Did you know that changing the order of just two characters in a crochet instruction can reverse what happens to a piece of fabric? A beginner sees ‘2 dc in next stitch’ and ‘dc2tog’ and may think both mean making two double-crochet stitches. One usually makes the fabric wider; the other makes it narrower.
In US crochet terminology, ‘2 dc in next st’ means work two double-crochet stitches into one existing stitch, an increase that adds one stitch to the working count. ‘dc2tog’ means double-crochet two adjacent stitches together into one, a decrease that removes one stitch from the count. The distinction is between two outputs from one input and one output from two inputs.
Here we will decode the notation, count a complete example row, diagnose common mistakes and move from a drawn stitch map to an independent pattern. These are invented practice rows, not excerpts from a commercial design. Always check the abbreviations and whether the original pattern uses US or UK stitch names.
The first diagnostic: what happens to the number of stitches?
Give a learner a paper row of ten boxes. Say ‘2 dc in next st’ over box five and ask them to draw what emerges. Two new stitch tops come out of one old box. If the other nine boxes receive one ordinary stitch each, the next row has 11 stitch tops. That is an increase of one.
Now use the same ten-box row but replace the command with ‘dc2tog over the next two stitches’. Two neighbouring old boxes lead to one new stitch top. If the other eight each receive one normal stitch, there are 9 stitch tops in the new row. That is a decrease of one.
- ‘dc’ is double crochet in US pattern language.
- ‘st’ usually means stitch, while ‘sts’ means stitches.
- ‘2 dc in next st’ describes two stitches worked into one stitch.
- ‘dc2tog’ describes one finished stitch made across two input stitches.
- The count change can be checked without doing the whole row.
- Read a special-stitch key when one is supplied; do not infer from letters alone.
Why the difference exists: input stitches and output stitches
A crochet pattern is a set of operations on existing fabric. A stitch normally consumes one insertion location and produces one stitch at the next level. An increase consumes one old location but creates two or more new stitches. A decrease combines two or more old locations so that fewer new stitches remain.
The simple mathematics is output count minus input count. For an ordinary double crochet, 1 − 1 = 0 change. For two double crochets in one old stitch, 2 − 1 = +1. For a standard two-together decrease, 1 − 2 = −1. This way of thinking is helpful with single crochet and other stitches as well, though the actual hook motions differ.
How a standard US dc2tog is physically completed
The Craft Yarn Council’s pattern-reading guide explains that patterns compress instructions into abbreviations, while its abbreviation standard identifies ‘dc2tog’ as double crocheting two stitches together. That makes it a defined action, not merely the word ‘dc’ followed by a total of two stitches.
For an ordinary dc2tog, yarn over, insert the hook into the first indicated stitch, pull up a loop and draw yarn through two loops, leaving that double crochet unfinished. Repeat that partial double crochet in the next indicated stitch. Finally yarn over and draw through the remaining three loops to complete one top. The unfinished parts share a final closing movement.
A standard ‘2 dc in the next st’, by contrast, means finish a complete double crochet in that stitch, then finish another complete double crochet into the same insertion location. This yields two top loops for the next row. The two instructions differ in where you insert and how many complete stitch tops you produce.
Worked example 1: a 12-stitch row with an increase and a decrease
Invented training row using US terminology. Begin with exactly 12 working stitches and suppose the turning-chain convention does not add any extra counted stitch. Read this instruction: ‘dc in next 4 sts, 2 dc in next st, dc in next 3 sts, dc2tog, dc in last 2 sts.’
Count inputs first: 4 + 1 + 3 + 2 + 2 = 12 input stitches. Count outputs second: 4 + 2 + 3 + 1 + 2 = 12 output stitches. One increase (+1) and one decrease (−1) cancel each other. The row should still have twelve visible stitch tops, assuming every operation follows the stated convention.
This is a stronger check than counting loops on the hook partway through an operation. Intermediate loops are not the same thing as completed stitch tops. A beginner may see several loops on the hook during a dc2tog and assume several new stitches were made; the final join creates just one completed top.
Worked example 2: a round that grows
Invented six-stitch circle. Start with six marked stitches. The next round is ‘(2 dc in next st) six times’. You consume six locations and make two complete double crochets in each. The count is 6 × 2 = 12 stitches. If the following round says ‘(dc in next st, 2 dc in next st) six times’, each two-location repeat creates three stitches: 6 × 3 = 18 stitches.
The number of repeats is not itself the stitch count. Six repetitions of a three-stitch output equal eighteen. A beginner who reports six or twelve for the second round has counted repeat groups or old input positions instead of the new tops.
Worked example 3: a round that narrows
Invented shaping round. Begin with 18 stitches. Work ‘(dc in next st, dc2tog over next two sts) six times’. Each repeat consumes three input stitches and makes two output stitches: one ordinary dc and one joined decrease. Six repeats consume 18 stitches and make 12 stitches.
