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The invisible decrease

A decrease worked through the front loops only that vanishes into single crochet fabric. Why the standard decrease shows, and when not to use the invisible one.

By The StudioPublished Jun 25, 20265 min read

The standard single crochet decrease works: it joins two stitches into one and the count is right. But on a toy it leaves a small, noticeable bump and a slight gap, and a row of them around a head looks like a row of tiny knots. The invisible decrease (invdec) fixes that with one change: it goes through the front loops only. The result is a decrease that is genuinely hard to find afterward.

Why the standard decrease shows

In the standard decrease you pull up a full loop in each of two stitches, so three loops sit on the hook, then pull through all three. Those two pulled-up loops add bulk at the top of the stitch, and because you inserted under both loops of both stitches, the tops of the two original stitches get pushed together and open a tiny hole beneath. On a flat fabric that is invisible; on a stuffed sphere under tension it is not.

Making the invisible decrease

1
Insert the hook under the front loop only of the next stitch. Do not yarn over yet.
2
Insert the hook under the front loop only of the following stitch. Two front loops are on the hook plus your working loop: three loops total.
3
Yarn over and pull through the two front loops. Two loops remain on the hook.
4
Yarn over and pull through both. Done. It looks like one single crochet from the front.

The two back loops that you skipped fold down inside the piece, which is why the decrease works so well on stuffed items: the extra fabric goes where nobody sees it. From the outside the top of the decrease looks exactly like a plain stitch and sits at the same height as its neighbors.

Keep the two front loops loose on the hook when you pick them up. If they are tight, the yarn over pulls hard against them and the decrease puckers instead of lying flat.

Where to use it

Any decrease on a stuffed piece: heads, bodies, limbs, balls
Closing the top of a hat worked in single crochet
The inside curve of an ear or the tip of a nose
Shaping on a bag or basket where the outside is visible

Where not to use it

The invisible decrease is a single crochet technique. It does not translate to half double or double crochet, which have their own decreases that are worked by leaving the last loop of each stitch on the hook and pulling through all at once. It also does not work on flat pieces where the back is seen, because the folded-down back loops make a small ridge on the wrong side. For a flat piece with two right sides, such as a scarf or blanket, use the standard decrease and put it one stitch in from the edge, where it hides in the border.

It is also slightly less firm than the standard decrease, since only half the loops are joined. On a heavily stuffed piece in slippery yarn a few people prefer the standard decrease for the last two rounds where the hole closes, then the invisible one everywhere else. Try both on a practice ball and see which you like.

Closing the final hole

After the last round of decreases, usually six stitches, cut the yarn with a 20 cm (8 in) tail and pull it through the last loop. Thread the tail on a tapestry needle and pass it through the front loop only of each of the six stitches in turn, from the outside in. Pull gently; the six front loops draw together like a purse string and the hole closes with no gap. Push the needle straight down through the center into the stuffing and out the side somewhere hidden, pull to bury the tail, and trim. This is the same front loop idea as the decrease, and it gives the same clean result.

Practice piece

Work a magic ring with 6 sc and increase to 24 over four rounds. Work three rounds straight. Then decrease back down, using the standard decrease for one full round and the invisible decrease for the next, and compare them side by side before stuffing. The difference is clearest in a smooth, light-colored worsted weight yarn.

Every toy pattern in the shop, from Pip the Pocket Bunny to Juniper the Fox, uses invdec for every decrease unless the pattern notes say otherwise.

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