Understanding Decreasing Stitches in Crochet

So what is a decreasing stitch in crochet? When you want to make your work smaller, drop or reduce the number of stitches in your current row or rounds. Often you will see the instruction as dec or sc2tog, also referred to as a single crochet 2 together for decreasing single crochet (sc).

Technique 1

The technique I often used as follows:

1. Insert the hook in the next stitch(st), yarn over(yo) and pull up a loop. You will have 2 loops left on your hook.
2. Insert the hook in the next st, yo and draw the yarn through. You will have 3 loops on your hook.
3. yo
4. Draw the yarn through all 3 remaining loops.

The two stitches from the previous row/round will now be joined as 1. You have reduce the row/round stitch count by one.

The above technique will make the stitch slightly bulky as you joined the 3 loops (step 2) together. I tried to reduce the bulkiness by using another technique when making rounds for amigurumi.

Technique 2

What I will do is when I reach the previous st that I need to perform a dec, I skip the st. The carry on with sc on the next previous st. You have to tighten the yarn while making the next st so as not to leave a hole in between the stitches.

Recently I read another technique from a book – How to crochet Cute Animal – by Laurence Jourdan, that I found a third way to dec st.

Technique 3 – Invisible decrease

This technique only insert the crochet hook beneath the front loop of the 2 st, creating an invisible decrease.

1. Insert the hook beneath the front loop of the next st.
2. Then insert the hook beneath the beneath the front loop of the next stitch. Three loops on the hook.
3. Yo, pull the yarn through the first 2 loops. Two loops on the hook.
4. Yo, pull the yarn through the 2 loops.

Thanks to Laurence, I found another means of dec stitch for crochet.

Every day there are new things to learn. Appreciate what comes.