Yarnmark

How to keep track of rows in knitting and crochet

Every knitter and crocheter loses count sooner or later: a phone call, a cat, a long stretch of plain rows. Here are eight methods, from a pencil to the fabric itself, and which ones hold up when you knit in the round or follow a long pattern.

1. Mark the pattern, not just the count

A number tells you how many rows you have done. It does not tell you which line of the pattern comes next, and on a pattern with a 12-row repeat that is the question you actually have. Highlight or underline the row you are on, and move the mark when you finish it. On paper, a sticky note or a magnetic board strip under the current line does the job. On a PDF, use an app that keeps your place.

2. A row counter

Barrel counters slide onto a needle; clicker and ring counters sit on a finger or a lanyard; phone counters live in your pocket. They all work the same way: one tap at the end of each row. We made a free online row counter with row, stitch and repeat counts if you want one right now.

3. A tally sheet

Pencil and paper still beat most gadgets for one reason: you can see the history. Ten boxes per line, one cross per row, and you can tell at a glance if you skipped a line. There is a printable row counter sheet on our counter page.

4. Locking stitch markers every 10 rows

Clip a locking marker (or a scrap of contrasting yarn) into the edge every 10 rows. If you lose the count, you only have to count from the last marker. This is the most reliable backup for long, plain stretches such as a sweater body or a blanket.

5. A lifeline

Thread a strand of smooth, thin yarn through all the live stitches at the end of a repeat. If you have to rip back, you rip to the lifeline and every stitch is caught on the right row. It does not count for you, but it caps how bad a lost count can get.

6. In the round: the beginning-of-round marker

In the round there is no turn to remind you. Put a distinct marker at the start of the round and count every time you pass it. For amigurumi and other spiral crochet, move a locking marker up into the first stitch of each new round, since a spiral has no visible seam.

7. Count the fabric

When the counter and your memory disagree, the fabric wins. In stockinette, count the Vs in one column; in garter, each ridge is two rows; in crochet, count the stacked posts of tall stitches. The details for each stitch are in how to count rows in knitting and how to count rows in crochet.

8. Write the count down before you stop

Most counts are lost between sessions, not during them. Before you put the project away, write the row number and the pattern line on the pattern itself, and finish the row you are on instead of stopping mid-row.

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