How to count rows in crochet

Counting crochet rows is easier than it looks once you know what one row of each stitch looks like. Here is how to count single, half double and double crochet, worked flat or in rounds, and how to stop having to count at all.

Terms here are US crochet terms. In UK terms, US single crochet is double crochet, US half double is half treble and US double is treble.

Before you start

Lay the piece flat with the foundation chain at the bottom. Do not count the foundation chain as a row. Count the row on your hook as a row only if you have finished it.

Double crochet (and taller stitches)

Tall stitches are the easiest to count. Each double crochet is a visible post, and the rows stack as a ladder of posts. Pick one column near the middle, not the edge, and count the posts from the bottom up. Each post is one row. Treble crochet works the same way, with longer posts.

Half double crochet

Half double crochet has a shorter post with a horizontal bar at the top. Count the posts in one column, as with double crochet. If the posts are hard to see, look at the back of the work, where each row often shows a clear horizontal line.

Single crochet

Single crochet rows are short and packed, which is why they are the hardest to count. Two things help. First, look along the side edge: each row makes one small bump or turning stitch at the end, so counting the bumps on one edge gives you the rows. Second, when you work flat and turn, the rows alternate how they face you, so the fabric shows a subtle ridge pattern; follow one column of stitches up and count each stitch in it.

In the round: magic circle and amigurumi

In joined rounds, count the seam: each join makes a small step, and each step is one round. In continuous spirals, as in most amigurumi, there is no seam, so count outward from the magic circle. The increase pattern helps here: in a flat circle that increases by 6 per round, round 1 has 6 stitches, round 2 has 12, round 3 has 18, so a stitch count tells you the round. Move a locking marker into the first stitch of each round so you do not have to count at all.

Check the stitch count too

Most patterns put the stitch count at the end of a row in parentheses, for example "(24 sts)". If your stitch count matches but your row count seems off, trust the stitches and recount the rows from the last marker.

Stop counting from scratch

• Clip a locking marker into the edge every 10 rows.
• Tap a row counter at the end of each row; there is a free online one here.
• Mark the pattern line you are on, so you know what comes next, not only how many rows you have done. See how to read a pattern with brackets and repeats.