English abbreviation · Crochet and knitting
What does inc mean in crochet and knitting?
inc means increase — 2 stitches in one.
In French: augmentation — 2 mailles dans la même maille
How to work it
An increase, written “inc”, adds one stitch to the row. In crochet the most common form is two stitches worked into the same stitch of the row below, and that is what the abbreviation means unless the pattern says otherwise.
Work the stitch the pattern uses, usually a single crochet, into the next stitch as normal. Do not move on. Insert the hook into the very same stitch again and work a second stitch. You now have two stitches standing on one.
The two stitches sit side by side and share a foot. Then continue to the next stitch of the row below. An increase adds exactly one stitch to the total, because one stitch was replaced by two.
In knitting, “inc” is less precise, because there are several ways to add a stitch: knitting into the front and back of a stitch, or lifting the yarn between two stitches. A knitting pattern usually names the method in its notes; follow that one.
In a pattern
Rnd 2: inc in each st around (12)
Take the row “Rnd 2: inc in each st around (12)”. “Rnd 2” is the second round. “inc in each st around” means an increase in every stitch of the previous round, all the way round. In crochet, that is two single crochets in each stitch. The bracket says 12: the first round had 6 stitches, each is replaced by two, so you end with 12. This is the most common start of a round toy, where the flat disc doubles in size before the increases are spaced out.
US or UK?
Identical. “Inc” means increase in American and British patterns alike. What changes is the name of the stitch you increase with: a US “inc” in single crochet is written with “sc”, while a British pattern would name that stitch “dc”. The gesture itself is the same, so the abbreviation does not need converting.
Common mistakes
- Putting the second stitch in the next stitch instead of the same one. Then you have not increased, and the total does not change. The two stitches must share a foot.
- Putting all the increases in the same place. If the pattern says to space them out, the fabric will bulge as a corner; with a pattern that makes a flat circle, the disc turns into a hexagon. Follow the position of each increase.
- Forgetting that an increase is one abbreviation but two stitches. When you count the round, count both stitches. A round that should have 12 will otherwise seem to have 6.
A tip
Increases hide in a round because the two stitches look like two ordinary ones. Mark the first stitch of the round with a marker, and count the total against the bracket every time you come back to it. If you are off by one, look at the last increase you made.
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 2: inc in each st around (12)