Beginner's Guide to Crochet - UK (2019-10)

SHAPING CROCHET

O

nce you know how to work dc2tog,

it’s easy to work a larger decrease,

such as dc3tog (which means work

three double crochet stitches together) to

decrease by two stitches.

This sort of stitch is most often used in

garments or amigurumi patterns, and it’s a

neat way to reduce your stitch count – it will

result in a solid fabric, rather than leaving

any holes.

We’ve explained how to do the dc3tog

stitch below, but we recommend that you

get to grips with the dc2tog stitch first,

before tackling the dc3tog. You’ll find it

much easier to work that way.

By working the dc3tog once in a row, you

will reduce your stitch count by two. You can

decrease at any point along the row, but

you’ll create different effects by working

decreases in the centre of the row, or at the

start or end of the row.

You can practise decreasing on a small

swatch of dc fabric so you can see how the

decreases will affect your pattern.

LARGE DC

DECREASES

How to create a two-stitch decrease, also called dc3tog

RIGHT-HAND

3

Now complete all the part-worked dc

stitches together by working yrh and pull

this loop through all the loops on the hook.

4

This is how your finished dc3tog should

look. You will have decreased 2 stitches. On

subsequent rows, just work a stitch into the top

of the dc3tog stitch as usual.

1

Start a dc stitch as usual: insert hook into

top of next stitch, yrh, pull loop through

(2 loops on hook). Stop here and start a 2nd

dc in following stitch: insert hook, yrh, pull loop

through (3 loops on hook). Stop here.

2

Without finishing the first or 2nd dc, begin

a 3rd dc in the next stitch: insert hook, yrh,

pull loop through (4 loops on hook). (If you’re

instructed to dc4tog, just start a 4th dc in the

next stitch in the same way.)

If you’re right-handed, follow these steps to work a dc3tog...