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3 Tips for Counting Rows in Knitting / Spiral Hill Sweater Vest Knit Along Lesson 2

October 25, 2023 3 Comments

Notions were provided by the companies mentioned. Opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links, see site policies.

It can be time consuming and frustrating to have to re-count rows over and over again as you knit. Here are 3 easy ways to keep track of you row or round count in knitting. (The best part: none of these involve post-its or tally marks.)

It can be time consuming and frustrating to have to re-count rows over and over again as you knit, especially over long stretches of stockinette stitch and with hard-to-see yarn. Here are 3 easy ways to keep track of your row or round count in knitting. (The best part: none of these involve a post-it note.)

This tutorial was designed with Spiral Hill Sweater Vest Knit Along knitters in mind. As someone who’s knit two adult-sized versions of the vest*, the back panel features a lot of stockinette stitch… in all black yarn. Read on for my favorite tips and tools for counting knitting rows, and scroll to the bottom of the post for a video tutorial demonstrating each method.

Knit Along overview / Enter to win the awesome KAL prize pack here. / 10 useful tutorials for knitting the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest / KAL Lesson 1: Understanding Intarsia Gauge / More coming soon!

Tip 1: Row Counters, Row Counter Rings, Row Counter Apps, etc.

It can be time consuming and frustrating to have to re-count rows over and over again as you knit. Here are 3 easy ways to keep track of you row or round count in knitting. (The best part: none of these involve post-its or tally marks.)

One way to keep track of your rows is by noting how many you’ve worked on a piece of paper, or by tracking it with a counting device. I have this row counter ring from Knitter’s Pride as an example here, but I grew up using a similar plastic counter that fit onto the end of my straight needles. I even have used a free app on my phone.

A downside of this method is forgetting to move the counter at the end of a row and having to recount the section you’re knitting to confirm your counter isn’t off. Of the various row counter options out there, the ring is a nice one because it keeps the stitch count physically, literally close to where you’re knitting, making it harder to forget.

Tip 2: Scrap Yarn

When I started knitting sweaters for myself, I fell in love with simply using scrap yarn to track my rows. Essentially you’re sewing a loose running stitch in between two columns of stitches at a consistent interval to help track how many rows you’ve worked.

How to do it:

Cut yourself a piece of scrap yarn thats a little longer than the estimated total length of your project. If you’re knitting a sweater or top, you can use your own body to estimate the length you’ll need. If you’re using a long-tail cast on for your project, you can incorporate this extra length into your long tail cast on for a couple fewer ends to weave in. (The video at the bottom of this post shows a sweater panel that uses this extra long tail trick if you’d like to see an example.) If you’re not using the extra long tail trick, you can leave the scrap yarn tail loose or secure it to the cast on edge to avoid accidentally pulling it out.

It can be time consuming and frustrating to have to re-count rows over and over again as you knit. Here are 3 easy ways to keep track of you row or round count in knitting. (The best part: none of these involve post-its or tally marks.)

Next, you’ll knit your row or round until you reach your scrap yarn, then draw it in between the stitch you just knit and the subsequent stitch. I love this method because it’s cheap, and you can track your rows using any multiple of stitches you wish. Just remember which multiple you’re counting with. 

It can be time consuming and frustrating to have to re-count rows over and over again as you knit. Here are 3 easy ways to keep track of you row or round count in knitting. (The best part: none of these involve post-its or tally marks.)
By the way, scrap yarn works great for counting rows after the fact if you ever need to do that. You can sew it between columns and stitches using a tapestry needle, as shown here.

A demonstration of how to do this with live stitches is featured in the video below.

Tip 3: Chain Row Counters

More recently, I stumbled across one of my new favorite notions that’s sort of a combination of the scrap yarn and row counter tool methods of row counting: the Chain Row Counter from Twice Sheared Sheep. It features numbers 0 through 9, as well as this thing they call a Melody Clip for tracking what “decade” of numbers you’re working on. (Full disclosure, I have an affiliate relationship with Twice Sheared Sheep, but I signed up after realizing how frequently I was using the row counter tool in my own knitting.)

It can be time consuming and frustrating to have to re-count rows over and over again as you knit. Here are 3 easy ways to keep track of you row or round count in knitting. (The best part: none of these involve post-its or tally marks.)

Here’s how it works: Knit your row until you reach your Chain Row Counter, which can double as a stitch marker by the way. When you reach the counter, insert the tip of your needle in to the next highest number’s chain, drop the old chain, and continue knitting. When you reach a 0 number like 10, 20, or 30, you move the Clip to the appropriate position. These also come in Circle Row Counters if you’re working in the round and prefer that option.

It can be time consuming and frustrating to have to re-count rows over and over again as you knit. Here are 3 easy ways to keep track of you row or round count in knitting. (The best part: none of these involve post-its or tally marks.)

Video Tutorial

As promised, here’s a quick video overview of each method discussed (about 5 minutes total) to help explain them.

It can be time consuming and frustrating to have to re-count rows over and over again as you knit. Here are 3 easy ways to keep track of you row or round count in knitting. (The best part: none of these involve post-its or tally marks.)

Notions were provided by the companies mentioned. Opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links, see site policies.

Filed Under: Knit Along, Knitting Tagged With: how to count knitting rows, kal, knitting with black yarn, knitting with dark yarn, row counting, spiral hill sweater vest, spiral hill sweater vest knit along, stockinette stitch

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad (she/her) is a craft book author & designer specializing in yarn crafts. Her work combines vintage and modern design elements, prioritizing color and graphic motifs. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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Comments

  1. Barb Hill

    October 25, 2023 at 6:01 pm

    I don’t know how I managed knitting before I got row counter ring! I love it, I’ve given it as a gift and sung its praises, happy to see you post about it.

