How to Stop Crochet From Getting Smaller (or Too Large)

To figure out how to prevent this from happening in the future, first, we need to look at the reasons why your crochet project is shrinking (or growing, or just generally turning out uneven).

This is the most common reason why your project seems to take on a life of its own. For every stitch you miss in a row, your crochet gradually gets smaller. Likewise, if you accidentally add a stitch every now and then, your project will start to grow.

While one missed stitch might not seem like a big deal, as Amy Solovay from The Spruce points out, when you lose a stitch, those start to grow on each other every time you lose another one until all of a sudden you have a narrow blanket — and narrow blankets are not ideal for cuddling.

This is an extension of the first problem. You THINK your numbers are right, but you're actually getting tripped up on the turning chain, according to Ashley Little from Bluprint.

With this one, the problem isn't so much that your project seems to disappear, but rather that there are some places where your stitches are bigger and looser and some places where they look a lot tighter. This is usually an indication that your tension needs some work.

Learn more about tension by reading two of our guides:

1. What is Gauge in Crochet?
2. How Tight Should Crochet Stitches Be?

Now that you know what your problem is, you can work on a solution.

This is a big one. This is the easiest, simplest thing you can do, and it will make a huge difference. It's a little tedious, sure, but it can save you a major headache later, preventing you from having to undo hours of work.

It's important to do this for each row, Solovay warns, because if you realize too late what's going on, there's not much you can do about it besides tearing it out and starting again.

This concept can be a bit confusing because the rules vary on which type of stitch you're doing. A basic rule of thumb is that with single crochet, you don't do it. You should work the first stitch of a row into the last stitch of the row before it, Little says. As for double crochet (and most other stitches), the turning chain counts as a stitch.

Consistency — in your stitch size, in your tension, in everything — is key, Tonya Grant from The Crafty Mummy advises. If you do the same thing for every stitch you make — even if it’s technically wrong — your crochet project will turn out just fine.

Reiterating the importance of this one. Always count your stitches.

Read our guides to master these beginner crochet skills!

1. How to Count Crochet Stitches
2. How to Count Crochet Rows