Decrease Evenly Calculator
Where to place decreases across a row.
Work out where to place decreases evenly across a row, with the remainder spread rather than bunched at one end.
Stitches between each
5 or 6
73 stitches when done
Spread the longer gaps through the row rather than working them together at one end. Bunching the remainder is what makes shaping visible, and it is the part patterns leave to you when they say "evenly across".
How the Decrease Evenly Calculator works
Decreasing evenly is the same problem as increasing, with one extra constraint: each decrease consumes two stitches, so there is a ceiling on how many a row can take. Rows that gather sharply — the transition from a body into a ribbed hem, or the top of a hat — often have to be split across two rows to stay flat.
Also known as: knitting decrease spacing calculator · decrease evenly across row
How the number is derived
Identical arithmetic to increasing, with one added constraint: each decrease consumes two stitches, so the number of decreases cannot exceed half the stitch count. Divide the stitches by the number of decreases, take the whole part as the base gap, and distribute the remainder.
The gaps must sum back to the original stitch count exactly. That check is worth running mentally, because a decrease row that loses or gains a stitch is discovered several rows later when the pattern stops lining up.
How many decreases a row can carry is an aesthetic limit long before it is a mechanical one. Taking out more than about a quarter of the stitches in a single row reads as a gather rather than a taper.
A worked example
Ninety stitches down to seventy-five is fifteen decreases. Ninety divided by fifteen is six exactly, so every gap is six stitches: work four, decrease, then six between each, fifteen times.
Change it to 88 stitches and the division no longer works: five remainder thirteen, so thirteen gaps of six and two of five. Spread the two shorter gaps rather than working them adjacent, or the row will visibly pull in at one point.
Where the answer misleads
The direction a decrease leans is invisible in the arithmetic and obvious in the fabric. Knit-two-together leans right, slip-slip-knit leans left, and on any visible shaping line they should be paired so the two sides mirror. Across a hidden hem transition it makes no difference.
The transition from body to ribbing is the case where the count matters most and shows least. Ribbing pulls in on its own, so the decrease row only needs to remove the difference between the two fabrics' natural widths — decreasing to the ribbing's nominal count usually takes out far too much.
Finally, a row with heavy decreasing is short of stitches to spread the shaping across, so the arithmetic gets coarser exactly where the visual demands get finer. Splitting across two rows is almost always better than forcing it into one.
Frequently asked questions
How do I decrease evenly across a row?
Divide the stitch count by the number of decreases to get the base gap, then spread the remainder so some gaps are one stitch longer. Work the decreases at those intervals, keeping the longer gaps distributed rather than adjacent.
How many stitches can I decrease in one row?
Mechanically, up to half of them, since each decrease takes two stitches. Aesthetically, much fewer: taking more than about a quarter out in a single row produces a visible gather rather than a smooth taper.
Does the type of decrease matter?
For evenness, no; for appearance, yes. Knit-two-together leans right and slip-slip-knit leans left, so pairing them symmetrically matters on visible shaping like a raglan. Across a hidden hem transition, use whichever is quickest.
Why does my decrease row pull in unevenly?
Usually because the remainder was worked at one end rather than distributed, which puts all the tight gaps together. Alternating the long and short gaps through the row fixes it.