The calculation also predicts the shaping: each repeat removes one, so 18 − 6 = 12. This provides two independent ways to check the count. If the new round finishes at 13, inspect for a missed decrease, misplaced turning chain or accidental insertion into the same stitch twice.
US versus UK terminology: a genuinely important warning
In many US crochet instructions, ‘dc’ refers to double crochet. In many UK crochet instructions, ‘dc’ describes a stitch corresponding to US single crochet. A pattern may explicitly identify its regional terminology. The abbreviation ‘dc2tog’ still signals working two stitches together, but the hook movements depend on which stitch system the pattern uses.
Never silently substitute a US double-crochet procedure into a pattern written in UK terms. Read the designer’s stated abbreviation key, the worked stitch description and any accompanying chart. When no terminology is declared, pause and confirm it from the source before proceeding with a garment.
A three-stage practice method
Stage 1: annotate the stitch map
Use twelve squares drawn on a page. Draw two arrows leaving a single input square for an increase, and one arrow emerging from two input squares for a decrease. Label each with its input and output count. The learner should be able to explain the operation without a hook.
Stage 2: read aloud before stitching
Read an instruction in complete words: ‘Make two double crochets in one existing stitch’ or ‘Work the next two existing stitches together to form one stitch’. Then mark each repeat and put a stitch marker at the start of the row. A marker turns an easily lost place in a circle into a visible reference.
Stage 3: independently audit a new instruction
Start with 16 stitches and use ‘dc in next 6 sts, dc2tog, dc in next 6 sts, 2 dc in next st, dc in last st’. Count inputs: 6 + 2 + 6 + 1 + 1 = 16. Outputs: 6 + 1 + 6 + 2 + 1 = 16. The result should retain sixteen stitches despite containing shaping instructions.
Ask the learner to design an alternative 16-input row that ends with 15 outputs. One valid answer is fifteen ordinary stitches and one dc2tog only if the input count is seventeen, so that does not fit. A correct simple answer is fourteen ordinary stitches and one dc2tog: inputs 14 + 2 = 16, outputs 14 + 1 = 15. The error and its repair are part of the learning.
Common mistakes and how to diagnose them
- Reversing the arrows: if the fabric widens when it should narrow, check whether two complete stitches were placed in one input instead of a dc2tog.
- Using a turning chain incorrectly: the pattern may count a chain as a stitch or may not; check the key before comparing counts.
- Counting unfinished loops as stitches: wait until the operation’s final top is formed.
- Forgetting repeat boundaries: use removable markers or tally each completed repeat.
- Mixing US and UK stitches: read the declared conventions before following the motions.
- Missing an edge stitch: count both input positions and completed tops at the end of the row.
What to observe in a learner’s progress
At first, a learner may have to unravel several rows to find an error. A useful progress record is the number of rows completed with the correct starting and finishing counts, and whether the student can explain the count change before using a hook. One accurate ten-minute exercise often reveals more than a long session of frustrated guessing.
Parents can use scrap yarn, paper arrows and gentle counting rather than correcting every movement. Teachers can compare two student methods and ask which produces the requested output count. The learner should become capable of verifying a pattern independently, not just obeying instructions from another person.
Limits: the count alone is not the whole fabric
Two crocheters can produce the correct stitch count and still have different dimensions or textures because of hook size, tension, yarn, stitch height and turning-chain choices. Count is a structural check; gauge is a separate measurement. Pattern-specific shells, clusters and special decreases can also change the meaning of a shorthand instruction, so the designer’s stitch notes are authoritative for that pattern.
Frequently asked questions
Does ‘2 dc’ always mean an increase?
Not necessarily. ‘2 dc in next st’ clearly puts both into one insertion location and usually increases the count by one. ‘Dc in next 2 sts’ normally means one stitch in each of two separate locations and preserves the count. The preposition changes the operation.
Does dc2tog produce two stitches?
Under ordinary US instructions, no. It works two old positions together to create one completed new stitch. The count therefore falls by one for each standard dc2tog.
Why does the last row have the right count but look uneven?
Counts do not reveal every problem. Look for a missed edge, misplaced increase, different tension or an inconsistent turning chain. Compare the location of shaping as well as the total number of stitches.
Can this method work for knitted decreases?
The input-versus-output counting idea transfers, but knitting uses different operations. Do not copy a crochet hook procedure into knitting simply because both crafts use the word ‘decrease’.
Keep the skill and use it elsewhere
For related measurement habits, read how to check a knitting gauge swatch and how stitch length differs from width on a sewing machine. Explore the eduKate Education Hub or the Secondary 1 Mathematics learning guide for approaches that move from concrete models to checked independent work.
The core aim is to treat shorthand as a precise instruction. Once the learner can say what each old stitch becomes, the pattern stops looking like a code to memorise and starts becoming a structure they can reason about.