Working in rows · Beginner
Counting stitches and rows
To count crochet stitches, count the V shapes along the top edge of the row: each V is one stitch, and the loop on the hook is never one of them. To count rows of single crochet (UK double crochet), look for the lines that run across the fabric: there are two rows from one line to the next.
How to work it
Count the Vs
Count the Vs from one end of the row to the other. Each V is one stitch.
Count the rows
To count the rows of a piece of single crochet worked back and forth, lay it flat and look for the faint lines that run across it from edge to edge. There are two rows from one line to the next. Count in twos from line to line, then add the rows below the first line and above the last one.
At a glance
- Used for
- checking each row against the count the pattern gives; finding where a stitch was added or lost when an edge wanders; measuring gauge, which is counted in stitches and rows
- Never counted
- The loop on the hook, and the slip knot
- Chains
- Count the chains between the slip knot and the hook. Each V along the chain is one chain.
- Rows
- In single crochet worked back and forth, a line shows across the fabric every two rows.
- Rounds
- Mark the first stitch of each round with a stitch marker, and count the round from the marker.
- In a pattern
- Many patterns give the number of stitches at the end of a row or round, often in parentheses.
Count at the end of every row while you are learning. A mistake found in the row where it was made is quick to put right.
When a count is wrong, look at the two ends of the row first. Stitches are most often gained or lost at the edges: a stitch worked into a turning chain that does not count, or the last stitch of the row left out.
Rows are easier to keep track of than to count afterwards. Keep a tally as you work: a mark on paper, or a click of a row counter, for each row you finish.
On a long foundation chain, put a marker in every 10th or 20th chain as you make it. If you lose your place, you count from the last marker and not from the beginning.
Tips
- A light, smooth yarn makes the stitches much easier to see and count.
- While you are learning, mark the first stitch of each row with a stitch marker. It shows where the next row has to end.
When it goes wrong
- My piece is getting wider or narrower.
- The count is changing from row to row. Count each row as you finish it, and check where the first and last stitches go.
- I keep losing count on a long chain.
- Put a marker in every 10th or 20th chain, and count on from the last marker.
Left-handed
The pictures show the hook held in the right hand. For the left hand, read each picture as its mirror image.
Questions
- Does the loop on the hook count as a stitch?
- No. It is never counted, in a chain or in a row.
- Does the turning chain count as a stitch?
- In single crochet (UK double crochet) the turning chain never counts as a stitch. In double crochet (UK treble) and treble crochet (UK double treble) it counts unless the pattern says otherwise. In half double crochet (UK half treble) patterns differ, so go by the pattern, and where the pattern is silent choose one way and keep to it. When it counts, it is one of the stitches in the count.
- How do I count rows in crochet?
- In single crochet worked back and forth, find the lines that run across the fabric and count two rows from one line to the next, then add the rows below the first line and above the last. A tally kept as you finish each row saves counting afterwards.
- Do I count the slip knot when I count chains?
- No. Count the chains between the slip knot and the hook, and leave out the loop on the hook as well.