diff --git a/tests/unit/resizable/resizable.html b/tests/unit/resizable/resizable.html
index 5668c909a22..a44346e7cba 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 c46801bc54d..5643f13d87a 100644
--- a/tests/unit/resizable/resizable_options.js
+++ b/tests/unit/resizable/resizable_options.js
@@ -375,6 +375,33 @@ 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 a02837a194f..d446a9762b5 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";
@@ -190,7 +191,11 @@ $.widget("ui.resizable", $.ui.mouse, {
 
 		this._renderAxis = function(target) {
 
-			var i, axis, padPos, padWrapper;
+			var i, axis, padPos, padWrapper, mouseDownHandlers = {
+				mousedown: function (event) {
+					return that._mouseDown(event);
+				}
+			};
 
 			target = target || this.element;
 
@@ -199,6 +204,10 @@ $.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] && (this.handles[i].jquery || this.handles[i].nodeType)) {
+                    this.handles[i] = $(this.handles[i]);
+                    this._on(this.handles[i], mouseDownHandlers);	
+                }
 
 				if (this.elementIsWrapper && this.originalElement[0].nodeName.match(/textarea|input|select|button/i)) {
 
@@ -217,8 +226,10 @@ $.widget("ui.resizable", $.ui.mouse, {
 
 				}
 
-				// TODO: What's that good for? There's not anything to be executed left
-				if (!$(this.handles[i]).length) {
+				this._handles = this._handles.add(this.handles[i]);
+
+				//TODO: What's that good for? There's not anything to be executed left
+				if(!$(this.handles[i]).length) {
 					continue;
 				}
 			}
@@ -226,9 +237,9 @@ $.widget("ui.resizable", $.ui.mouse, {
 
 		// TODO: make renderAxis a prototype function
 		this._renderAxis(this.element);
-
-		this._handles = $(".ui-resizable-handle", this.element)
-			.disableSelection();
+		
+		this._handles = this._handles.add($(".ui-resizable-handle", this.element));
+		this._handles.disableSelection();
 
 		this._handles.mouseover(function() {
 			if (!that.resizing) {
@@ -262,7 +273,6 @@ $.widget("ui.resizable", $.ui.mouse, {
 		}
 
 		this._mouseInit();
-
 	},
 
 	_destroy: function() {