What Is Bulky Weight Yarn?
THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS THAT SUPPORT HANDY LITTLE ME CONTENT AND FREE PATTERNS.In this post, you will see answers to the question – What is bulky weight yarn?
Yarn weights are our guide to choosing the right yarn for our knitting or crochet projects.
Depending on what we want to make there are different yarns that would be perfect.
Related Post – Yarn Weight Guide.
Bulky Weight Yarn FAQs
There are eight standard yarn weight categories for you to choose from that include different types of yarn – lace weight to jumbo yarns (0-7) thinnest to thickest.
Other yarn weights include medium weight like DK yarn (double knitting), worsted weight yarns, Aran yarns which can be used for hats and sweaters, plus super-fine yarn, and sport weight yarns used for socks.
The standard yarn weight system is set out by the Craft Yarn Council.
Bulky is on the thicker side of yarns, thicker than worsted yarn about double its size, and thinner than super bulky yarn.
It has a yarn weight symbol of 5, you would normally find out this information on a yarn label.
Bulky yarn can be referred to by other names such as chunky yarn, craft, or rug yarn.
It has a yarn weight symbol of 5 and a gauge of 12-16 stitches per 4 inches (10cm) using 5.5mm to 8mm (US) 9-11 knitting needles. 
Choosing to make something with bulky yarn has a lot of advantages as it’s thick so it knits up quickly, covers a lot of yardage, and knits up easier than thinner yarns.
Moreover, there are a lot of bulky yarns in the market for you to choose from but thickness might vary from yarn to yarn (some may be super thick yarn compared to others).
If you are planning to make something with bulky yarn and you want to stray a little from the pattern and choose a different yarn from the recommended one it’s always good to make a stitch gauge swatch so you can see if there are adjustments that need to be made. 
Bulky weight yarn is 12 ply yarn.
The ply is how thick the yarn is.
WPI is a term that means wraps per inch – this is how some people determine different yarn weights if there is no label to look at and weight class from the yarn manufacturers.
Some people use a pencil or crochet hook to wrap the yarn around to see how many wraps can be had in one inch.
Related Post-Yarn Types.
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Patterns That Use Bulky Weight Yarn
There are endless options on what you can knit with chunky yarn, its thickness makes it perfect for winter projects like a nice blanket to cozy up with, a nice warm cowl, cool stylish oversized sweaters, fancy shawls to complete your outfits, mittens, and scarves to keep you warm.
So if you want to knit up something quickly, and easily and end up with something impressive then bulky yarn is for you.
Bulky Weight Yarn Patterns
Take a look at the free patterns below and you might find your next project.
Crochet a beautiful squishy beanie with a faux fur pom-pom for yourself or as a gift following the easy free crochet pattern by Toni the crochet designer behind TL Yarn Crafts using bulky yarn.
It can keep you warm in the cold weather and make all your winter outfit stylish as the popcorn stitch and faux fur pom-pom are gonna make your beanie and you stand out.
Knit a beautiful very light almost weightless pullover in a grey-pink colour palette or choose whatever colours you prefer and suit you, using the free pattern by Rachel Brockman at the Universalyarn website.
In the pattern, which you can download for free, you can find instructions for 6 sizes ( XS-4XL).
Crochet a stylish, grey-white market tote bag to carry your grocery goodies because plastic bags are a thing of the past.
It’s a simple crochet pattern using bulky yarn designed by Rebecca Langford of Yarn and Chai.
You can find the free pattern on her website.
Knit a light and cosy cowl using bulky yarn to keep yourself warm in the fall and winter, it keeps your neck toasty but you can pull it on your shoulders to give yourself a little more warmth and take your winter outfits one step further.
The pattern is designed by Escape Tricot and you can download the free pdf on Ravelry.
Crochet a soft and squishy colour block baby blanket using bulky yarn following the pattern designed by Tony Tipsey the designer behind eweewe.com you can download the free pattern on the website.
Knit a pair of pillow covers to spruce up your living room, office or bedroom decor using bulky yarn following the easy, free knitting pattern by ChurchMouseYarns.
You knit up your first pillow cover, the colour block one and with your leftover yarn, you move to the second one.
You can download the free pdf version on the ChurchMouseYarns website.
