Seaming Bulky Crochet Sweaters

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Get out your bulky yarn, because today we are celebrating bulky crochet pullovers, cardigans, and ponchos! Each of these designs uses a yarn that is seven wraps per inch or larger. Just seven wraps of yarn around a ruler measures an inch! As someone who frequently crochets with sport-weight yarn, bulky crochet is satisfyingly fast.

Three crochet ponchos — Ponchos are perfect crocheted in bulky crochet yarn. Clockwise from top left: Apres-Ski Poncho, Colorado Poncho, and Cuddle Up Poncho. Photos by Harper Point Photography.

The benefits of bulky crochet designs are many. The thick yarn is incredibly warm and comfortable. I especially love the vintage, handmade quality it lends to projects. And let’s not minimize how quickly a bulky crochet sweater can be finished. If you are new to crocheting larger projects like sweaters and ponchos in bulky yarn, you are in for a pleasant surprise. I’m not normally a poncho person, but I have to have the Colorado Poncho by Brenda K. B. Anderson or the Apres-Ski Poncho by Amy Gunderson.

Three crochet sweaters — A crochet sweater works up quickly in bulky yarn, and with a few tips, seaming is a breeze as well. Clockwise from top left: Fullerene Pullover, Solstice Cardigan, and Boston Ivy Sweater. Photos by Caleb Young and Harper Point Photography

Seaming bulky sweaters and cardigans, like the Fullerene Pullover by Jane Howorth, Solstice Cardigan by Isa Catepillán, or Boston Ivy Sweater by Jennifer Raymond, can be a little more complicated than seaming with sport or DK yarns. Seaming with bulky yarn can leave you with a seam that is, well, bulky. There are a couple of tricks you can use to keep your seam from becoming thick and stiff.

Related: The Benefits of Bulky Crochet

Seaming Bulky Crochet

Two images showing whipstitch technique for bulky yarn crochet — Whipstitch is a great choice when seaming bulky crochet pieces for a sweater or poncho.

Seam your cardigan using whipstitch. Make sure not to whipstitch too tightly. When worked properly, whipstitch allows the edges of the two seamed pieces to sit with edges flush against each other. Because they lay edge to edge, you won’t have a thick seam. However, for a neat appearance, make sure the edges of your pieces are straight and even.

Seam your cardigan with a lightweight yarn in the same color. If you can find a lighter weight yarn in the same color as your bulky yarn, try using the lightweight yarn for your seaming rather than the thicker bulky yarn used to crochet the sweater or poncho.

Splitting a strand of yarn to use it for stranding — If your yarn is too bulky to create a nice seam, try splitting the yarn and only using part of the strands.

Untwist your bulky yarn to create a lighter weight yarn for seaming. If your bulky yarn is made up of several strands of yarn twisted together, you can untwist the yarn and only use a portion for seaming. In the yarn I used for this sample, you can see that there are three strands of yarn twisted together. As I unwound the bulky yarn, I created a single strand of roving and a yarn with only two strands twisted together. The single roving strand without much twist would not have the strength needed to seam a cardigan or sweater. The two strands twisted together, on the other hand, would be strong enough while still being lighter than the original bulky yarn, creating a less dense though still strong seam.

Are you ready to crochet a sweater, cardigan, pullover or poncho? With bulky crochet yarn you can crochet a bulky sweater in no time at all. And with these tricks for seaming bulky garments, you’ll love the warm as well as the drape of your bulky crochet!

Happy crocheting,
Toni