HOW TO MAKE AN INVISIBLE DECREASE
I’m Nerissa, an Australian expat in the Netherlands. I grew up on a farm in South Australia, so sheep and wool are in my DNA. I was taught to knit and spin as a child, and I think I learned to crochet by osmosis. Over the years I have developed all sorts of little tricks to level up my crochet skills quickly and easily, and I cannot wait to share them with you. These tips will all help to make you a better crocheter with very little effort!
The invisible decrease is a great little tool to have in your back pocket, especially when making amigurumi. I think it gives amigurumi toys and decorations a super professional finish – and isn’t that what we all want? The traditional decrease creates a visible bump in your work, whereas if you work the invisible decrease, your work will appear smooth. That means that it will actually be difficult to even see where the decrease has been worked.
Here’s how to create the invisible decrease with the double crochet stitch: insert the hook through the front loop of the first stitch and immediately through the front loop of the next stitch. Yarn-round-hook (yrh) and pull the loop up through both front loops, then yrh and pull through two loops.
You can actually apply this method to any stitch. It works just as well with half trebles and trebles; the key is to insert the hook through only the front loops of the two stitches you want to decrease into one.
For a half treble (htr): Yrh, insert hook in front loop (fl) of next stitch (st) and fl of next st, yrh and pull up loop through both front loops, yrh, pull through 3 loops.
For a treble (Tr): Yrh, insert hook in fl of next st and fl of next st, yrh and pull up a loop through both front loops, (yrh, pull through 2 loops) twice. And that’s it. Enjoy!
For more on Nerissa follow her on Instagram at @miss__neriss and Facebook at madeby MissNeriss, find her patterns at the nerissa-muijs Ravelry store or visit www.missneriss.com