How To: Single Crochet Invisible Decrease

Take your amigurumi to the next level with the single crochet invisible decrease. Say goodbye to unsightly holes, bumps and ugly stitches.

The most important thing about the single crochet invisible decrease is that you need to be familiar with the front loops and back loops of stitches.

Normally you would insert your hook under both loops of the stitch but when it comes to the invisible decrease you will be using the front loops only.

What Happens When You Decrease

The purpose of decreasing is to reduce your stitch count by one stitch. This is essential for creating shapes in amigurumi.

What is the Single Crochet Invisible Decrease and Why You’ll Love It

The single crochet invisible decrease is a way of crocheting a decrease that mimics a regular single crochet stitch.

It reduces bulk and eliminates unsightly bumps or holes, giving you a smoother and neater finish.

What is the Difference Between the Invisible Decrease and a Regular Decrease

The main difference is that the invisible decrease is worked through the front loops only of the next two stitches which means fewer yarn overs thus creating a less bulky stitch.

Decrease Abbreviations

In most crochet patterns the single crochet invisible decrease is abbreviated as: invdec or dec.

Sometimes you might also see sc2tog which usually indicates a regular single crochet decrease.

Since the single crochet invisible decrease is mostly used in amigurumi which are usually made up of single crochet stitches, the single crochet part of the name is not included in the abbreviation.

When to Use the Invisible Decrease

The single crochet invisible decrease is particularly useful for amigurumi that are worked in the round with the right side facing out.

For other projects that are worked flat in turned rows, you’ll want to stick to the regular single crochet decrease.

Single Crochet Invisible Decrease Tutorial

Step 1: Insert your hook into the front loops only of the next 2 stitches (3 loops on hook).

Step 2: Yarn over and pull through the first 2 loops on your hook (2 loops on hook).

Step 3: Yarn over and pull through the remaining 2 loops on your hook.

And that’s all there is to it, you’ve completed your first invisible decrease!

Single Crochet Invisible Decrease Tips

• Keep an eye out for loose stitches. After completing an invisible decrease the following stitch can be a little loose so you may need to tighten up the working yarn to avoid this.
• Make sure that you don’t accidentally work into the same front loop twice. it can be hard to tell some times so keep an eye on your stitch count at the end of each round.

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This is an original crochet tutorial written for Stitch by Fay. Please don’t claim this tutorial as your own. If you wish to share this crochet tutorial, you may link to this post but please do not reprint it on your site.