crochetguideCrochet increases and decreases
Shape crochet by changing how many new stitches you make from the old row. Count where the hook goes in separately from the loops on the hook.
Work two complete stitches into one stitch to add one; work across two stitches and close them together to take one away.
In this guide
An increase makes two stitches in one placeSc2tog: two single crochets become oneKeep the extra wraps in taller decreasesPractice three shaping rowsAn increase makes two stitches in one place
For a single-crochet increase, make one complete sc under both top loops of the next stitch. Then insert under those same two loops again and make a second complete sc. One old stitch has become two new stitches: the total grows by one.
Finish each stitch separately. Two unfinished stitches closed together make a different structure. Mark the old insertion point if the yarn makes it hard to see, then count the two new top Vs.
Sc2tog: two single crochets become one
Begin with one active loop. Insert into the next stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop: two loops on the hook. Insert into the following stitch, yarn over and pull up another loop: three loops. Yarn over and draw through all three. One loop remains.
You used two old stitches and made one new top V, reducing the row total by one. Work under both top loops for this ordinary sc2tog. An invisible decrease is a separate front-loop technique; use it only when the pattern specifies it. Skipping a stitch instead leaves a gap and is not an interchangeable decrease.
Keep the extra wraps in taller decreases
Hdc2tog: yarn over, insert in the next stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop (three loops). Yarn over again, insert in the following stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop (five loops). Yarn over and draw through all five. This ordinary method consumes two stitches and makes one hdc.
Dc2tog: yarn over, insert in the next stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop (three); yarn over and draw through two (two remain). Yarn over, insert in the following stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop (four); yarn over and draw through two (three remain). Yarn over and draw through all three.
Different patterns can specify modified decreases for appearance. Follow their special-stitch definition and count the stated result. Do not draw through all loops before the second insertion is complete.
Watch dc2tog and hdc2tog step by step →
Practice three shaping rows
Start each exercise from a separate row of 12 sc. Chain 1 and turn; the chain does not count. Work all three examples in US sc. Count the old stitches used as well as the new stitches made.
Exercise A: 2 sc in first st, sc in next 10 sts, 2 sc in last st. You use 12 and make 14. Exercise B: sc2tog, sc in next 8 sts, sc2tog. You use 12 and make 10. Exercise C: (sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st) four times. You use 12 and make 16.
A and B shape both edges; C spreads the increases across the row. Twelve random increases would not produce the same outline. To undo a mistake, remove the affected stitches back to a correct insertion point and try again with a marker.
| Exercise | Old stitches used | New stitches | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| A: both edges increase | 1 + 10 + 1 = 12 | 2 + 10 + 2 = 14 | +2 |
| B: both edges decrease | 2 + 8 + 2 = 12 | 1 + 8 + 1 = 10 | −2 |
| C: four repeats | 4 × 3 = 12 | 4 × 4 = 16 | +4 |