How to Make HDC2TOG Crochet Decreases: An Easy Guide for Beginners!

Need to decrease a row of half double crochets? Well, you’re in luck! Today’s lesson is all about the half double crochet decrease — also known as “hdc2tog” in crochet patterns.

This crochet decrease technique can take a while to get used to but it’s super simple and easy to memorize. Here’s a step-by-step tutorial on how to make it yourself!

Materials & Skills

You’ll only need 2 things to learn the hdc2tog technique. Take a look:

Supplies

4-Ply worsted weight acrylic yarn (Red Heart Yarn is an excellent brand to start with!)
Crochet hook (I’m using an H – 5mm crochet hook)

Skills You Need To Know

Yarn tip: Don’t like how thin worsted weight yarn is? Choose super bulky or chunky yarn. They are much easier to hold on to and stitches show up much clearer. Opt for more affordable yarn brands so you don’t feel too bad about scrapping your first few attempts.

Try to avoid fuzzy yarn like chenille and velvet yarn as stitches become hard to distinguish once crocheted!

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How to Make HDC2TOG Crochet Decreases: An Easy Guide for Beginners!

The half double crochet decrease is super easy to make. It’s basically like the sc2tog but with one little extra step. Check out the tutorial below to learn how!

Prepare the Row!

Make sure that you’re on the row you want to start decreasing on.

Step 1: Go into the first stitch

Go into the first stitch and pick up a loop. Don’t yarn over!

You should have 2 loops on your hook.

Step 2: Go into the next stitch

Go into the second stitch and pick up a loop.

You should have 3 loops on your hook.

Step 3:

Yarn over and pull the yarn through all three loops!

Now you have your first half double crochet decrease!

Repeat steps 1 to 3

Repeat steps 1 to 3 to make more hdc2tog decreases!

Keep decreasing

Keep practicing the hdc decrease until there’s only one stitch left at the top of your swatch!

THE HDC2TOG CROCHET TECHNIQUE

It may take some time to get used to decreasing half double crochets, but the more often you practice them, the better you get! You can use this decrease for beanies, plush toys, and even clothing.

Can I make hdc2tog more invisible?

One caveat with the “normal” crochet decrease is that it can be quite visible. In some instances, it might even leave gaps in your work. There is another way to make all the basic crochet decreases (sc2tog, hdc2tog, dc2tog, etc.) and it involves working the decrease in the front loops only.

But I am encouraging you to practice the “normal” way first. Just so that you can get used to the motions of making crochet decreases. We’ll definitely be talking about the invisible decreases in the future, so don’t you worry!

What’s the difference between the SC2TOG, HDC2TOG, and DC2TOG?

All of these decreasing techniques are used for the same purpose and are made using similar steps. But just like the non-decreasing versions, they have slight differences:

SC2TOG

The single crochet two-together (also known as the sc2tog) only has two loops that you need to work with. You make one loop in one stitch, make a loop in the second stitch and pull it through the last 2 loops on your hook.

HDC2TOG

The half double crochet decrease (also known as the hdc2tog) is worked much like the sc2tog. The difference is that you’re going to yarn over one at the end and go through all three stitches on your hook. The half double crochet two-together is also slightly taller than the sc2tog.

DC2TOG

The double crochet two-together (also known as the dc2tog) is a taller decrease that involves a few extra steps compared to the last two techniques mentioned. With the dc2tog, after making the bottom two-loops, you will yarn over and go through the first two loops, then yarn over one last time and go through the last two loops.

Just like all the decreases, you’re basically just making one whole stitch on top of two separate stitches.

FINAL LOOK

Your hdc2tog swatch should look like the image below. This decrease reduces the number of stitches in a row, helping you shape and “sculpt” your project however way you want!