How to Crochet Increase (inc)

What is an increase in crochet?

A crochet increase turns one stitch into two so your fabric gets wider. Written inc, it is simply two stitches worked into the same stitch, and it is how flat circles grow and how amigurumi gets its shape.

In US patterns it is abbreviated inc. The action is the same in UK patterns, only the stitch it is worked in changes name: a US single crochet increase is a UK double crochet increase.

How do you work an increase step by step?

Here is the full sequence in US terms. Take it slowly the first few times, then it becomes muscle memory.

1. Work one stitch into the next stitch exactly as normal.
2. Instead of moving on, insert your hook into that same stitch again.
3. Work a second complete stitch into it. One stitch has become two.
4. Count as you go: an increase adds exactly one stitch to the row or round total.

When do you use an increase?

Crochet Increase turns up in a lot of patterns. Here is where it earns its place:

1. Growing a flat circle for a granny square, a coaster, or the base of a bag.
2. Shaping the top of an amigurumi head, where the first rounds are almost all increases.
3. Widening a sleeve, a shawl, or a triangle scarf a set number of stitches per row.
4. Any pattern that says inc or asks for two stitches in one stitch.

What are the most common increase mistakes?

A few snags catch almost everyone at first. Watch for these:

1. Counting the increase as one stitch when you tally the round. It is two.
2. Spacing the increases the same way every round on a flat circle, which makes visible corners instead of a curve. Stagger where they fall.
3. Working the increase into the wrong stitch after a turning chain, which slowly skews the edge.

How do you keep count while you work an increase?

Counting is where clean crochet is won or lost. Patterns tell you how many stitches per row and how many rows or rounds to work, and a miscount is the usual reason a piece ends up crooked. Mark the first stitch of each round, and count your stitches at the end of every row.

Some crocheters keep a paper tally, and some use an app like Worsted to count rows, hold their place in a pattern PDF, and note the yarn they used, so a project is easy to pick back up after a break. However you track it, staying on count is what turns a good pattern into a finished piece.