# How to keep track of rows in crochet and knitting

Source: https://spolvero.design/articles/keep-track-of-rows-crochet-knitting/
Updated: 2026-09-23
Tool: https://spolvero.design/tools/craft/row-counter/

> Count each row as you finish it, with something that remembers the number for you: tally marks, a clicker, a locking stitch marker every ten rows, or a row counter on your phone. For patterns with repeats, keep two counts, the total rows and the row within the repeat. Record the count before you put the work down. If you do lose your place, count the rows in the fabric itself and check against the last marker.

Everyone loses count. The phone rings, a child asks a question, you watch ten minutes of television, and the pattern says "repeat rows 3 to 6 eleven more times". The answer is not a better memory. It is a system where the number lives somewhere other than your head.

## Six ways, compared

| Method | Good for | Weak spot |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tally marks on the pattern | Any project at a table | Needs a pen in reach; messy over hundreds of rows |
| Ring or barrel counter on the needle | Knitting on straight needles | Easy to forget to turn; no use for crochet |
| Hand clicker | Fast, works by touch | Gets reset in a bag; no repeat count |
| Locking stitch marker every 10 rows | A record in the fabric that cannot be lost | Tells you tens, not units |
| Notes app | Always with you | Typing a number every row gets old |
| Row counter on a phone or tablet | Remembers the count, tracks repeats | The screen must stay awake |

Most experienced makers combine two: a counter for the running number, and markers in the fabric as a check.

## Patterns with repeats

A repeat needs two numbers. "Row 47" tells you how far you are. "Row 3 of the 4-row repeat" tells you what to do next. Trying to work the second out from the first, mid-row, is where mistakes come from.

The [row counter](/tools/craft/row-counter/) keeps both. Tap the big plus button after each row and minus to undo. Set a repeat length, say 4, and the repeat counter shows which row of the repeat you are on while the main count carries on. The count is saved on the device each time it changes, so you can close the tab and pick up tomorrow.

Two things make it usable with your hands full:

- **Keyboard control.** Space, Enter, the right arrow and Page Down add a row; Backspace, the left arrow and Page Up take one away. Most Bluetooth page-turner pedals send Page Down or an arrow key, so a foot pedal works with no setup.
- **The screen stays awake** while the counter is open, in browsers that support it: Chrome, Edge, and Safari on iOS 16.4 or later. Elsewhere, lengthen your screen timeout while you stitch.

## Charts are a different problem

On a colour chart, the number of the row is the easy part. The hard part is reading it: "4 blue, 2 white, 7 blue", left to right on one row and right to left on the next, without skipping a square.

For that there is a pattern tracker alongside the counter. It shows the current row in words with a close-up of the chart, moves on one colour block per tap, tells you when the next colour change is coming, and remembers where you stopped. It opens charts made with the chart maker; see [how to turn a photo into a crochet pattern](/articles/turn-photo-into-crochet-pattern/).

## Habits that prevent a lost count

1. **Count at the same moment every time**: as you turn the work, before the first stitch of the new row.
2. **Never stop mid-row** if you can help it. If you must, note the stitch as well.
3. **Mark every tenth row** with a locking marker. A miscount is then at most nine rows of doubt.
4. **Write the count down before you put the work away**, even if a counter has it.
5. **Use a lifeline** in lace or complicated knitting: a thread run through one row, so you can rip back to a known row.

## Finding your place again

If the count is gone, the fabric still has it.

- **Stocking stitch:** count the V shapes up a single column. Leave out the cast-on row and include the loops on the needle.
- **Garter stitch:** each ridge is two rows.
- **Single crochet:** each row is one horizontal band of stitches; count along a side edge, where turning chains make rows easy to see.
- **C2C:** count the blocks along one edge. Each diagonal row adds one block until the corner.

Count from your last marker rather than from the start. For a repeat, find a row you can recognise, such as a cable crossing or a row of eyelets, and count on from there.

## Questions

### What is the easiest way to keep track of rows?

Count at the end of every row with something that holds the number for you. A row counter on a phone or a clicker works for plain rows; a locking stitch marker placed every ten rows gives you a check you can see in the fabric.

### How do I keep track of pattern repeats?

Keep two counts: the total number of rows, and which row of the repeat you are on. In the Spolvero row counter, set the repeat length, for example 4, and the repeat counter shows rows 1 to 4 in turn while the main count keeps climbing.

### How do I count rows I have already worked?

In knitting, count the V shapes up one column of stocking stitch, leaving out the cast-on and including the loops on the needle. In single crochet, each row is one horizontal ridge of stitches; count along an edge. In garter stitch, each ridge is two rows.

### Does an online row counter remember my count?

The Spolvero one saves the count on your device every time it changes, so it is there when you come back. It is not sent anywhere, so it does not follow you to another device.

### Can I count rows without touching my phone?

Yes. The counter takes keyboard input, so a Bluetooth page-turner pedal works: most send Page Down or an arrow key, which adds a row. Space and Enter add a row too; Backspace, the left arrow and Page Up take one away.