Puff or Bobble Stitch Crochet Tutorial

I’ve taken to my hook like nobody’s business the past few weeks and I’ve been blowin’ and a goin’ with that thing. I whipped up an afghan for my in the works bedroom makeover (sharing that soon, yay!) and even started on a stash busting afghan to help me get some more room in my yarn bin!

One night while I was sitting there idly with a bunch of different colors all around me for this stash buster I just started whipping up a little bobble stitch piece of crochet fabric. There was no goal or intention, it just kind of happened. And of course that made me decide it was time for a bobble stitch crochet tutorial on the good ol’ blog!

Now, I did photos but I worried that not everything came across well. So, in spite of the nervously sweaty pits it causes, I made a video. So if you don’t get when I’m putting down verbally, you can watch me whip up a bobble or two through that pretty awkward piece of moving film history (just kidding) or you can skip it by if you can tell what’s happening without it…

For this project you will need:

• Yarn of varying colors (can stash bust or purchase yarn specifically to go well together)
• Large crochet hook. I rock a K when working the bobble stitch.

First up chain an even number. For my little sample swatch I crocheted 14. Go into the first loop from the hook and single crochet down the length (will be an odd number of times).

When you reach the end, chain three (will act as first double crochet) and turn. Begin a double crochet in the first slot.

And say hi to Marla.

Yarn over and pull through so that you have four loops on your hook (business as usual). In the next movement only take off the first TWO loops.

Continue to start three more double crochets in the SAME STITCH, only taking off the first two loops on the hook each go. Placing them together will make them bunch up causing our “bobble” or “puff”.

As you work you can keep track of the number of double crochets you have begun by the loops on the hook. The first is the loop we started with. Each additional is a loop from a double crochet. Since we want 5 stitches total, when you have six loops you’re ready to move on. As you can see from the pic above, I only have five loops so I need to start one more double crochet to finish this bobble up.

Yarn over and pull the yarn through all six loops in one go. Pull the yarn to tighten the bobble up. In the next stitch, do a single crochet  then five double crochets in the next stitch, finished off together then a single crochet in the stitch after that.

After you make your first bobble or two, you’ll be able to tell that the “pretty” side is actually the side away from you.

You totally don’t HAVE to watch the video unless you need some clarification. I mean, you’ve got things to do :)

Continue until you reach the end. For this first row both your first and last will be bobble stitches.

Change colors and begin to single crochet all the way down. Be sure to count because the stitches can look kind of funky and you can accidentally throw in an extra until you get the hang of it.

To start the bobble row, chain one, turn and single crochet in the first available stitch. Start your five double crochet bobble in the next.

Continue making your bobble stitches down the length. After the first two, flip over to be sure that they are sitting neatly in between the puffs from the previous row.

On this row you’ll have a single crochet on each end and one less bobble than on the rows on either side.

And be warned that your tension can totally get jacked up if you have a cat biting at your yarn :) Hi Liddy!

This stitch uses A TON of yarn… lots more than if you were just doing a straight double crochet, but the texture is so worth it in my opinion.

I used some craft yarn that I bought and never used in colors that look like peaches, raspberries and bananas. It reminds me of a fruit salad!

But this pattern is equally pretty with just lots and lots of different colors so feel free to stash bust one of these suckers out!

What do you think? Is the puff or bobble stitch crochet something you might start working up soon?