Craft Calculators

Crochet & knittingNo. 402

Updated October 2026

Crochet Increase & Decrease Calculator

Spread increases or decreases evenly across a row or round and get the instructions written out. Works for knitting too, and for flat circles.

What you're doing
Stitches
sts
sts

In rows, the first and last groups are split so the shaping doesn't stack at the edges.

How even spacing works

Divide the stitches you have into as many groups as there are increases or decreases, and put one shaping stitch in each group. When the numbers don't divide evenly, some groups get one extra plain stitch, spread out through the row.

Increase: group size = stitches ÷ increases → sc (group − 1), inc Decrease: group size = stitches ÷ decreases → sc (group − 2), dec Increase: new count = stitches + increases Decrease: new count = stitches − decreases

Example. From 60 to 68 stitches is 8 increases. 60 ÷ 8 = 7.5, so the groups alternate between 7 and 8 stitches: sc 6, inc, sc 7, inc, four times around. Going back down from 68 to 60 uses groups of 8 and 9: sc 6, dec, sc 7, dec, four times.

Flat circle in single crochet

A flat circle adds the same number of stitches every round, usually 6 for single crochet. Each round adds one more plain stitch between increases.

RoundInstructionsStitches
16 sc in a magic ring6
2inc in each st12
3(sc 1, inc) × 618
4(sc 2, inc) × 624
5(sc 3, inc) × 630
6(sc 4, inc) × 636

If every round puts the increases in the same place, the circle turns into a hexagon. Staggering moves the increases by half a group on alternate rounds.

Abbreviations

  • inc: two stitches in the same stitch (crochet).
  • dec: two stitches worked together, such as sc2tog (crochet).
  • kfb: knit into the front and back of the same stitch (knitting).
  • k2tog: knit two stitches together (knitting).

Questions

How do I evenly increase stitches in crochet?

Divide the stitches you have by the number of increases. To go from 60 to 68 stitches, 60 ÷ 8 = 7.5, so alternate groups of 7 and 8 stitches, each ending in an increase: sc 6, inc, then sc 7, inc, four times each.

How do I decrease evenly across a row?

Divide the stitches by the number of decreases, remembering that each decrease uses two stitches. To go from 68 to 60 stitches, 68 ÷ 8 = 8.5, so alternate sc 6, dec and sc 7, dec, four times each.

How many stitches are in each round of a flat circle?

A single crochet circle usually starts with 6 stitches and adds 6 every round: 6, 12, 18, 24 and so on, so round 8 has 48 stitches. Double crochet circles usually start with about 12 stitches and add 12 a round.

Does this work for knitting?

Yes. Choose knitting and the instructions use kfb for increases and k2tog for decreases, both worked into existing stitches. If you prefer M1, which is worked between stitches, place it after each group instead.

What if the stitches don't divide evenly?

Some groups get one more stitch than others. The calculator spreads the longer groups through the row instead of bunching them at one end, so the shaping stays even.

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