How to Decrease in Crochet: Taper, Shape, and Close Your Work

Decreasing is the mirror image of increasing, and the second half of crochet shaping. Where an increase adds stitches to widen the fabric, a decrease removes stitches to make it narrower — tapering a sleeve, closing the top of a hat, sculpting the head of an amigurumi, or shaping the point of a triangle. Without decreasing, you could make things grow but never shrink, leaving every shape open-ended. Learning to decrease cleanly, with no unsightly holes, is what lets you close and sculpt your work professionally. This guide covers the decrease in every common stitch, the all-important invisible decrease for amigurumi, and exactly where and how to place decreases.

What Is a Decrease?

A decrease combines two or more stitches into one, reducing your stitch count and narrowing the fabric. The most common decrease works two stitches together — abbreviated as 'sc2tog,' 'dc2tog,' or simply 'dec' — so that where there were two stitches, now there is one. The fabric pulls inward at that point. Just like increasing, decreasing uses the same stitch you are already working; you are simply joining stitches rather than adding them. It is the fundamental technique for making crochet narrower.

Why Decreasing Matters

Decreasing matters because shaping requires both growing and shrinking. A hat increases to fit the head, then works even, then may decrease for a beanie's snug fit; amigurumi increases to form a round body, then decreases to close it around the stuffing; garments decrease to taper waists and sleeves. Decreasing is what lets you close a three-dimensional form, and it works together with increasing and the magic ring to give you complete control over shape. A clean decrease is as important to a polished finish as good blocking.

When to Use Decreases

Use decreases whenever your work needs to get narrower or close. In the round, decreases close the tops of hats and the ends of amigurumi, and shape spheres and cones. In rows, decreases at the edges taper panels for raglan sleeves, shawl points, and shaped garments. They also create the indentations and curves of more complex sculptural pieces. Spotting where a pattern decreases — and how it spaces those decreases — is an important pattern-reading skill, closely related to keeping an accurate stitch count.

Materials You Will Need

As with increasing, decreasing needs no special tools beyond your yarn, hook, and a stitch marker for working in the round. A yarn needle is useful for the final cinch-close at the top of amigurumi. A smooth, light yarn helps you see the loops clearly, which matters when you are working two stitches together and want to avoid leaving a hole. The reliable worsted-weight yarn and 5.0 mm hook recommended throughout the crochet basics are perfect for practicing decreases on a swatch.

Step-by-Step: The Standard Single Crochet Decrease

To work a standard sc2tog: Step one: insert your hook into the first stitch and pull up a loop (two loops on the hook). Step two: insert your hook into the next stitch and pull up a loop (three loops on the hook). Step three: yarn over and pull through all three loops at once. Two stitches have become one. The same logic applies to taller stitches: work each stitch until its last loops remain on the hook, then join them all with a final yarn over and pull-through. This standard method is quick but can leave a small bump or gap.

The Invisible Decrease for Amigurumi

For amigurumi and any project where decreases should disappear, the invisible decrease is the gold standard. Step one: insert your hook into the front loop only of the first stitch (two loops on the hook). Step two: insert into the front loop only of the next stitch (three loops). Step three: yarn over and pull through the first two loops, then yarn over and pull through the remaining two. By working through only the front loops, the decrease sits smoothly in the fabric with almost no visible bump or hole — a far tidier result for stuffed toys, where every imperfection shows.

A Visual Way to Picture It

Picture pinching two adjacent stitches together and stitching across both at once — that pinch is the decrease. Where an increase fans the fabric outward like a spoke, a decrease draws two points together into one, pulling the fabric inward. Repeated evenly around a round, these inward pulls gradually close the circle, like slowly tightening a series of darts. That image — pinching and joining — explains why decreases narrow and eventually close your work.

Common Decreasing Mistakes

The most common mistakes are leaving a hole at the decrease (usually from the standard method or loose tension), decreasing too quickly so the fabric puckers, spacing decreases unevenly so the shape distorts, and losing the stitch count. In amigurumi, using the standard decrease instead of the invisible one leaves visible bumps that mar the smooth surface. Beginners also sometimes work into the wrong stitches when combining, which shifts the decrease out of position and skews the shape over several rounds.

Troubleshooting Your Decreases

If holes appear at your decreases, switch to the invisible decrease and tighten your tension slightly. If the fabric puckers, you are decreasing too fast — spread the decreases over more stitches or rounds. If a shaped piece looks lopsided, check that your decreases are spaced evenly and landing in the right stitches; a stitch marker and a per-round count fix most drift. And if the top of your amigurumi will not close neatly, finish with the drawstring method: thread the tail through the front loops of the last few stitches and pull tight. Even tension, as always, is the foundation — the same principle stressed in our common crochet mistakes guide.

Expert Tips for Clean Decreases

Use the invisible decrease for anything stuffed or smooth, and the standard decrease where speed matters and the join will be hidden. Keep decreases evenly spaced and staggered round to round, just like increases, to avoid flat sides. Maintain firm, even tension so no gaps open up. Count after every shaping round. And to close amigurumi, decrease down to about six stitches, then cinch with the tail through the front loops for an invisible finish. Practicing decreases on a flat triangle swatch builds the muscle memory quickly.

Project Examples Using Decreases

Decreases shape the tops of hats and beanies, close the bodies and heads of amigurumi, taper the sleeves and waists of garments, form the points of triangle shawls, and sculpt the curves of three-dimensional pieces. Any project that narrows or closes uses decreasing. Combined with increasing and the magic ring, decreasing completes your shaping toolkit and connects directly to the sculptural forms in our crochet shapes category and the projects in the beginner pattern hub.

Conclusion

Decreasing is the technique that lets you taper, sculpt, and close your crochet — the essential counterpart to increasing. Master the standard decrease for everyday shaping and the invisible decrease for flawless amigurumi, keep your decreases even and well-counted, and you will be able to shape virtually any form. With increasing and decreasing both in hand, the world of three-dimensional crochet is fully open to you. Explore the rest of the essential techniques and put your shaping skills to work.