How to decrease in crochet: sc2tog, dc2tog and the invisible decrease

To decrease in crochet, you work two stitches and close them as one. Start a stitch in the first stitch and stop before its last yarn over. Do the same in the next stitch. Then yarn over and pull through every loop on the hook. Patterns write this as sc2tog, hdc2tog or dc2tog (two together), or simply dec. Each one turns two stitches into one, so your stitch count drops by one.

All stitch names here are US terms. UK patterns give each stitch the name of the next taller US stitch, so a UK “dc2tog” is the US sc2tog below. There is a full table near the end, and our US vs UK guide explains the shift.

The idea behind every 2tog decrease

Every crochet stitch ends the same way: you have a few loops on the hook and you pull through them to close it. A decrease delays that ending. You work each stitch until only its last yarn over is left. Leave those loops on the hook, then close them all with one yarn over.

Once that clicks, you do not need to memorize each decrease separately. You can work out a tr2tog or a dc3tog on the spot.

Single crochet two together (sc2tog)

This is the decrease you will meet most often.

1. Insert the hook in the next stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop. You have 2 loops on the hook.
2. Insert the hook in the following stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop. You have 3 loops on the hook.
3. Yarn over and pull through all 3 loops.

A pattern line using it might read:

Row 5: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in each st to last 2 sts, sc2tog, turn. (18 sts)

Here you decrease once at each edge, so a row that started with 20 stitches ends with 18. The number in parentheses is the count to check before you turn.

Half double crochet two together (hdc2tog)

1. Yarn over, insert the hook in the next stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop. You have 3 loops.
2. Yarn over, insert the hook in the following stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop. You have 5 loops.
3. Yarn over and pull through all 5 loops.

Pulling through five loops is fiddly the first few times. Keep the loops loose and point the hook head down as you draw the yarn through.

Double crochet two together (dc2tog)

1. Yarn over, insert the hook in the next stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop (3 loops). Yarn over and pull through 2 loops. You have 2 loops left.
2. Yarn over, insert the hook in the following stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop (4 loops). Yarn over and pull through 2 loops. You have 3 loops left.
3. Yarn over and pull through all 3 loops.

You will see dc2tog in shaping for garments and in lace, often inside a repeat:

Row 8: Ch 3 (counts as dc), *dc2tog, dc in next 4 sts; rep from * to last st, dc in last st, turn.

Each repeat works 6 stitches and leaves 5, so you lose one stitch per repeat.

If the asterisk is new to you, how to read pattern repeats walks through it.

Three together: sc3tog and dc3tog

A 3tog works the same way across three stitches. For dc3tog, you work the first two steps of a double crochet in each of the next three stitches, which leaves 4 loops on the hook, then yarn over and pull through all 4. Three stitches become one, so the count drops by two.

You will see 3tog decreases at the point of a chevron, where they pull the fabric into a valley, and at the tips of some shaped pieces.

The invisible decrease for amigurumi

A regular sc2tog leaves a slightly bulky stitch with a visible bump. In firmly stuffed toys, the bumps and the small gaps beside them can show. The invisible decrease uses front loops only. That keeps the surface smooth.

1. Insert the hook in the front loop of the next stitch.
2. Without yarning over, insert the hook in the front loop of the following stitch. You have 3 loops on the hook.
3. Yarn over and pull through the first 2 loops (the two front loops). You have 2 loops left.
4. Yarn over and pull through both.

Amigurumi patterns usually shape spheres with decrease rounds like this:

Rnd 12: (Sc in next 4 sts, dec) 6 times. (30 sts)

Each group of six stitches becomes five, so 36 stitches become 30. The pattern notes tell you whether “dec” means the invisible decrease or a standard sc2tog. When they say nothing, the invisible decrease is a safe choice for any stuffed piece worked in single crochet.

It is most common in single crochet. For taller stitches, stay with hdc2tog or dc2tog unless your pattern says otherwise.

Decreasing by skipping a stitch

Some patterns decrease with “sk next st” instead of a 2tog. Skipping leaves a small hole. That is fine in lace or mesh, where holes are part of the design. In solid fabric a 2tog looks neater.

Where to put decreases at the edges

Patterns that shape a piece row by row usually decrease at both ends. Some work the decrease as the first and last stitches of the row. Others ask for it one stitch in, like this:

Row 3: Ch 1, sc in first st, sc2tog, sc to last 3 sts, sc2tog, sc in last st, turn. (2 sts decreased)

Working one stitch in gives you a smoother, tidier edge that is easier to seam or add a border to. Follow the pattern’s placement, because it changes how the edge looks and how pieces line up.

How to check your decreases

Decreases are where stitch counts drift. The usual causes:

• Working the turning chain as a stitch when it does not count. Read the pattern notes. “Ch 1 does not count as a st” means your first stitch goes into the first stitch of the row.
• Missing the second stitch. It is easy to work a decrease into one stitch by mistake. Look for two separate legs at the base of each 2tog.
• Counting a decrease as two stitches. Count the tops. A dc2tog has one top, so it counts as one.

Count after every shaping row. Place a stitch marker in each decrease on the first few rows, so you can see the spacing and spot one you missed before it is three rows down.

If you follow your patterns in Yarnstep, the stitch count from your own pattern sits beside each row, so you can check your decreases before you turn.

US and UK names for decreases

UK patterns use the same method with UK stitch names. Match the name to the stitch first, then decrease in that stitch.

The risky ones are dc2tog and tr2tog, which name different stitches in US and UK patterns. If a pattern written in UK terms says dc2tog and you work a US double crochet decrease, the piece grows taller and looser than it should. Check which terms the pattern uses before you start. Our abbreviation lookup gives the US and UK name for each, and the crochet abbreviations guide covers the rest of the shorthand around them.