How to Keep Track of Rows in Crochet Without Losing Your Place

The simplest way to keep track of rows is to count each row the moment you finish it, mark the first stitch with a stitch marker, and check the stitch count at the end of every row. If the count matches the pattern, you know both your row and your stitches are right.

1. Count when the row is done, not when it starts

Tap your counter or make your tally mark after the last stitch of the row, before you chain and turn. If you put the work down mid-row, the counter then always shows completed rows.

2. Mark the first stitch

Clip a stitch marker (a safety pin or a scrap of yarn works) into the first stitch of the row or round. In rounds, especially amigurumi worked in a spiral, it shows where each round begins; move it up each time you get back to it.

3. Check the stitch count every row

Most patterns end each row with a number in brackets, like (24 sts). Count before you turn. A wrong count caught after one row costs one row to fix; caught after ten, it costs ten.

4. Mark every 10 rows

Hang a marker in the edge of every 10th row. If you lose count, you only need to count from the last marker.

5. Learn to read your rows

• Double crochet: each row is one band of tall posts, easy to count along the edge.
• Single crochet: rows are short; count them along the side edge, or count the rows of V shapes on the side facing you.
• Rounds: count outward from the center ring, or use the stitch count; in a standard flat circle of single crochet each round adds 6 stitches (6, 12, 18, 24...).

6. Keep the pattern line and the counter together

Most lost places happen when you look away from the pattern. Keep the current line highlighted or covered with a ruler, and keep a separate counter for repeats like "rep 4 times".

See it in the app

Hooknest highlights the pattern line you are on and fades the lines you finished, with a big +1 row counter, a stitch counter and a repeat counter on the same screen. A home-screen widget adds +1 without opening the app. It works offline with no account.

Does the turning chain count as a row?

No. The turning chain is part of the row you are about to work. Count a row once its last stitch is made.

Does the turning chain count as a stitch?

It depends on the pattern. A ch-1 before single crochet usually does not count as a stitch; a ch-3 before double crochet usually counts as the first double crochet. The pattern notes say which.

How do I count rounds in amigurumi?

Put a stitch marker in the first stitch of each round and move it up when you reach it again. Each round adds the same number of stitches in a standard increase sequence, so the stitch count also tells you which round you are on.

How do I keep track of repeats inside a row?

Use a second counter for repeats, for example "4 / 6", and reset it at the start of each row.