Counting Rows
Mar 06, 2025
I’ve been thinking about counting rows this week because I think it is something we experienced knitters fail to explain enough. As a result, you see discussions online about whether or not you should count the stitches on the needle or where you should start counting from at the bottom of your work.
I think a lot of this happens because people are counting rows on stocking stitch projects and are attempting to count the Vs on the flat side of their work. This is difficult because you might be counting your cast on as a row and this affects whether you should count the stitches on the needle.
However, if you turn your work over and count the row ridges it is much easier.
If like me you use the cable cast on method, or you use a knit cast on, this is a very straight forward method – simply count the lines of ridges. If you use a long tail cast on, check what the ridge at the bottom of your work looks like after you have cast on. It may be worth popping a removable marker in the cast on ridge, so that later you can count the rows after the cast on.
Even if you are someone who uses a row counter or ticks each row off on paper, it is worth knowing about counting ridges, because sometimes you might forget. Plus there are patterns that ask you to knit to a particular length on the back and then on the front to work to XX rows fewer than the back – you will need to count at that point.
Even if you don't use it often, having a reliable row counting system is a useful addition to your toolbox.