Free tool
Crochet increase and decrease calculator
Going from 18 stitches to 24? Type both numbers and get the round written the way patterns write it, with the increases (or decreases) spread evenly, so circles stay round and shapes stay smooth.
Loading the tool...
How to use it
- Type the stitches in the round you just finished, then the stitches you want at the end of the next one.
- Choose Staggered for balls and tubes: moving the increases a little each round stops corners from forming.
- Choose US or UK terms. In UK patterns a single crochet is written dc.
- Read the pattern line, or copy it into your notes. The dots show every stitch: purple for an increase, orange for a decrease.
How evenly spaced increases work
An increase is two stitches worked into one stitch. To go from 18 to 24 stitches you need 6 increases, and the other 12 stitches are worked plain: so the round is (2 sc, inc) repeated 6 times, ending with 24 stitches. A decrease works the other way and joins two stitches into one.
One round can at most double the stitches (an increase in every stitch) or halve them (a decrease over every pair). Ask for more and the calculator spreads it over several rounds, the way a designer would.
If the increases land in the same place every round, a flat circle turns into a hexagon. The staggered layout starts each repeat half a step later, so the circle stays round.
Questions crocheters ask
How do I increase evenly in crochet?
Divide the stitches you work plain by the number of increases. From 18 to 24: 6 increases and 12 plain stitches, so 2 plain stitches before each increase: (2 sc, inc) x 6. The calculator works this out for any numbers, including uneven ones where the gaps differ by one stitch.
What does (2 sc, inc) x 6 (24) mean?
Work 2 single crochet, then an increase (2 single crochet in the next stitch), and repeat that 6 times around. The number in brackets at the end is the stitch count once the round is finished: 24.
Why does my amigurumi circle look like a hexagon?
The increases sit in the same place every round, so they stack into six corners. Use the Staggered layout, which moves each round's increases along.
What is an invisible decrease?
A decrease worked through the front loops only of the next two stitches. It hides better than a standard sc2tog on amigurumi. Tick the box and the pattern line writes invdec.
Learn to crochet, stitch by stitch
Yon video lessons film every stitch up close, round by round, for right and left hand. Every tool on this page is also in the Yon Crochet app, with your projects and a row counter that counts out loud.