Knit Popcorn, Bobbles, Nupps, and Puff stiches

What are the differences between popcorns, bobbles, nupps or puffs?  Is there a difference?  Yes, there is a difference.  Let's see what they look like. Let’s see how they are worked. There is one thing that you need to be sure of when working with them.  Be watchful where they are placed.  Many a garment has been ruined by misplaced bobbles and popcorns, not so much nupps and puffs.  These textural details can be used in columns to separate other stitch patterns, to replicate a charted design, in rows to separate other stitch patterns, and most dangerously as an allover detail.

If the above seems familiar, you are not wrong. It's nearly word for word from the Crochet Popcorn, Bobbles, and Clusters.  Why??  I'm not that lazy.  The information applies whether we are working with knitting or crocheting.

Let's start with Bobbles.....

This is the largest of all the textural bumps.  Start by knitting to the point in the pattern where a bobble is to be made or where you determine a bobble should be. In the stitch, you k, yo, k, yo, k.  Five to nine stitches are the norm for a bobble.  Turn the work, purl back, turn.  K5tog.  Continue with the rest of the row.  If you use seven stitches, add another k row and p row before knitting all the stitches together.  If you use nine stitches, add two more rows of stockinette stitch before k9tog.  This keeps it symmetrical.  If you don't like this look, you can make them wide and short or slender and tall.  Experiment to see what you like.  Nine is about the most you want to use.  Beyond that it becomes unwieldy.

Let's look at popcorn and nupp next.  One is a one row "bump".  The other is a two row application.  Do you know the difference?  The popcorn is one row.  Popcorn is four to seven stitches.  Kfbfb.  Sl the 2nd st of the four over the first (count from the left to the right).  Sl the 3rd st of the four over the first.  Sl the 4th of the four over the first.  Continue with the rest of the row.  

Now the nupp.  This is an Estonian technique.  It's pronounced like soup.  I learned about this from the Knitmore Girls Podcast Interview with Galina Khmeleva.  Nupps are always seven stitches as I understand.  Nupps are a two row operation.  Kfbfbfbf.  Continue with the pattern or as desired.  On the return row,  p7tog.  This will be challenging.  Don't work the knit stitches on the right side tightly.  And that is the nupp.  

The knit puff stitch is an anomaly.  There is no increasing or decreasing.  It is a series of short rows worked over 5 stitches.  It is a 10 stitch repeat plus 4.  It is worked over a  whole fabric or in a panel that meets this requirement.  Let's cast on 24 sts.  Knit a row, purl a row.  Repeat these two rows.  

***k 7, *turn p 5, turn, k5 *. Rep from * to * 3 or 4 more times.

k7,  rep from * to *.

k7,  rep from * to *, ending with a k 2.

P a row, k a row, p a row.***

Rep *** to *** for desired length.

What do you think of these?

The crochet bobble, popcorn, puffs and clusters plus the knit popcorn, bobbles, nupps and puff stitch will take our year of stitches from week 11 to week 15 which is the week after Easter on April 1.

See you April 15 with the next installment of A Year of Stitches