Single Crochet Increase and Decrease (SC2tog) Tutorial

Do you want to learn how to decrease in crochet? Wondering how to increase in crochet? I’ll show you how to do both increases and decreases with the single crochet stitch!

What is an Increase Used For?

An increasing stitch is used to add more stitches to your project, which in turn makes it larger. Increases are commonly used for shaping various things including amigurumi, blankets, garments, and more!

In the photo below, I started out with a few rows of single crochet stitches. I then did a few rows that included an increase on both the beginning and end of the row, making the piece slowly get wider.

How to Decrease in Crochet

A decrease is made when you work 1 stitch over the spaces where you could put 2 stitches. One decreasing stitch will decrease your row/round stitch count by one stitch. In this tutorial we will be using the single crochet stitch as an example of how to decrease in crochet. Here is a full tutorial on the single crochet stitch.

What is SC2tog?

When working a project with single crochet stitches, a decrease is commonly referred to as SC2tog. This is the abbreviation for “single crochet two stitches together”, otherwise known as a single crochet decrease.

Similarly, you may also see a decrease referred to as HDC2tog or DC2tog, based on the stitch that you are working in.

DEC or dec can also be used as the abbreviation for the decreasing stitch. As with an increase, a decrease can also be done in a variety of stitches, so some patterns may indicate a decrease based on the stitch you are using (SC2tog, HDC2tog, DC2tog, etc.)

What is a Decrease Used For?

A decreasing stitch is used to reduce the stitches in your project, which in turn makes it smaller. Decreases are also commonly used for shaping various projects.

In the photo below, after the increasing rows detailed above, I added a few rows of single crochet only, followed by a few rows with a decrease on each side of the row, making the piece get more narrow.

Invisible Decrease

Some patterns may call for an invisible decrease. An invisible decrease achieves the same end result as a standard decrease (reducing the stitch count), but it is harder to spot which keeps your stitches more uniform. When making an amigurumi project, it is often best to use an invisible decrease. Here is a full tutorial on the invisible decrease.

You might be wondering, why even do a standard decrease when the invisible method is an option?

There are some projects where the invisible decrease is not ideal. While the invisible decrease looks great on the front side of a project, the back is more noticeable. The invisible decrease works great in amigurumi as there is a clear outside and inside of your project. So the back of the invisible decrease is inside the project and not visible. If you’re making a project that will be seen from both sides (some garments, scarves, blankets, etc.), a standard decrease may be preferred.

Video Tutorial

In this crochet video tutorial, I will demonstrate how to increase in crochet, as well as how to decrease in crochet (SC2tog).

This video is also available on YouTube. Watch this video: Increases and Decreases Crochet Tutorial on YouTube.

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I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! For more tutorials, check out my other crochet posts.

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