How to count rows in knitting (and crochet)

By Tinyfair · Updated October 22, 2026 · 4 min read

Short answer

In stockinette, count the V shapes in one column on the knit side: each V is one row. In garter stitch, count the ridges and multiply by two. Do not count the cast-on edge, and decide whether the loops on your needle count by checking your pattern. To avoid recounting, keep a running count with a row counter, tally marks or an app as you knit.

Step by step

You need:

Your knitting or crochet piece
Good light
A locking stitch marker
A row counter, pencil and paper, or a counter app

Lay the work flat in good light. Spread the piece on a table with the right side facing you and let it relax. Stretched fabric makes the stitches hard to tell apart.
Find the right stitch to read. On the knit side of stockinette, each stitch looks like a small V. On garter stitch, look for the horizontal ridges. Pick one column in the middle, away from the edges and any increases.
Skip the cast-on edge. The cast-on edge is a row of loops along the bottom and is usually not counted as a row. Start with the first V or ridge just above it.
Count up the column. In stockinette, count each V up to the needle: one V is one row. In garter stitch, count the ridges and multiply by two, because each ridge is made of two rows.
Decide about the row on the needle. The loops on your needle are the row you just worked. Patterns differ on whether they count, so check how your pattern measures and stay consistent.
Mark the count. Clip a locking stitch marker into the row you reached and write the number down. Next time you only need to count from the marker.

Do it faster with RowberryRowberry: Knitting Row Counter

Rowberry is a row counter for knitting and crochet. The lower half of the screen is one big +1, so you can tap it without looking, and the volume buttons add or remove a row; undo fixes a wrong tap and every tap is saved at once. A linked counter handles repeats like decrease every 2 rounds by counting 1, 2, 1, 2 along with your rows. You can open a PDF pattern from your phone and a yellow row marker moves down one row with every +1. Each project also keeps yarn, needles, notes and knitting time, and crochet projects can use US or UK terms. Rowberry is free on Google Play with no ads on the counter or pattern screens, one linked counter and one pattern per project, two active projects and free backups. Pro, yearly with a 7-day free trial, monthly or lifetime, adds unlimited projects and counters, all finished pieces, automatic backup, and removes ads.

See Rowberry

Reading other stitch patterns

Stockinette, purl side: count the bumps in one column. Each bump is one row, but they are harder to see, so most knitters turn to the knit side.
Garter stitch: each ridge is two rows. Count ridges on one side only.
Ribbing: count the Vs in a knit column, the same way as in stockinette.
Seed or moss stitch: the Vs and bumps alternate up a column. Count every V and every bump, one row each.
Cables: count the rows between crossings. The crossing row is easy to spot because the stitches lean over each other.

Counting rows and rounds in crochet

In crochet you count the posts, the upright part of each stitch. Single crochet rows are short and look like little knots stacked on top of each other; double crochet rows are about twice as tall with clear posts. Count the posts up one side of the work.

For rounds, such as amigurumi worked in a spiral, put a stitch marker in the first stitch of each round and move it up as you go. When you lose count, count the rounds from the magic ring up to the marker to see how many you have done.

Ways to keep count while you work

Reading the fabric is useful to check your place, but counting as you go is faster and avoids mistakes in textured or dark yarn.

Tally marks on paper or ticks on a printed pattern after each row.
A clicker or a ring counter worn on your finger.
A barrel counter pushed onto the end of a straight needle.
A stitch marker every 10 rows, so you only count up from the last one.
A counter app on your phone, which also remembers where you were in the pattern.

Repeats such as decrease every 4th row

Shaping often uses two counts at once: the total row number and a smaller repeat, for example decrease on every 4th row. Write the repeat as a short cycle, 1, 2, 3, 4, then back to 1, and tick it alongside the main count. Doing the decrease on row 4 of each cycle is easier than working out multiples of four in your head.

Questions people ask

Does the cast-on count as a row in knitting?

Usually not. Most patterns start counting from the first row worked after the cast-on. If your pattern says otherwise, follow the pattern.

Do the stitches on the needle count as a row?

They are the row you just finished, so many knitters count them. When you measure length, patterns often mean the fabric below the needle. Pick one rule and use it the whole way through.

How do I count rows in garter stitch?

Count the ridges on one side and multiply by two. Each ridge is made from two rows of knit stitches.

How do I count rounds in crochet amigurumi?

Mark the first stitch of each round with a stitch marker and move it up every round. To recount, follow the line of markers or count the rings of stitches from the magic ring outwards.

What is the easiest way to keep track of rows?

Count as you go instead of reading the fabric later. A clicker, tally marks or a counter app all work; the best one is the one you will use after every row.