Instructions on Increasing and Decreasing

Increasing and Decreasing

Let me explain why you would use increasing and decreasing.

1. To increase the size of your row. Increasing will you give you a slant or triangle shape.
To decrease the size of your row.
This is what gives sleeves and shawls their shape.

2. To produce a ripple effect. (Ripple Afghans)

3. To fix a mistake of having too many stitches or too less in a row.

The instructions will tell you were to increase or decrease.
I will share some of the most used places.

First, most inc. and dec. will happen at the end of the row.
To increase (inc), you will stitch an extra stitch in the final loops of your row.

To decrease, you will skip a stitch.
Maybe you won't double crochet in the last stitch.

The other place to inc. or dec. is in the middle of the row. Or somewhere else in the row.
Here is where you can "fix" a previous mistake without undoing the whole row. (very valuable)

Let's Pratice. I will write the directions as if I am talking you through the pattern. Directly under them, I will have what a normal pattern will look like. That way you can get used to reading patterns and follow what I think when crocheting.

Begin by chaining 32.
Ch 32.

Skip the first four chains that are closest to your hook. Those four chains are your first triple crochet. Triple crochet in chain stitch number 5.
Tr in 5th ch from hook.

Triple crochet in the each of the next 4 chain stitches.
Tr in each of the next 4ch.

Now, triple crochet in the next chain stitch three times.
You should have 3 triples in one chain stitch. You have just increased.
Work 3 tr in next ch.

Ok. Now triple crochet in each of the next 6 chain stitches.
Tr in each of the next 6 ch.

We begin decreasing. Skip the next two chains and triple crochet in the 3rd one. Triple crochet in each of the next 5 chain stitches.
Skip 2 ch. Tr in each of the next 6 ch.

For the next increase triple crochet in the same stitch 3 times. Then triple crochet 6 more times in each of the next 6 chain stitches.
Tr 3 times in the next ch. Tr in the next 6 ch.

Chain 4 times. This counts as your first triple. So, if you need 6 triples in the next step, The chain 4 is #1 and then you will skip the 1st triple stitch and crochet 5 triples in the next 5 triple crochets. Confusing. Nah.
Sometimes, the instructions won't say to chain 4 and skip the first stitch. It is assumed you will know what to do. So....
Tr in the next 6 st.

This produces a ripple pattern. I started you out with the triple so you can finish a scarf if you would like.