Here I will show you how to make increases and decreases in the thermal stitch.
This will get you ready to make my Give Yourself a Hand Thermal Stitch Oven Mitts which can found in the November 2019 issue of Pattern Pack Pro available on Ravelry. Or, start your subscription to Pattern Pack Pro right here!
I make my thermal single crochet stitch differently than most other instructions I’ve seen on the web. Most produce a fabric that has what we typically think of as the “wrong side” of the stitches showing. My method has the “right side” of the stitches showing which makes for a smoother fabric plus I think it’s easier to do.
There are a couple other photo tutorials which show the same method I use for working the thermal single crochet stitch in straight rows. Look here and here.
I did my best to take photos of all the steps for increasing and decreasing and they are at the end of this post. I do apologize in advance, I am most definitely NOT a photographer and this was incredibly difficult!
Because thermal crochet stitches are placed using loops from different rows, it is helpful to think of them as lower level and upper level. When forming stitches the way described here, the loops of the lower level will always be on the side facing you and will be worked into by inserting your hook from the bottom.
tsc- thermal single crochet - insert the hook through the next “lower level” front loop (from the row below) from bottom to top, then also insert it into the next front loop of the “upper level” row, yo, pull through, yo, pull through both loops. See also Notes 2 and 3.
Increases in thermal single crochet happen over 2 rows.
The first row can be thought of as the “regular” way, where you simply make 2 stitches in the exact same spot.
The next row can be thought of as the “second-half increase”, where you insert the hook into the same loop from the lower level used in the previous stitch, but then insert hook in the next unused loop in the upper level.
I will be referring to this “second-half increase” in my pattern directions as I was not able to find any other definition on the web.
“second-half increase” – insert hook through same lower level loop used in previous st and also through next upper level loop, yo, pull through, yo, pull through both loops.
Decreases also happen over 2 rows.
Again, the first row can be thought of as the “regular” way, where you simply crochet 2 separate stitches together using the same loops you would ordinarily have used.
tsc 2 together – insert hook through next lower level loop and also through next upper level loop, yo, pull through, insert hook through next lower level loop and also through next upper level loop, yo, pull through, yo, draw through all 3 loops.
The next row can be thought of as the “second-half decrease”, where you insert the hook into the next 2 loops from the lower level, before inserting into the next upper level loop.
“second-half decrease” – insert through next lower level loop and also through next lower level loop, then through next upper level loop, yo, pull through, yo, pull through both loops.