English abbreviation · Crochet and knitting
What does dec mean in crochet and knitting?
dec means decrease — 2 stitches together.
In French: diminution — 2 mailles ensemble
How to work it
A decrease, written “dec”, takes two stitches of the row below and turns them into one. It removes one stitch from the total. In crochet it is worked as a stitch that is left open, then closed with the next.
For a single crochet decrease, insert the hook into the next stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop. Two loops are on the hook. Do not finish the stitch.
Insert the hook into the following stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop again. Three loops are on the hook. Yarn over and pull through all three loops at once. One loop is left, and the two stitches are now one.
In knitting, “dec” is usually a knit two together, worked by inserting the needle through two stitches at once. A pattern may ask for a slanted decrease at the other end of a row, which is another stitch with another name, so check the notes.
In a pattern
Rnd 9: *sc in next 3 sts, dec* 6 times (24)
Take the row “Rnd 9: *sc in next 3 sts, dec* 6 times (24)”. “Rnd 9” is the ninth round. The asterisks enclose a group to repeat. “sc in next 3 sts” is a single crochet in each of the next three stitches. “dec” is a single crochet decrease over the next two stitches. “6 times” says how many times to work the group. Each group uses five stitches of the round below and gives four. The bracket says 24: the previous round had 30, six groups remove six stitches, so you end with 24.
US or UK?
Identical. “Dec” means decrease in American and British patterns alike. As with the increase, the name of the stitch inside it changes: a US single crochet decrease is written “sc2tog”, and a British pattern would write “dc2tog”. The gesture and the count are the same.
Common mistakes
- Pulling through only two of the three loops. You then have made a stitch that is neither a decrease nor a stitch that sits properly, and the count on the hook is wrong. Check that there are three loops before the last pull.
- Working the decrease into one stitch and the space beside it. A decrease must go through two real stitches, otherwise it leaves a hole. Look for the “V” of each stitch before you insert.
- Losing count of the repeats. The bracket tells you the total, but only at the end. With “6 times” written out, put a mark on paper after each group so that you never stop after five.
A tip
Decreases pull the round in, so the stitches become harder to see as the piece closes. Stop every group and take a quick look: there should be three stitches, then one dec. Put a marker at the start of the round and move it up each time you return to it.
Try it with a row from your pattern
Here is a row that uses it. Replace it with a row from your pattern: every abbreviation the reader knows is underlined, and its meaning shows on hover.
Rnd 9: *sc in next 3 sts, dec* 6 times (24)