you would usually do after crocheting along the row. You might want to leave a few regular single crochet stitches along the rest of the row as a few consecutive bobble stitches might not fit so well and the row might start to curve along the side.
Also, if you are crocheting back and forth, along the right side and then the wrong side of the rows, then the bobble stitch on each type of row will look different. The bulge you are supposed to see will be facing opposite sides. To avoid this and still create your desired textured appearance, then only crochet bobble stitches on the rows that are facing the right sides.
If you do not know how to tell your right sides from your wrong sides, whether for rows or rounds, check out this comprehensive article on '8 effortless ways to tell Which side of yarn is Right side in Crochet'.
How to crochet bobble stitch in a round?
Generally for crocheting bobble stitches in a round, it is easier, because you should be crocheting in a continuous clockwise direction and the bulge of the bobble stitch should always be facing outwards.
Follow the same steps as listed above and work the bobble stitches inside a round, whether for texturing reasons or to give certain appearances in your amigurumi, which I will go through in further detail below.
How to do a bobble stitch in amigurumi?
The steps involved are the same but here I will be highlighting some examples of how to incorporate them in your amigurumi when you are designing it. Of course, the steps may look slightly different depending on the height (taller stitches) or width (more stitches) of the bobble stitch, and also variations with colour changes!
How to use bobble stitches in amigurumi?
Bobble stitches has got to be one of my favourite special stitches in crocheting amigurumi because it gives a nice round sphere appearance in a seamless fashion, without having to sew on a separate piece!
Using bobble stitches to make amigurumi hair
This is probably not one of the frequently considered uses for bobble stitches in amigurumi. I decided to use it for my Woodland series inspired by Lord of the Rings (look out for it in the later half of the year :), because I was trying to come up with a ‘short coily’ appearance for the hobbit hair.
It can be pretty challenging to squeeze in the individual bobbles into the wig cap but with adequate spacing between each bobble and the subsequent layer after them, I managed to come up with a bobble hairstyle!
Apart from using bobble stitches, there are many other ways to crochet amigurumi hairstyles, so remember to check out this comprehensive blog post, '24 creative ways on How to Crochet Doll Amigurumi Hair'.
Using bobble stitches to make amigurumi nose
As I move down from the hair to the face, I decided to stick a little bobble stitch in the middle of the face as the nose.
In this example below for the cowgirl Jessie, I used a 4 double crochet bobble stitch (4dc Bob). The stitches surrounding the bobble stitches were simple single crochet so that the textured bobble really stands out. Then comes the positioning of the eyes and the hair surrounding the bobble which brings out the nose appearance.
Using bobble stitches to make amigurumi cheeks
This probably would only work for smaller amis considering the bobble stitches are pretty small if you only use double crochet sizes. Anything treble and above can be used but there will be lots of gaps in between.
For stone-age Bamm Bamm over here, his face does look a little bit bloated hehe. I basically sewed on a little nose in between 2 well spaced bobble to give the appearance of cheeks. Not a technique I use often, but it’s using bobble stitches in a different way right?
Using bobble stitches to make amigurumi limbs
This is definitely something that I use often and mention often as well, because using bobble stitches is so much faster than sewing on tiny little spheres! I had it dones previously on many of my amigurumis including Pikachu as his limbs!
One of my very original amigurumis that I made of the classic Avengers all showcase bobble stitches as limbs with a variety of colour changes. These are quick projects to whip out and that was the idea when bobble stitches were being utilized for their arms and legs!
Using bobble stitches to make amigurumi shoulder pads
I know this kind of sounds strange but I decided to use bobble stitches just above my ami’s extended limbs, like so for my Rapunzel and Snow White.
This created the illusion of shoulder pads like in the above dresses for the girls or a squaring of the shoulders, like how I tried it out for Superman below. They just had to be positioned just above the arms which extended outwards in the row just below them.
For an idea of how to create the alternating colour appearance of the bobble stitches like how I did for the amigurumi below, go check out an old post of how I did it, with step by step pictures:
So there you have it, the 5 different ways I sneakily incorporate bobble stitches into my Amigurumis. I’m sure this list will continue to grow as I test bobble stitches into various aspects of my crocheting! Have fun trying them out for yourselves!
Free bobble stitch crochet patterns
Try out some of these free patterns on my blog to see the bobble stitch in action.
If you need the help of videos, then try this free 5-day email crochet-a-long challenge, which involves 5 tiny steps to crochet a doll in 30 minutes. It can be completed so quickly because no sewing is involved and I used bobble stitches to make the limbs!
Conclusion of crocheting bobble stitches
Do try out different variations of bobble stitches, to create different appearances, whether it is increasing the height by using taller stitches or increasing the width by adding in more stitches inside the bobble. Then the next step is to use your imagination or the examples above to incorporate these pretty stitches inside your amigurumi. If you have tried any of the suggestions I made above, remember to tag me @pocketyarnlings on instagram, I would love to see it!
Remember to share this if you found it useful and pin it to Pinterest so that others may learn from it too! To check out more of my ideas for using various types of crochet stitch techniques to shape amigurumi, grab my free Amigurumi Shaping Starter Guide below!
