How to Count Crochet Stitches and Rows

Counting sounds dull, but it is the one habit that makes crochet projects come out the right shape. Most “why does my scarf look like a trapezoid?” moments come down to a single extra or missing stitch at the edge of a row. Once you can recognize the parts of a stitch, counting takes seconds.

The anatomy of a stitch

Look straight down at the top edge of your work. Every stitch has:

• A top — a sideways V made of two loops, the front loop and the back loop. This is where the next row’s stitch goes.
• A post — the upright body of the stitch below the V. It is short in single crochet and taller in half double and double crochet.

Count the tops when you count the stitches in a row. Count the posts in a column when you count rows.

Counting chains

Each chain is a V on the front of the chain. Count the Vs, starting with the first one after the slip knot. Don’t count the slip knot itself or the loop on your hook.

For long chains, place a stitch marker every 10 or 20 chains. If you lose your place, you only need to recount from the last marker.

Turning chains: do they count?

A turning chain lifts your hook to the height of the next row, so taller stitches need longer turning chains:

When the turning chain does not count, work your first stitch into the very first stitch of the row, and don’t work into the turning chain at the other end.

When the turning chain counts as a stitch, skip the first stitch (the turning chain stands in for it) and work the last stitch of the row into the top of the turning chain from the row below.

Patterns usually say which method they use — for example, “ch 3 counts as first dc”. If yours doesn’t, use the stitch counts given at the end of each row to work out which method matches.

Counting stitches in a row

1. Hold the work so the top edge faces you.
2. Starting at one end, count each V along the top. Leave out the turning chain unless your pattern counts it.
3. Compare your number with the one given at the end of the row, such as (14 sc).

A ten-second check at the end of every row is far easier than unravelling ten rows later.

Counting rows

Pick one column of stitches and count upward from the bottom edge, one post at a time — each post is one row.

• Single crochet posts are short and packed closely together, so it helps to count slowly with the tip of a needle.
• Half double and double crochet posts are taller and easier to see.

In rows worked back and forth, the front and back of the stitches alternate, so neighboring rows look slightly different. Counting them in pairs is a handy shortcut.

Counting rounds

In joined rounds, each round ends with a slip stitch, and the rounds form rings you can count from the center outward. Flat circles also follow a predictable stitch count — for example 6, 12, 18 and 24 stitches — so check the total at the end of each round.

In a spiral with no join, place a stitch marker in the first stitch of each round and move it up as you go. The marker shows exactly where one round ends and the next begins.

Stitch markers: the shortcut

Put a marker, or a scrap of contrasting yarn, in the first and last stitch of a row. When you come back along the next row, the markers show you exactly where to begin and stop. Move them up every few rows.

Practice

The easy single crochet dishcloth gives you plenty of rows with the same stitch count, and the double crochet bookmark is a short, low-stakes way to practice a turning chain that counts as a stitch.

Free patternEasy Double Crochet BookmarkBeginner1 hour