diff --git a/tests/unit/resizable/resizable.html b/tests/unit/resizable/resizable.html
index 5668c909a..a44346e7c 100644
--- a/tests/unit/resizable/resizable.html
+++ b/tests/unit/resizable/resizable.html
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@
 
 <div id="container">
 	<div id="resizable1">I'm a resizable.</div>
+	<div id="resizer1" class="ui-resizable-handle ui-resizable-s"></div>
 </div>
 
 <div id="container2">
diff --git a/tests/unit/resizable/resizable_options.js b/tests/unit/resizable/resizable_options.js
index 2b66fda3e..d68294845 100644
--- a/tests/unit/resizable/resizable_options.js
+++ b/tests/unit/resizable/resizable_options.js
@@ -375,6 +375,35 @@ test("ui-resizable-nw { handles: 'all', minWidth: 60, minHeight: 60, maxWidth: 1
 	equal( target.height(), 100, "compare maxHeight" );
 });
 
+
+test( "custom handles { handles: { 's': $('#resizer1'), containment: 'parent' }", function () {
+	expect( 2 );
+
+	var handle = "#resizer1",
+		target = $( "#resizable1" ).resizable({ handles: { "s": $( "#resizer1" ) }, containment: "parent" });
+
+	TestHelpers.resizable.drag( handle, 0, 70 );
+	equal( target.height(), 170, "compare height" );
+
+	TestHelpers.resizable.drag( handle, 0, -70 );
+	equal( target.height(), 100, "compare height" );
+});
+
+
+test( "custom handles { handles: { 's': $('#resizer1')[0], containment: 'parent' }", function () {
+	expect( 2 );
+
+	var handle = "#resizer1",
+		target = $( "#resizable1" ).resizable({ handles: { "s": $( "#resizer1" )[ 0 ] }, containment: "parent" });
+
+	TestHelpers.resizable.drag( handle, 0, 70 );
+	equal( target.height(), 170, "compare height" );
+
+	TestHelpers.resizable.drag( handle, 0, -70 );
+	equal( target.height(), 100, "compare height" );
+});
+
+
 test("zIndex, applied to all handles", function() {
 	expect(8);
 
diff --git a/ui/resizable.js b/ui/resizable.js
index 88b9ee7ea..2df2413c7 100644
--- a/ui/resizable.js
+++ b/ui/resizable.js
@@ -160,7 +160,8 @@ $.widget("ui.resizable", $.ui.mouse, {
 					nw: ".ui-resizable-nw"
 				} );
 
-		if (this.handles.constructor === String) {
+		this._handles = $();
+		if ( this.handles.constructor === String ) {
 
 			if ( this.handles === "all") {
 				this.handles = "n,e,s,w,se,sw,ne,nw";
@@ -198,6 +199,9 @@ $.widget("ui.resizable", $.ui.mouse, {
 
 				if (this.handles[i].constructor === String) {
 					this.handles[i] = this.element.children( this.handles[ i ] ).first().show();
+				} else if ( this.handles[ i ].jquery || this.handles[ i ].nodeType ) {
+					this.handles[ i ] = $( this.handles[ i ] );
+					this._on( this.handles[ i ], { "mousedown": that._mouseDown });
 				}
 
 				if (this.elementIsWrapper && this.originalElement[0].nodeName.match(/^(textarea|input|select|button)$/i)) {
@@ -214,21 +218,17 @@ $.widget("ui.resizable", $.ui.mouse, {
 					target.css(padPos, padWrapper);
 
 					this._proportionallyResize();
-
 				}
 
-				// TODO: What's that good for? There's not anything to be executed left
-				if (!$(this.handles[i]).length) {
-					continue;
-				}
+				this._handles = this._handles.add( this.handles[ i ] );
 			}
 		};
 
 		// TODO: make renderAxis a prototype function
 		this._renderAxis(this.element);
 
-		this._handles = $(".ui-resizable-handle", this.element)
-			.disableSelection();
+		this._handles = this._handles.add( this.element.find( ".ui-resizable-handle" ) );
+		this._handles.disableSelection();
 
 		this._handles.mouseover(function() {
 			if (!that.resizing) {
@@ -262,7 +262,6 @@ $.widget("ui.resizable", $.ui.mouse, {
 		}
 
 		this._mouseInit();
-
 	},
 
 	_destroy: function() {