How to decrease nicely

[EveRijnaard]

I had some crochet experience but forgot them after a break of a few years, and found a new project:

https://www.green-bird.at/2017/06/anleitung-fuer-ein-gehaekeltes-crop-top-mit-diamantmuster.html

I just cannot figure out how to do the 2 decreases at the end and at the beginning of each row

This is the pattern for a small

Cast on 167 ch.

1. R1: Work 1 dc into 4^th st on hook. Work 1 dc into every ch until end of row. Turn (= 165 st).

2. R2: 3 ch, 1 dc into every dc from the row below. Turn (= 165 st).

3. Continue to work R2 until your piece has a length of 4“ (10 cm). Mark the center st of your work (i.e. 82 st, center st, 82 st). Additionally place markers after 58 st and
    107 st (marks the 49 st for mesh in the middle!) Begin to work the mesh pattern (M.1)

4. After 5.5“ (14 cm) start with decreases for shaping while continue to work M.1 : skip the 28 outermost st of the left and on the right side (= 109 st)

5. Now decrease 2 st on the left and on the right side in every row (i.e. Dec 4 st per row). Decreases are worked 12 times in total (= 61 st)

6. Decrease 1 st at the beginning and end of row (i.e. Dec 2 st per row). Decreases are worked 6 times in total (= 49 st).

7. The mesh pattern in the middle contains 49 st. Bind Off.

 

I am making a larger one since I'm larger than 167 stitches, therefore I made it 220. I also made it a bit longer (more than 10 cm)

Ive done steps 1 through 3, and calculated where I need to start decreasing, but I cannot figure out how to decrease 2 at the beginning and at the end of each row, and make it look as nicely as the pictures in the link. 

 

Please, does someone have a video? or a link? or pictures? Any clear explanation? I cant find anything useful on google or youtube myself but maybe I'm searching for it wrongly.

 

thank you so much!

[magiccrochetfan]

In the pics it already has the final edging added, so yours won't resemble it until you do the edging.

how are you decreasing now, can you post a pic of your piece?  

[Granny Square]

Things to experiment with:

1. Don't the decreases right at the very edge, make the decrease with stitch 2 & 3

2. Change the turning chain to something else:  example,  ch 2, not 3, or sc + ch1 in the first stitch instead, or a 'chainless turning DC' as the first stitch, then decrease.

3.  I just saw Magiccrochetfan's anwser as I was typing, good point!

 

 

Edited March 1, 2020 by Granny Square

[BPokorny]

The is for a 3dc decrease. works the same just do 2dc instead of 3. 

https://stitchesnscraps.com/tutorial-double-crochet-3-together-dc3tog/

[EveRijnaard]

@magiccrochetfan

I completely overlooked that the picture included the final edging.... Thank you for reading as thoroughly as I should have been doing 😛

 

 

@grannysquare

I tried to do the chainless turning, but it kept looking like I'd decrease 3 every time, instead of two. So I started turing with a chain of 2 instead of 3. I've been re-doing it a couple times now, but I think it's starting to look pretty good!

Thank you so much for your help! I think I figured it out now.

 

[Granny Square]

You're welcome, it does look nice!  It's good to have a selection of ways to do the turning chain, we're all a little different and one is bound to work  

[magiccrochetfan]

You're welcome, Eve.  Your pic looks great!