Bobble Flower Buddleia Blouse Free Knitting Pattern
There is something deeply satisfying about knitting a garment that looks as though it walked straight out of a cottage garden. The Bobble Flower Buddleia Blouse is exactly that kind of project — a wearable piece of textile art inspired by the arching purple plumes of buddleia, the beloved butterfly bush that blooms in late summer gardens across the country. With its delicate bobble clusters mimicking the tiny florets that make up each buddleia flower spike, this blouse is a celebration of texture, femininity, and the timeless joy of knitting something truly beautiful.
Whether you are an experienced knitter looking for your next statement project or an adventurous intermediate knitter ready to expand your skills, this pattern offers everything you need to create a garment you will cherish for years. And the best part? This is a completely free knitting pattern, so you can dive straight in without spending a penny.
Let’s walk through everything you need to know — materials, sizing, stitch explanations, and the full pattern row by row.
About This Pattern
The Buddleia Blouse takes its name and design inspiration from Buddleja davidii, the fast-growing flowering shrub famous for its dense, cone-shaped flower heads that come in shades of purple, lilac, white, and deep magenta. If you have ever stood beside a buddleia bush on a warm afternoon and watched the butterflies drift from floret to floret, you will understand why it felt like the perfect muse for a knitting pattern built around bobbles.
Bobble stitches are among the most tactile and visually rewarding techniques in a knitter’s repertoire. Each individual bobble is made by working several stitches into one stitch and then collapsing them back down again, creating a raised, rounded nub of yarn that pops off the fabric surface. Arranged in elongated clusters against a reverse stocking stitch background, these bobbles create exactly the effect of buddleia’s tiny packed florets — a romantic, nature-inspired texture that photographs beautifully and feels wonderful against the skin.
The blouse is worked in pieces — a front, a back, and two sleeves — which are then seamed together. The body features an all-over buddleia motif with panels of bobble clusters set against a reverse stocking stitch ground, giving the finished fabric a lush, dimensional quality. The neckline is a graceful, slightly scooped shape finished with a simple rib band, and the sleeves are set-in with a classic, flattering silhouette.
Materials You Will Need
Before you cast on, gather everything on this list so your knitting experience runs smoothly from start to finish.
Yarn: Approximately 800–1,200 metres of DK weight yarn, depending on your chosen size. A yarn with a high cotton or linen content works beautifully for this blouse, giving the bobbles crisp definition while keeping the finished garment cool and breathable for wearing through spring and early autumn. Pure wool DK is equally lovely if you prefer warmth and elasticity. Look for a yarn with good stitch definition — avoid anything overly fluffy or hairy, as the bobble texture will be less visible.
Suggested yarns include Paintbox Simply DK, Rico Creative Cotton DK, Drops Safran, or any similar DK yarn you love. The pattern calls for a solid or semi-solid colour to let the bobble texture do the talking. A dusky purple, soft lilac, dusty rose, or sage green would all honour the garden inspiration beautifully, though the blouse looks equally stunning in cream, oatmeal, or soft grey.
Needles: 4mm (US 6) straight or circular needles for the main body, and 3.5mm (US 4) needles for the ribbed bands and cuffs.
Notions: Stitch markers, a tapestry needle for seaming, a row counter, stitch holders or spare yarn for holding stitches, and a tape measure.
Gauge: 22 stitches and 30 rows to 10cm (4 inches) over stocking stitch on 4mm needles. Please take the time to swatch and match your gauge before beginning. Bobble stitches are slightly denser than plain stocking stitch, so it is worth also swatching the bobble panel to check your tension there too. If your bobbles feel very tight, go up half a needle size. If they are loose and floppy, come down half a size.
Sizing
The Buddleia Blouse is written in six sizes. Choose your size based on your actual bust measurement and the ease column, which indicates how much additional room is built into the garment.
Size 1: 81cm / 32″ bust — finished measurement 86cm / 34″
Size 2: 86cm / 34″ bust — finished measurement 91cm / 36″
Size 3: 91cm / 36″ bust — finished measurement 96cm / 38″
Size 4: 97cm / 38″ bust — finished measurement 102cm / 40″
Size 5: 102cm / 40″ bust — finished measurement 107cm / 42″
Size 6: 107cm / 42″ bust — finished measurement 112cm / 44″
The blouse is designed with approximately 5cm of positive ease, meaning it is intended to fit with a little breathing room rather than hugging the body closely. If you prefer a looser, more relaxed fit, size up by one.
