Increase (inc) and Decrease (dec) Tutorials

Learning to increase and decrease can save you a lot of trouble when crocheting.

How many times has this happened to you? Upon completing stitch 225 in a row, you realize your row count is off by one or two stitches.

If you are a perfectionist, you will most certainly tear the row back to where you missed or added a stitch… also, you are probably a knitter;) If you are like me (a truly free spirited crocheter) you will increase or decrease a few stitches to get your count right.

I’m not talking about being sloppy. I’m talking about making minor adjustments as you crochet so you aren’t ripping out hours of work to fix something that will not make any impact on the overall quality of your work.

Learning to increase and decrease is not a first time crocheting skill but I will say it is a beginner skill. Working in the round is also a beginner skill and it requires increasing. So let’s take a closer look at these vitally important crochet skills…

Lets demonstrate  increasing (inc) with a single crochet (sc):

Abbreviations:

dec – decrease

inc – increase

sc – single crochet

st – stitch

yoh – yarn over hook

To make an inc first we must note where the last stitch (st) was made. We will work the next st in that same place.

Insert hook into the same place as the last st made.

Yarn over hook (yoh) and draw the loop through the st.

Yoh and draw through the two loops on your hook. One sc inc made. Any crochet stitch can be increased this way: working stitches in the same place.

Now we will demonstrate how to work a single crochet decrease (sc dec). Decreases are made differently for each stitch. If this is your first time working a decrease, focus on how the single crochet is done before moving onto other stitches – it is a bit more straightforward and easy to see how the decrease is made. 

Insert your hook into the next st.

Yoh and draw a loop up. (2 loops on hook)

Insert your hook into the next st.

Yoh and draw up a loop. (3 loops on hook)

Yoh.

Draw yoh through the 3 loops on your hook.One sc dec complete. Notice how two stitches are brought together into one.

No matter your crocheting style or personality, these skills are very important to learn. Let us know if you have any questions about working increases and decreases. Hopefully you feel like you’ve added a few more tools to your crochet skills toolbox!
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