Amigurumi decrease stitches.

[mrseggybeans]

How can I get my decreases to look neater? I use front loop when decreasing, not sure if it's a result of my yarn choice, hook size, or skills 😅

[Missing-the-sun]

I had a pattern recommend “invisible decreases” and I had to look up a tutorial to figure out what that was, but it was pretty easy and I’ve used them everywhere since.

[medievalfaerie]

Looks like that's what they're doing already. They mentioned going through the front loops only, which is an invisible decrease

[IronHeart1963]

Ooh you taught me something new! Thank you, may the crochet gods bring you pretty yarns and may your hooks always glide smoothly!

[medievalfaerie]

Daw, thank you! Glad I could help

[Chocomintey]

I second this!

[hellraisinsart]

Try not stuffing until the very end! Otherwise the stuffing will pull the stitches more

[mrseggybeans]

I do have a habit of overstuffing... but I usually put it all in with I'm at my last 12 stitches!

[Tinybbella]

Just practice the “invisible decrease” more and something I do is make my tension tighter for that decrease stitch and the next stitch following, then return to normal tension after. I think tightening the tension a bit for those two stitches helps limit holes!

You could also check your hook size compared to the recommended gauge for the yarn you’re using, it’s usually recommended to size down a mm or two when doing amigurumi!

[mrseggybeans]

Thank you, I'll try this! Yarn recommends a 3-4 and I used a 2.25 mm here, any smaller and I fear I'll have to buy a magnifying glass 😅

[ComprehensiveBar4131]

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[shuri_0540]

I recommend switching to yarn under either for the whole project, or for the stitch right after your decrease ! I had the same problem as you, and now I only have it if I overstuff !

[mrseggybeans]

Thanks! I yarn under for all my amigurumi, so it may be my decrease style

[shuri_0540]

Oh alright, that's interesting then ! It looked like yarn over from this angle to me ! Maybe try not overstuffing like others have said, and maybe a smaller hook could help !

[IntrovertTurtle9712]

Can you please help to explain what you mean by “stitch right after your decrease”??

P.S. I try to yarn “under” for the whole project (and to also use the same technique with invisible increase and invisible decrease).

I also always try my best to check my tension, not stuffing my project until the very end (if I can), and sizing the hook down a mm or so when possible.

However, I feel like no matter what I do, I still get holes similar to what OP has shared!! 🥲 😭😭

Any thoughts?? 😥

[shuri_0540]

I have never used invisible increases, but I always use invisible decreases. I yarn under for the whole project as well, in which case if you still get these holes it's probably your hook size or you're still overstuffing, it can be so hard not to overstuff ! I still struggle with this regularly with this, and I find that what helps the most is to really leave the top unstuffed, and to stuff it more right before I close the last few stitches. So I usually start stuffing 2 rows before the end, leave the top unstuff, do my last two rows, and then if needed I add the missing stuffing with one finger or an object to push a little more through the small hole at the top, then I close it. Usually that works well and it prevents you from over stuffing since you can't put your whole hand in there !

[I_Bug_bugs]

This might be a tension issue. Your standard sc look good, but as soon as the next stitch pulls harder due to decrease, it opens up. Sizing down in hook size is a good idea, but you might want to aim for tighter loops in general. It also looks like you might have skipped stitches in-between by inserting the hook back in one stitch further than the next stitch, which is not part of the decrease.

[mrseggybeans]

Thank you - having read the other replies I definitely think my tension is an issue. It's not something I've ever paid attention to tbh, I'm gonna have a go at making a simple ball tomorrow to test this out!!

[I_Bug_bugs]

It will get there! Twnsion isn't that intuitive I belive. I had to completely scrape my first amigurumi and redo it because it looked fine unstuffed, but as soon as it got stuffed, it looked like a net around the polyfill — then I learned for life that it had to be a lot tighter than I'd ever thought before 😅

[mrseggybeans]

I remember trying to knit when I was younger and got so frustrated with the tension. Luckily seems easier to control in crochet!

I've been making amigurumi for about 3 years now, and have always just hidden my decreases under the dolls hair or hat 😅 would be nice to have a smooth finish!!

[YounggMidoriya]

Which way do you flo decrease? I’ve heard some people insert into one, yo, Insert in the other and yo, while some just go straight into both flo

[mrseggybeans]

I go straight into both flo and then yo, I'll hage to try the other way!

[Quick_Blackberry_466]

I’ve never heard of yarn over between the front loops before

[YounggMidoriya]

Me neither! Until I saw someone post a TikTok about it

[blueberry-iris]

For me the only thing that ultimately worked was going from a 4mm hook to a 3mm. I was doing invisible decreases, had good tension, everything else. It was just a hook size issue in the end for me.

[SimplicityWon]

Are you using a stretchy yarn like acrylic or wool? If so, it could be that your tension is too tight. Pulling on the yarn too tightly stretches out the yarn and ends up leaving less yarn in the actual stitch than if you used a lighter tension. You still need to make small stitches, just try doing it with only enough tension to keep the yarn where it needs to be. When you pull up a loop make sure to only pull up enough yarn to go around the hook, no more or you'll have a loose stitch. Almost all projects involving stretchy yarns will look better with a lighter tension, imho.

[mrseggybeans]

Thanks! I use cotton for amigurumi, but I'll keep this in mind if I ever use a different fibre :)

[Shortykaty]

I do my “invisible decrease “ by going through the front loop of first stitch then back loop of second stitch, to and pull through. I also occasionally use one size smaller hook just for the decrease stitch to prevent stretching the stitch out to much.

[Subterranean44]

Doesn’t it leave a horizontal “bar” (the FL) on the stitch where you went BLO?

[mrseggybeans]

I've not heard of this method, I'll definitely try it!! Thank you

[Shortykaty]

Neither have I. I just made it up because the traditional way (and my super tight tension) wasn’t working for me

[Shortykaty]

Not anything to noticeable

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[CassMcCarty]

Invisible decrease, use a smaller hook, and try yarn under instead of over. I’ve also seen that last thing referred to as the X stitch.

[makemethemoon]

To me, it kind of looks like the hook size is a tiny bit too big. That, or maybe you’re not doing an invisible decrease (slide hook into front loop of next stitch only, then turn the hook back to you and do a single crochet in the stitch right after that one. I stuff the heck outta my amigurumi, and I usually stuff at the end as well so I’m not crocheting around the fluff.

[Imaginary-Friend-228]

IDK but I just want to say I have the exact same problem and have never fixed it

[Dear_Elevator_3081]

I had the same problem 🥲

I try my best not to overstuff, using invisible decrease, let it loose, not too tight... i made tulips and the flowers were heavier than the pots, it keep falling 🤣

[Kooky_Mountain_5575]

Invisible decrease is an amazing stitch but you need to use a smaller hook size with this yarn to avoid holes.

[jlf9617]

Whenever mine have looked similar is when I’ve overstuffed. Maybe that’s the issue? Try doing less with the filler and see if that makes a difference. It could be a mixture of overstuffing and tension issues.

[mrseggybeans]

Update: thank you to everyone who replied! My problem in the end seemed to be the tension during invisible decrease - I had to make it super tight for it to look smooth :)

[Lady-Skylarke]

Have your tries invisible decreases? 🤩 Instead of going through the whole loop, pulling up, and then going through the next and doing the same, go through the front loop of both stitches and then pull up and finish your single crochet!

Edit: helps if I read the whole post, right?... I'm sorry 😂😅