Stitch Glossary
k — knit
p — purl
k2tog — knit two stitches together (right-leaning decrease)
ssk — slip, slip, knit (left-leaning decrease)
MB (Make Bobble) — Work as follows: knit into the front and back of the stitch three times (6 stitches made from 1), then turn and purl 6, turn and knit 6, turn and p2tog three times (3 stitches remain), then pass the second and third stitches over the first stitch one at a time to return to 1 stitch. This creates a firm, rounded bobble that sits proud of the fabric.
RS — right side
WS — wrong side
st(s) — stitch or stitches
rep — repeat
pm — place marker
sm — slip marker
The Buddleia Stitch Panel
The buddleia motif is worked over a multiple of 10 stitches, plus 5 for symmetry. This panel creates elongated clusters of three bobbles arranged vertically, separated by columns of reverse stocking stitch, evoking the narrow flower spikes of the buddleia plant.
The panel is worked on a reverse stocking stitch background, meaning the base fabric is purled on the right side and knitted on the wrong side. This throws the bobbles into even sharper relief and gives the fabric a softly matte, velvety quality.
Buddleia Panel (worked over 10 sts + 5, flat)
Row 1 (RS): P5, MB, p2, MB, p2, MB, p5; rep from to end.
Row 2 (WS): K across all sts.
Rows 3–8: Work in reverse stocking stitch (p on RS, k on WS).
Row 9 (RS): P10, MB, p2, MB, p2, MB, p5; rep from to last 5 sts, p5. (This shifts the bobble cluster by one repeat, staggering the placement for a more natural, irregular flower spike effect.)
Row 10 (WS): K across all sts.
Rows 11–16: Work in reverse stocking stitch.
These 16 rows form the buddleia pattern repeat. Continue working this repeat throughout the body of the blouse as instructed.
Pattern Instructions
Back
Using 3.5mm needles, cast on the following number of stitches for your size:
Size 1: 95 sts / Size 2: 101 sts / Size 3: 107 sts / Size 4: 113 sts / Size 5: 119 sts / Size 6: 125 sts
Rib Band:
Work 2×2 rib (k2, p2) for 6cm, ending with a WS row. For sizes that don’t divide evenly, work k1 at each end to balance the rib.
Change to 4mm needles.
Body:
Begin the Buddleia Panel as set out above, working the 16-row repeat throughout. Continue in pattern until the back measures 36cm from cast-on edge (or adjust length to your preference), ending with a WS row.
Armhole Shaping:
Cast off 5 sts at the beginning of the next 2 rows.
Then decrease 1 stitch at each end of every RS row as follows: K1, ssk, work in pattern to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1.
Work decreases until the following number of stitches remain:
Size 1: 75 sts / Size 2: 79 sts / Size 3: 83 sts / Size 4: 87 sts / Size 5: 91 sts / Size 6: 95 sts
Continue in pattern without further shaping until armhole measures 19cm, ending with a WS row.
Shoulder and Back Neck Shaping:
Cast off 7 (8, 9, 10, 11, 12) sts at the beginning of the next 4 rows.
Place the remaining centre stitches (approximately 47 sts for all sizes, adjusting by 1–2 sts for sizing) on a stitch holder for the back neck.
Front
Work exactly as the Back until the armhole measures 12cm, ending with a WS row.
Front Neck Shaping:
Work across 29 (31, 33, 35, 37, 39) sts, place centre 17 (17, 17, 17, 17, 17) sts on a holder, join a second ball of yarn and work to end.
Working both sides at once, decrease 1 stitch at each neck edge on every RS row 8 times.
Continue straight until armhole matches back armhole length.
Shape shoulders as for Back.
Sleeves (Make Two)
Using 3.5mm needles, cast on:
Size 1: 47 sts / Size 2: 51 sts / Size 3: 55 sts / Size 4: 59 sts / Size 5: 63 sts / Size 6: 67 sts
Work 2×2 rib for 6cm.
Change to 4mm needles.
