TUTORIAL: Regular and Invisible Single Crochet Decrease

Amigurumi is usually crocheted with just one stitch - single crochet stitch (double crochet stitch in UK and Australia) - and increasing and decreasing are used to give the toys their shape.

Decreasing is taking two or more stitches and turning them into one. There are many ways to do so, in this post I will show two of my favorite methods for decreasing when working in single crochet stitch.



REGULAR SINGLE CROCHET DECREASE (sc2tog)

When crocheting toys, I always prefer using the invisible decrease method. But sometimes it is impossible to use it and this is how I crochet two stitches together then. And if you are not a fan of the invisible decrease you can always use this one instead.

1. Insert your hook through the first stitch and yarn over.

single crochet stitch decrease

2. And draw up a loop.

free amigurumi tutorial

3. Insert your hook through the next stitch and yarn over.

free crochet toy tutorials

4. And draw up a loop.

amigurumi decreasing tutorial

5. Yarn over ...

how to decrease when crocheting

6. ... and draw through all three loops on the hook.

single crochet decreasing tutorial


If you do not see the videos properly, head over to YouTube.

Right-handed version

 

Left-handed version



INVISIBLE SINGLE CROCHET DECREASE (dec or invdec)

This is my preferred method for decreasing when making amigurumi. It's not completely invisible, but it is a lot less noticeable than other methods, which can leave a visible gap or a bump. It does take a bit of practice, but once you master it, you probably will be using this one.

1. Insert your hook under the front loop of the first stitch and pick it up onto the hook.

invisible single crochet decrease

2. Insert your hook under the front loop of the second stitch and pick it up onto the hook.

how to decrease when crocheting amigurumi

3. Yarn over and draw through the first two loops on the hook.

free amigurumi crochet tutorial

4. Yarn over ...

how to crochet amigurumi toys

5. ... and draw through both loops on the hook.

how to crochet soft toys


If you do not see the videos properly, head over to YouTube.

Right-handed version

 

Left-handed version

 

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me or leave a comment below, I am always happy to help.



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1 comment

Hi. How do i crochet this pattern for Amigurumi : Sc 2, inv dec 6 times (18 sts). I am new to Crochet and I think I did it wrongly for above because my end result turned out funny. Hope you can help me. Thanks.

Adeline

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