How to increase/decrease evenly!

How to increase/decrease evenly!

How to calculate where to inc/dec when pattern says "inc/dec evenly" - You can use this lesson's tips both in knitting and crocheting:


Increase evenly:
The pattern tells you to increase a number of stitches evenly.

Example 1: You have 100 sts and you shall increase 16 sts evenly.
Use a calculator and enter 100 divided by 16 and you will get 6.25.
The number you get should be rounded down to full or half number.
In this example we will round it down to 6. So you should inc after every 6th stitch like this: Work 6 sts, make 1st inc, work 6 sts, make 2nd inc, work 6 sts, make 3rd inc, work 6 sts, make 4th inc, and continue like this. After your 16th increase you will have 4 sts left on row to work.

Example 2: You have 140 sts and you shall increase 21 sts evenly.
Use a calculator and enter 140 divided by 21 and you will get 6.66.
The number you get should be rounded down to full or half number.
In this example we will round it down to 6.5. So you should inc after alternating every 6th and 7th stitch like this: Work 6 sts, make 1st inc, work 7 sts, make 2nd inc, work 6 sts, make 3rd inc, work 7 sts, make 4th inc, and continue like this. After your 21st increase you will have 4 sts left on row to work.

Example 3: You have 48 sts and you shall increase 12 sts evenly.
Use a calculator and enter 48 divided by 12 and you will get 4.
If you get an even number and you are working in the round, then it's easy and you can just inc with that number of stitches between each inc.
But if you are working rows back and forth and shall inc every 4th stitch like in this example, then you would have to make an inc after the last stitch on row, which you can't. To avoid this you work a couple less stitches before first inc like this:
Work 2 sts, make 1st inc, work 4 sts, make 2nd inc, work 4 sts, make 3rd inc, work 4 sts, make 4th inc, and continue like this. After your 12th increase you will have 2 sts left on row to work.

Decrease evenly: The pattern tells you to decrease a number of stitches evenly.

Example 1: You have 100 sts and you shall decrease 16 sts evenly.
Use a calculator and enter 100 divided by 16 and you will get 6.25.
If the number is less than .5 then always round the number down, so in this example we round it down to 6.
To make decreases in every 6th stitch, means that you work together every 5th and 6th stitch like this: Work 4 sts, K2tog (5th and 6th sts), work 4 sts, K2tog, work 4 sts, K2tog, and continue like this. After your 16th K2tog you will have 4 sts left on row to work.

Example 2: You have 140 sts and you shall decrease 30 sts evenly.
Use a calculator and enter 140 divided by 30 and you will get 4.66.
When the number is more than .5 you will have to alternate your decreases between lower and higher number. In this example this means we will alternate dec in every 4th and 5th st, like this:
Work 2 sts, K2tog (3rd and 4th sts), work 3 sts, K2tog (4th and 5th), work 2 sts, K2tog, work 3 sts, K2tog, and continue like this. After your 30th K2tog you will have 5 sts left on row to work.

Example 3: You have 48 sts and you shall decrease 12 sts evenly.
Use a calculator and enter 48 divided by 12 and you will get 4.
In this example this means we will dec in every 4th st, like this:
Work 2 sts, K2tog (3rd and 4th sts), work 2 sts, K2tog, work 2 sts, K2tog, and continue like this. After your 12th K2tog you'll have no sts left on row to work.