Welcome to Sofasaurus Crochet! I’m Sofia, and in this beginner-friendly tutorial I’ll guide you through crocheting half-double crochet increases and half double crochet decreases. Whether you’re an experienced crocheter looking to refine your technique or still a beginner eager to dive into the next thing, this step-by-step guide was designed with you in mind. I’ll break down the process into simple, easy-to-follow steps to ensure that you gain the confidence to increase and decrease half-double crochet without a second thought. Grab your yarn and favorite crochet hook and we’ll get started! Don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter for more crochet tips and tutorials. If you’re interested in a printable, ad-free version of how to crochet double crochet , you can check it out in the shop! Happy Hooking!

In UK Terms, the half-double crochet is called the half- treble crochet.

Check out these other Increase/Decrease Posts!

Please note

All instructions are in US terms. Please treat the techniques used in this post as recommendations – crochet is an art form and experimentation is the best way to figure out what works best for you! Also, I only recommend products and services that I would use myself and all opinions expressed in this post are my own.

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Materials

Yarn: Any medium or worsted-weight yarn
Hook: 5.5mm crochet hook

Video Tutorial

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Written Instructions

Everything you need to understand what, why, and how!

What is a Half-Double Crochet Increase?

A half-double crochet increase (hdc inc) is a technique used to add two half-double crochet stitches into the same space as one original stitch. This essentially increases the number of stitches in a row, project, or round – allowing you to shape it in interesting ways.

What is a Half-Double Crochet Decrease?

A half-double crochet decrease (hdc dec or hdc2tog) is when you crochet two half-double crochet stitches together to decrease the number of stitches in a row, project, or round.

To decrease half-double crochet

Yarn over
Insert your hook into the first stitch
Yarn over and pull up a loop (three loops on hook)
Insert your hook into the second stitch
Yarn over and pull up a loop (four loops on hook)
Yarn over and pull through all four loops.

Tips + Tricks

Half double crochet increases and decreases are less common, but still very useful to understand
When working a pattern, a half-double crochet increase can be annotated as “inc hdc,” “hdc inc,” “2hdc,” or “2 hdc in next stitch” to name a few.
A half-double crochet decrease can be annotated as “hdc dec,” “dec hdc,” or “hdc2tog”

Photo Tutorial

Are you more of a visual person but don’t have the patience to watch a video right now? Take a look at this photo tutorial and don’t forget to save it for later!

Coming Soon!

Illustrated Guide

Are you more of a visual person but don’t have the patience to watch a video right now? Then take a look at this illustrated guide and don’t forget to save it for later!

Coming Soon!

Crochet Chart Symbols

Crochet Charts are a great way to avoid common language barriers and clarify difficult crochet patterns. These symbols are used to help you visualize where stitches go and how they align with one another. Don’t forget to add this image to your crochet toolbox!