How to Count Crochet Stitches

Tutorial Overview

While working on your crochet project, you'll want to check regularly whether the stitches in your round, or row, match the pattern.

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Step-by-step guide

Lets have a look at how we can count the stitches in a row:

Step 1:

Tilt your crochet work until you can see the V's on top of your last row clearly.

Step 2:

Now count the V's starting from the hook, all the way to the end of the row. The loop on your hook does not count as a stitch.

Step 3:

The last stitch can be a little tricky to count. Carefully tilt your work to see the last stitch more clearly.

Top Tip: Be careful not to count your turning chain! It's best to count your stitches before you add your turning chain.

You can count your stitches in this way no matter which crochet stitches you are using in your project.

Now, lets have a look at how to count the stitches when working in rounds:

Step 1:

Start by finding the V's created along the outer edge.

Step 2:

Count the V's from the hook, all the way around. No matter which crochet stitches you're using, you'll see the V's on top of each stitch.

Top Tip: When working in amigurumi spirals, using a stitch marker will help you see where your round started. We've used a piece of grey yarn in our sample to mark the rounds. This makes it a lot easier to count your stitches, and rows.

Step 3:

Make sure not to count the stitch you already worked into. The stitch in our demonstration belongs to the previous round. We've already worked into this one.

And remember, the loop on your hook does not count as a stitch.

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