    Reply
    • Heidi

      October 26, 2023 at 9:30 am

      They so useful! I’ve also been known to use mine as a fidget ring at my desk while working. 😆

      Reply
  2. EtonHouse

    November 2, 2023 at 2:02 am

    I love it! Thankyou for sharing

    Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), and I’ve been helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010. I got my start here, as a blogger, and since then I’ve shared more than a few tutorials here and on YouTube as I’ve grown as a pattern designer. 🧶 

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Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts

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Knitting & yarn crafts designer 🧶
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Stay up-to-date 💌 & shop new patterns ⤵️

POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern fits with no ease vs. 4” of positive ease. There’s a bit more length to the cotton (brighter color) sample, but both are cropped and feature shoulder seams designed to sit an inch back onto the shoulder instead of on top, giving it a little swing. Length is easily adjustable for folks looking for less of a crop. 
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Pattern: Bevelled Tank by @handsoccupied for @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn summer 2024. Available for free from Hobbii at the 🔗 in my profile.
Yarn pictured: @kelbournewoolens Skipper and Camper. 
Dress form is adjusted to a 36” chest and ~5’3”ish in height. 
Human has a 40” chest and is 5’5”.
Both skirts are vintage.
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #handsoccupied #intarsia #handmade #knitting #colorwork
Let’s talk about fit and ease! . During the Beve Let’s talk about fit and ease!
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During the Bevelled Tank design process for @pompommag, I knit 2 samples using 2 different @KelbourneWoolens yarns. One was in Skipper (100% cotton, second photo) and the other was in Camper (100% 2 ply wool). The Skipper sample was knit for a 36” bust, which measures in at 40” with 4” of positive ease. And I knit the Camper Sample for my 40” bust with a 44” finished measurement. (BTW, I’m 5’5” for folks that find that measurement helpful in visualizing fit.)
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Based on the size chart for the Bevelled Tank, that means I knit one size 3 sample and one size 4. As designed, I conveniently fit a size 4 as intended with 4” of positive ease. When I wear the 3, there is no ease at all because the garment and my body are both 40” in size. Comparing the 2 garments, you can see how the fiber content (cotton vs. wool) and fit (no ease vs. 4” of positive ease) makes a difference in the look and feel of the finished garment. 
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These samples are a great way to compare what ease looks like on different bodies. While I can fit both a size 3 and 4, the garment with no ease feels more like pajamas or a bralette when I wear it. On the other hand, when I wear the one with 4” of positive ease, I feel comfortable enough to wear it to work, even as a crop top. Plus, it leaves me with enough room to layer it with a nice button down if I’m not feeling the cropped look one day. 
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I’m curious - how would you style this tank? Would you modify it with a few stockinette rows for added length? I’m so curious now that this pattern is finally out in the world. :) 
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #bevelledtank #handsoccupied #knitting #intarisa #handmade #kelbournewoolens #croppedsweater #summerknits
After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m ba After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m back with a brand new pattern in 9 sizes, and it’s FREE as part of @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn’s summer design collection! (Link is in my bio.)
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In my December newsletter, I announced that I was soliciting test knitters for a pattern that had originally been selected for the summer ’24 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly magazine. However, the magazine ceased publication after its spring ’24 issue, leaving in-progress designs unpublished. (It happens.) As a result, I’d begun the long process of editing, testing, and photographing the pattern for independent release through the Hands Occupied pattern shop and Ravelry.
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Before I was done with that process, Pom Pom Quarterly’s former editors reached out with an exciting proposal for the pattern. Post-magazine, they’ve begun to partner with yarn companies to produce high quality pattern collections. They wanted to include designs from the would-be current issue of Pom Pom Quarterly in a new collection for Hobbii yarn, including my Bevelled Tank. I worked with the same technical editors I would have for the magazine on this one, and as you can see from the photos, Pom Pom’s team did an amazing job of styling the garment to the beautiful standards they’re known for.
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You can learn more about the pattern on my blog and get the free pattern from Hobbii yarn - links to both in my profile. I’ll post sizing info in the comments for quick reference too. 🧶
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #knitting #intarsia #sponsored #colorworkknitting 
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Photos: @dianascarrunz 
Model: @angel.jade_
Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vi Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vintage knitting pattern from 1938 called the Fernlace Pullover. A pattern so nice, I knit it twice.
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Yellow version 💛: knit with Despondent Dyes’ Vintage Vixen Sport after attending a @squidneyknits vintage knitting retreat in 2019 & learning *so much*. Paired with a self-drafted circle skirt pattern. 
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Blue version 💙: knit with @eweeweyarns Ewe So Sporty in Sky Blue. Paired with the 1940s Boardwalk Duet sewing pattern from @decades_of_style 
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Head to my stories for 🔗🔗 to the handmade wardrobe blog posts I wrote about each take on the Fernlace Pullover, working with a vintage pattern, where to find vintage patterns (including the one I used), & some thoughts on sizing. 
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Image descriptions available in alt text. 
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#handsoccupied #handmadewardrobe #fernlacepullover #vintageknitting #vintageknittingpatterns #knitting_inspiration
Frogging is a word in the knitting world that mean Frogging is a word in the knitting world that means to rip out your knitting. It’s called frogging because frogs say “ribbit,” and when you’re tearing out your knitting, you will “rip it” out, and that sounds like ribbit. No really. 🐸 Did you know this fun fact? 
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P.S. I did like this design concept, but to make the pattern more knitter friendly as well as more wearable, I am making some tweaks to the construction. Excited to share when it’s ready! 🥰🧶
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Yarn: @blueskyfibers Woolstok North in Morning Frost & Highland Fleece 
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#handsoccupied #knitting #frogging #blueskyfibers #knittersofinstagram #blueskymakers #knittingvocabulary #bsfmakers #knitdesign
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