How to Double Crochet Increase & Double Crochet Decrease

Learning how to increase and decrease simple crochet stitches is a huge part of growing as a crocheter. While some people rarely use these skills, others will need them for many projects. When you double crochet increase, you will be adding one more stitch to your row or round, and you will decrease by one stitch when you double crochet decrease. If you know how to double crochet already, then these skills should be easy for you to learn and incorporate into your stitching.

Double crochet stitches are a great option for beginner crocheters. They are taller than single crochets or half double crochets, but they are not too airy for everyday project use. Personally, double crochets were my favorite simple stitch for a really long time, and part of learning a stitch is knowing all of the variations of that stitch. This post will be dealing with two of those variations: the double crochet increase and the double crochet decrease. Please note that this post will be using the US crochet terms throughout.

Once you learn how to use these variations, there are so many patterns and projects that open up for you! The options for how you can use these stitches are many, and I love getting to use them in my own projects. Plus, I love that they are really quite easy to learn once you have mastered a few other basic crochet skills.

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What does double crochet increase mean?

For those who have never used a double crochet increase, you will actually be increasing the number of double crochets in your row or round by one for each increase you do. Now, some places you might use this would be when you are crocheting in the round, when you are crocheting a garment or beanie from the top down, or when you are crocheting amigurumi. There are so many ways that you could use this stitch variation, but these are the most common that I have found.

What does double crochet decrease mean?

If you have never crocheted the double crochet decrease stitch, then you will be decreasing the number of stitches in your row or round by one stitch for every decrease you complete. This stitch is used in a variety of contexts as well, but some possibilities are when you crochet a beanie from the brim up, when shaping the sleeves of a garment, or when you are closing up an opening in a project. The double crochet decrease is an easy way to tighten up a row or round without changing hook size or tension.

What do you need to know:

Before starting, check to make sure you know these skills, or review if it has been a while since using them:

–Chaining

–Double Crocheting

These are the fewest pieces that you need to know to get started, but if you want to learn more about crochet skills, then be sure to check out the posts below!

Supplies:

You really only need two things to complete these stitches:

-Yarn

-Crochet Hook.

You are able to use these stitch variations with any yarn and hook combination, but if you are unsure where to start, I used a worsted weight yarn (4 medium) and an I-9, 5.5mm hook in the video below.

Notes & Tips for Double Crochet Increase:

-Double crochet increase is usually abbreviated dc inc, 2 dc, or some variation of this. Always check the pattern notes to be sure.

-Some designers will say to double crochet 2 in the same stitch, which means the same thing as double crochet increase.

-Want to learn how to double crochet? Check out my tutorial here!

How to Double Crochet Increase:

In my opinion, increasing stitches is very simple to learn. You will really just be completing a double crochet twice in the same stitch. Here are the steps:

1. In the desired stitch, work your first double crochet stitch [yarn over, insert into stitch, yarn over again, pull through stitch, yarn over and pull through two loops (2 times for this last step)].
2. In the same base stitch, you will work a second double crochet stitch.

That’s it! You have your first double crochet increase. You can then repeat these steps every time the pattern directs. When you are counting stitches at the end, remember that each double crochet stitch still counts as one stitch. This is what causes your stitch count to increase.

Notes & Tips for Double Crochet Decrease:

-Double crochet decrease is usually abbreviated dc dec, dc2tog, or a similar variation. Be sure to check the pattern notes section for confirmation.

-Some pattern designers prefer to tell you to double crochet two stitches together. This means the same thing as double crochet decrease.

-Want to learn how to double crochet? Check out my tutorial here!

How to Double Crochet Decrease:

If you are new to crochet, especially to the double crochet stitch, then the double crochet decrease could be a little more tricky to learn until you really have the steps memorized. You will be completing almost all of the steps for a normal double crochet stitch, but you will finish the stitch a bit differently. Here are the steps:

1. Yarn over, and insert your hook into the first stitch. Yarn over again, and pull through stitch. (3 loops on hook)
2. Yarn over, and pull through two loops. (2 loops on hook)
3. Yarn over, and insert your hook into the next stitch. Yarn over again and pull back through this stitch as well. (4 loops on hook)
4. Yarn over, and pull through two loops. (3 loops on hook)
5. Yarn over, and pull through remaining three loops. (1 loop on hook)

By following these steps, you will complete one double crochet decrease. Remember that this means you will only have one stitch where there used to be two. This is what causes your stitch count to decrease by one each time you use this stitch.

While it may seem intimidating to learn these stitches at first, it will really help you as a crocheter and will give you options for what you can create in the future. Happy crocheting!