diff --git a/src/common.js b/src/common.js
index c8d7264..b23795f 100644
--- a/src/common.js
+++ b/src/common.js
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@ exports.assignOptions = function(watcher, opts) {
   opts = opts || {};
   watcher.globs = opts.glob || [];
   watcher.dot = opts.dot || false;
+  watcher.ignored = opts.ignored || false;
+
   if (!Array.isArray(watcher.globs)) {
     watcher.globs = [watcher.globs];
   }
diff --git a/src/node_watcher.js b/src/node_watcher.js
index 817b49b..f50cd89 100644
--- a/src/node_watcher.js
+++ b/src/node_watcher.js
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ var walker = require('walker');
 var common = require('./common');
 var platform = require('os').platform();
 var EventEmitter = require('events').EventEmitter;
+var anymatch = require('anymatch');
 
 /**
  * Constants
@@ -27,7 +28,7 @@ module.exports = NodeWatcher;
  * Watches `dir`.
  *
  * @class NodeWatcher
- * @param String dir
+ * @param {String} dir
  * @param {Object} opts
  * @public
  */
@@ -47,7 +48,8 @@ function NodeWatcher(dir, opts) {
     this.root,
     this.watchdir,
     this.register,
-    this.emit.bind(this, 'ready')
+    this.emit.bind(this, 'ready'),
+    this.ignored
   );
 }
 
@@ -335,13 +337,18 @@ NodeWatcher.prototype.emitEvent = function(type, file, stat) {
  * Traverse a directory recursively calling `callback` on every directory.
  *
  * @param {string} dir
- * @param {function} callback
+ * @param {function} dirCallback
+ * @param {function} fileCallback
  * @param {function} endCallback
+ * @param {*} ignored
  * @private
  */
 
-function recReaddir(dir, dirCallback, fileCallback, endCallback) {
+function recReaddir(dir, dirCallback, fileCallback, endCallback, ignored) {
   walker(dir)
+    .filterDir(function(currentDir) {
+      return !anymatch(ignored, currentDir);
+    })
     .on('dir', normalizeProxy(dirCallback))
     .on('file', normalizeProxy(fileCallback))
     .on('end', function() {
diff --git a/test/test.js b/test/test.js
index fa8031a..26fb952 100755
--- a/test/test.js
+++ b/test/test.js
@@ -452,6 +452,37 @@ function harness(mode) {
     });
   });
 
+  describe('sane(dir, ignored) - node_watcher directory ignore', function() {
+    beforeEach(function () {
+      var Watcher = getWatcherClass({}); // node_watcher only
+      this.watcher = new Watcher(
+        testdir,
+        { ignored: [/sub_0/, function (file) {
+          return file.indexOf('sub_1') !== -1;
+        }] });
+    });
+
+    afterEach(function(done) {
+      this.watcher.close(done);
+    });
+
+    it('ignores folders', function (done) {
+      var i = 0;
+      this.watcher.on('change', function(filepath, dir) {
+        assert.ok(!filepath.match(/sub_(0|1)/), 'Found changes in ignored subdir sub_0 and/or sub_1');
+        assert.equal(dir, testdir);
+        if (++i == 2) done();
+      });
+      this.watcher.on('ready', function() {
+        fs.writeFileSync(jo(testdir, 'sub_0', 'file_1'), 'wow');
+        fs.writeFileSync(jo(testdir, 'sub_1', 'file_1'), 'wow');
+        fs.writeFileSync(jo(testdir, 'sub_2', 'file_1'), 'wow');
+        fs.writeFileSync(jo(testdir, 'sub_3', 'file_1'), 'wow');
+        fs.writeFileSync(jo(testdir, 'sub_4', 'file_1'), 'wow');
+      });
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('sane shortcut alias', function () {
     beforeEach(function () {
       this.watcher = sane(testdir, {