Begin Buddleia Panel, and at the same time, increase 1 stitch at each end of the needle on the 7th row and then every 6th row until you have:
Size 1: 75 sts / Size 2: 79 sts / Size 3: 83 sts / Size 4: 87 sts / Size 5: 91 sts / Size 6: 95 sts
Continue without shaping until sleeve measures 46cm from cast-on edge (or desired length), ending with a WS row.
Sleeve Cap Shaping:
Cast off 5 sts at the beginning of the next 2 rows.
Decrease 1 stitch at each end of every RS row until 35 (37, 39, 41, 43, 45) sts remain.
Then decrease 1 stitch at each end of every row until 15 sts remain.
Cast off all remaining stitches.
Making Up
Weave in all ends before beginning assembly. Block each piece gently by pinning it to the correct measurements on a blocking board or towel and misting with water, or wet-blocking briefly. This step is especially important for the bobble panels, as it evens out the tension and gives the bubbles their final rounded shape. Allow everything to dry completely before seaming.
Join the shoulder seams using mattress stitch or three-needle cast-off for a clean, flat seam. Set in the sleeves, easing the sleeve cap around the curved armhole. Join the side seams and sleeve seams.
Neckband:
Pick up and knit stitches evenly around the neckline — approximately 80–90 sts depending on your size and the tension of your pick-up. Work 6 rows of 2×2 rib on 3.5mm needles, then cast off loosely in rib. Fold the neckband inward and slip-stitch in place if you prefer a neater finish, or leave it as a simple single-layer rib band.
Tips for Working Bobbles
Bobbles are one of those techniques that feel fiddly at first and then become almost meditative once your hands learn the rhythm. A few tips will help yours come out beautifully every time.
Keep the yarn tension even when you begin a bobble. If you pull too tightly as you work the extra stitches into one, the base of the bobble will pucker. A slightly looser hand at this stage means a rounder, fuller bobble.
When you purl the bobble rows on the wrong side, be careful not to drop the extra stitches you have created. Each bobble in progress is temporarily multiple stitches, and it is easy to lose one on a dark yarn. Working under good light helps enormously.
The stitch that follows a finished bobble on the right side can sometimes gap slightly. Knitting it through the back loop firms this up neatly.
If your bobbles are lying flat rather than popping out, try working more rows in the turning process — add an extra knit and purl row before the decrease rows to build more volume into the bobble.
Yarn Substitution Notes
This pattern is quite forgiving when it comes to yarn substitution, provided you match the weight and the gauge. The key consideration specific to this blouse is how the yarn behaves when worked into bobbles.
Smooth, plied yarns with a slight sheen or cotton content give the crispest, most defined bobbles. Softer, more elastic wools give rounder, slightly puffier bobbles that feel incredible in the hand. Single-ply or loosely spun yarns can sometimes result in bobbles that look a little uneven, so if you love a singles yarn, swatch generously and see how the texture works.
Avoid very dark colours if this is your first time working bobbles in this pattern, as seeing your stitch count clearly is important and pale to mid-tones make that much easier. Once you know the pattern well, any colour works gorgeously.
Finishing Touches and Styling
The Buddleia Blouse looks especially lovely worn with high-waisted linen trousers or a flowing midi skirt in a complementary botanical print. For a more casual look, pair it with wide-leg jeans and simple sandals. The slightly structured set-in sleeve gives the blouse a polished silhouette that works equally well for a summer lunch with friends as it does for an outdoor evening gathering.
If you would like to personalise the pattern, consider working the rib bands in a contrast colour — a deep green against a lilac body, for example, would emphasise the garden-fresh aesthetic beautifully. You could also lengthen the body to create more of a tunic-length blouse, or shorten the sleeves to three-quarter or short-sleeve length for warmer weather.
Sharing Your Make
When you finish your Buddleia Blouse, please share it! There is nothing more joyful than seeing how different yarns, colours, and individual knitters’ hands bring the same pattern to life in completely different ways. Tag your project on social media or add it to your Ravelry project page so others can find your version for inspiration.
If you do share, noting your yarn choice, any modifications you made, and your size will be especially helpful to other knitters considering the pattern. The knitting community thrives on these generous little notes, and your version might be exactly the encouragement someone else needs to cast on.
Happy knitting, and may your bobbles always pop perfectly.
