Free crochet calculator
Increase or decrease evenly in crochet
Enter the stitches you have and how many to increase or decrease. The row appears here, with as many stitches at each end, checked stitch by stitch.
Leave it at 1 for one row.
- stitches after
- 56
- increases
- 8
- stitches between
- 4–5
- stitches at each end
- 3
- 3 sc, 2 sc in next st, *5 sc, 2 sc in next st*, repeat from * to * 3 times in total, 4 sc, 2 sc in next st, *5 sc, 2 sc in next st*, repeat from * to * 3 times in total, 3 sc (56 sts)
Back and forth, the row starts and ends with the same number of stitches, so the shaping is even across the whole piece.
US termssc = single crochet, st = stitch
If you like, tick off each line once you have crocheted it.
The row below, stitch by stitch: the red marks are where you increase or decrease.
CrochetBuddy works this out on your phone, lets you tick off each row and counts your rows and rounds. It is with App Review now.
CrochetBuddy →Coming soon to the App Store
How to work it out yourself
Example: 48 stitches worked back and forth, and 8 stitches to increase, in single crochet.
- Each increase (
2 sc in next st) uses 1 stitch of the row below and makes 2. So 8 increases use 8 stitches, and 48 − 8 = 40 stitches are worked plain, one sc in each. - The 40 stitches are shared out over 9 gaps: before the first increase, between them and after the last. Each end gets half a gap, 40 ÷ 16 = 2.5, rounded to 3 stitches at each end.
- The middle gets the rest: 40 − 6 = 34 stitches in 7 gaps. That is 4 each with 6 left over, so 6 gaps of 5 and 1 of 4, the smaller one in the middle so the row reads the same from both ends.
- The row reads as below, and you have 48 + 8 = 56 stitches.
3 sc, 2 sc in next st, *5 sc, 2 sc in next st*, repeat from * to * 3 times in total, 4 sc, 2 sc in next st, *5 sc, 2 sc in next st*, repeat from * to * 3 times in total, 3 sc (56 sts)
In the round there are no ends: 40 stitches in 8 gaps of 5, so every gap is 5 stitches and the last one meets the first.
Questions
- Why does the row start and end with the same number of stitches?
- So the shaping is spread over the whole piece and not bunched at one side. When two pieces are joined, the two half gaps meet and make a whole one.
- How many stitches can I increase or decrease on one row?
- An increase (2 sc in the next stitch) uses one stitch, so at most one in every stitch. A decrease (sc2tog) uses two, so at most half the stitches. For more, spread them over more rows: set 'Over how many rows' above 1.
- What does the number in brackets mean?
- It is the stitch count after the row, counted stitch by stitch from the row as written, not from a formula. If the two ever disagreed, the calculator would show no answer at all.
- Can I use UK terms?
- Yes. Switch to UK terms at the top of the calculator: single crochet becomes double crochet (dc) and sc2tog becomes dc2tog. The counts are the same.