How to keep track of rows in knitting
Losing count is one of the easiest ways for a project to go wrong. Here are the ways knitters keep track, from counting what is already on the needles to a counter that remembers for you.
Count the rows in your fabric
Your knitting is the most reliable record you have, so it helps to know how to read it.
- Stocking stitch: on the knit side every stitch looks like a V. Count the Vs up a single column, starting just above the cast-on edge. The loops on your needle are the row you just finished, so add one.
- Garter stitch: every ridge is two rows. Count the ridges on one side and double it.
- Cables: count up from the last crossing. The row with the twist is the crossing row, and each V above it is a row since.
Mark as you go
Counting the fabric works, but it is slow to do every few rows. These make the count quicker.
- A locking stitch marker every 10 rows. Clip it to the edge of the fabric, then you only ever count the last few rows.
- Tally marks. Keep a pencil with the pattern and mark each row as you finish it.
- A row counter. A barrel counter that slides onto the needle, a clicker, or a counter on your phone. The habit that matters is the same for all of them: count at the end of the row, every row.
Count two things at once
Many patterns ask for two counts together. Decrease at each end of every 6th row 8 times means counting rows from 1 to 6, and counting decrease rows from 1 to 8. Keep a separate count for each, rather than working one out from the other, and write down where you are when you put the knitting away.
Know which line of the pattern you are on
A row count only helps if you also know which instruction it belongs to. Put a sticky note or highlighter tape just under the line you are working, or tick lines off in pencil on a printed copy.
With The Knitting App
The app turns your pattern into a list of rows that you tick off, so your place in the pattern is saved with every tick. Counters sit in a bar under the pattern: add one for rows and another for repeats or decreases, and give one a target so it reads 5 of 8. Everything is saved to your account and syncs between your phone, tablet and computer.
