Crossed Double Crochet Decrease Tutorial

Hey there, yarnie!

In this post, I showed you how to work the crossed double crochet (Xdc) in both rows and rounds. But what if you’re making a hat and need to decrease? The technique is very similar with only one small difference to the decrease version.

Below, you’ll see how to work the crossed double crochet decrease in the middle of a row or a round. If you’re working in rows, you’ll still begin and end your rows with a chain-3 and double crochet, respectively. Remember that the chain stitches count as a double crochet. In the event you’re working in rounds, I’ll also show you what that first decrease looks at the start of a round, since it’s a little fiddly and uses the starting chains. So let’s do it!

Note: The photos used in this tutorial are from my Crossroads Beanie pattern (coming soon!), so please disregard that the stitches of previous rounds used in these photos are not all crossed double crochet.

This tutorial uses the following stitches and abbreviations:

Yarn Over (yo)
Chain (ch)
Skip (sk)
Double Crochet (dc)
Slip Stitch (sl st)
Crossed Double Crochet (Xdc)
Crossed Double Decrease (Xdc2tog)

***If you learn better watching something done in real time, scroll down for a video tutorial!***

Xdc2tog

Like any other decrease stitch, the crossed double crochet decrease is made by working a half-formed double crochet into each of the indicated stitches and then they are joined together in the final pull-through to complete the stitch.

Step 1: Skip 1, work a partial double crochet into the next stitch.

Step 1 Continued: Yarn over, insert hook into the next stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop.

First Xdc2tog of a Round

Beginning this stitch in the round is a little fiddly because you need a chain stitches to reach the height for the round but you don’t want a random chain or double crochet at the seam of your work throwing off the whole aesthetic. So you will work the first crossed double crochet just a bit differently so that it blends seamlessly with the rest of your stitches.

If you’re familiar with my method for starting the crossed double crochet in the round, as seen here, then the start of this will be a little familiar to you. It uses a similar technique, but because our double crochets are half-worked, we use a chain of 2 instead of 3 to count as the first double crochet of the decrease.

Step 1: Chain 2, counts as the first partial double crochet of our first decrease.

Step 2: Working backwards, work a partial double crochet into the stitch before your chain-2, the last stitch of the previous round.

Step 3: Slip stitch to the top of the first crossed double crochet two together to join. Do not join to the chain-2, you'll join to the loops of your final pull-through of that first stitch.

Video Tutorial

If you want to see this stitch in action, I’ve recorded a video tutorial here for you as well!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! If there’s a stitch you’d like to see me make a tutorial for, let me know in the comments below!

Until next time!

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