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Increasing and decreasing · Easy

Invisible decrease

An invisible decrease (invdec) turns two single crochet (UK double crochet) into one without the bump or gap of the usual decrease. Put the hook under the front loops only of the next two stitches, pull the yarn through both, then yarn over and pull through the two loops on the hook.

How to work it

  1. Front loop of the next stitch

    Push the hook under the front loop only of the next stitch: the strand of its top that is nearer to you. Do not yarn over. There are two loops on the hook.

  2. Front loop of the stitch after

    Three loops on the hook: the front loops of the next two stitches, marked, lifted onto the hook one after the other, and the loop that was already there. The back loops of those two stitches stay behind in the row. No yarn has been drawn through yet.

    Push the hook under the front loop only of the stitch after it, in the same way. There are three loops on the hook.

  3. Through the two front loops

    Yarn over and pull the yarn through the first two loops on the hook, which are the two front loops. Two loops are left.

  4. Finish as a single crochet

    The finished invisible decrease, marked: one stitch at the left end of the new row, with one top. At its foot the front loops of two stitches of the row below are drawn together, and their two back loops still lie in the row. One loop is on the hook.

    Yarn over again and pull through both loops. The decrease is made: one stitch stands where there were two.

At a glance

Used for
shaping stuffed toys (amigurumi); hats and other single crochet worked in the round with one side out; any decrease that should not be seen from the front
Abbreviation
invdec. A pattern lists the abbreviations it uses.
Counts as
One stitch
What it uses
The front loops of the next two stitches. Their back loops are left unworked.
Where it belongs
Work with a clear right side that is never turned, such as a toy or a hat worked in the round
Where it does not
Fabric that is turned, or that is seen from both sides: the two unworked back loops show on the back.

The usual decrease pulls up a loop in each of two stitches and closes them together. That can leave a small bump or a gap. A gap matters most in a stuffed toy, where the stitches are worked tightly so that the stuffing does not show.

The invisible decrease draws the two front loops together at the foot of one stitch, and the stitch above them looks like an ordinary single crochet. From the front it is hard to tell from its neighbors.

Getting the hook under the second front loop feels awkward at first, because the hook has to swing down to reach it. It becomes easy with practice.

Tips

  • Where a pattern for a stuffed toy says only to decrease, many makers use the invisible decrease. Others work the ordinary decrease first and change only if it shows.

When it goes wrong

I can still see my decreases.
Check that the hook went under the front loop only of both stitches, with no yarn over between them. That is what sets it apart from the ordinary decrease.
There are loose strands on the inside of my work.
Those are the two back loops the decrease leaves unworked. They sit on the wrong side, which is inside a toy or a hat.

Left-handed

The pictures show the hook held in the right hand. For the left hand, read each picture as its mirror image.

Variations

  • In taller stitches. The same idea works in taller stitches. Yarn over first, put the hook under the front loops of the next two stitches, yarn over and pull through those two loops, then finish as a double crochet (UK treble): yarn over and pull through two loops, twice.

Questions

What does invdec mean in a crochet pattern?
Invisible decrease: one stitch worked into the front loops of the next two stitches, which leaves one stitch fewer.
Invisible decrease or sc2tog?
The invisible decrease for work in the round with one side showing, such as stuffed toys. The ordinary decrease, sc2tog, for flat fabric that is turned or seen from both sides.
Can I use it in rows?
It can be worked in rows, but the unworked back loops then show on the side that faces out on every other row. Most makers keep it for work in the round.

Where to go next

Stitches