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Increase and decrease evenly calculator
Type how many stitches you have and how many you need. You get the repeat for working in the round and for a flat row, straight away. Knit or crochet, US or UK terms.
Row tracker
One square for each stitch you work in the round; shaping moves are coloured. Tap a square to tick off the row up to there. Your ticks stay in this browser.
How it works
Divide the stitches into as many sections as there are shaping moves. Each section is some plain stitches and one increase or decrease. When the stitches don't divide exactly, some sections get one extra stitch.
For 80 stitches to 92 you need 12 increases. 80 ÷ 12 = 6 remainder 8, so 8 sections have 7 plain stitches and 4 have 6. In the round that is [K7, M1] 8 times, [K6, M1] 4 times. Flat, half a section moves to each edge so the shaping is balanced.
A decrease uses 2 stitches (K2tog makes 1 stitch from 2), and KFB or a crochet increase uses 1 stitch to make 2. The calculator counts this, and the check line under the result shows the stitches used and the stitches you end with.
If you need more than double or fewer than half the stitches, one row can't do it. The calculator splits it over two or more rows or rounds.
Abbreviations
K knit · M1 make one · YO yarn over · KFB knit front and back · K2tog knit 2 together · SSK slip, slip, knit. Crochet: sc single crochet (UK dc), hdc half double (UK htr), dc double (UK tr), 2tog two stitches worked together.
Questions people ask
How do I increase evenly if it doesn't divide?
Divide your stitches by the number of increases. The whole number is the size of most sections, and the remainder is how many sections get one extra stitch. For 80 stitches and 12 increases, 80 ÷ 12 = 6 remainder 8, so you work 8 sections of 7 stitches and 4 sections of 6, each followed by an increase. The calculator does this for you.
Does it work for crochet?
Yes. Choose Crochet (US) or Crochet (UK) and the instructions switch to crochet wording: an increase is 2 stitches worked into the next stitch, and a decrease is 2 stitches worked together (sc2tog in US terms, dc2tog in UK terms). A crochet increase is worked into a stitch, so it uses one stitch of the row, and the counts allow for that.
How do I space decreases in the round?
Divide the stitches by the number of decreases to get the section size. Each section is some plain stitches followed by one decrease, which uses 2 stitches. Going from 72 to 64 stitches is 8 decreases in sections of 9: [K7, K2tog] 8 times. A stitch marker after each section helps you keep track.
What is the difference between the round and flat results?
In the round, the sections repeat all the way round and there are no edges. Flat, half a section goes at each edge, so the shaping sits away from the edges and the row is balanced from end to end.
Why does KFB give different numbers from M1?
KFB is worked into an existing stitch, so it uses 1 stitch and makes 2. M1 and YO are made between stitches and use none. The calculator changes the plain stitch counts so the total still comes out right.