How to knit nupps with a crochet hook

Nupps are a lovely way to add texture to your lace knitting. These little bobbles, a traditional feature of Estonian lace, are often used to represent flower buds in lace patterns, and are an effective way to add a three-dimensional feel to knitted fabric.

Usually nupps are created by working (K1, yo) into the same stitch, creating multiple stitches, and then purling all of those stitches together when you come to them on the next row. But this can get a bit frustrating, trying to manoeuvre your working needle into as many as seven stitches at once, and you may possibly find yourself dreading that purl row!

Using a crochet hook to create nupps means that all the action happens in one row, so you’ll avoid all that fiddly purling.

Creating the nupp

Work up to the point where you will place your nupp.

For a seven-stitch nupp, work as follows:

You will need

• Yarn
• Knitting needles
• Crochet hook

Step 1

Using a crochet hook that is at least the same thickness as your knitting needles, K1 into the next stitch but don’t slip this off the left-hand needle.

Step 2

Make a yarnover on the crochet hook.

Step 3

K1 into the stitch again, keeping all the stitches on the crochet hook.

Step 4

Continue in this manner until you have seven stitches on the crochet hook, the last stitch being a knit stitch.

Step 5

Gently slip the initial stitch off the left-hand needle, and carefully pinch the bottom of the group of seven stitches to keep them from becoming pulled too tightly around the crochet hook.

Step 6

Wrap the yarn around the crochet hook and draw a loop through all seven stitches.

Step 7

Place this single stitch onto the right hand needle. One nupp completed!

For a five-stitch nupp, work [(K1, yo) 2 times, K1).For a seven-stitch nupp, work [(K1, yo) 3 times, K1].

To make it easier to bring the crochet hook through at the end, keep your knit stitches and yarnovers a bit loose, and try to keep all of the stitches the same size.