Never Lose Your Row: Counting for Knitting & Crochet
Every knitter knows the ritual: holding the work up to the light, recounting rows for the third time, because somewhere between the phone ringing and the cat intervening, the count evaporated.
Row counting is the perfect tally job — sequential, interruption-prone, and disastrous to get wrong on a 4-row lace repeat.
What knitters actually need to count
It’s rarely just one number:
- Total rows in the piece (for matching a second sleeve to the first)
- Position within a pattern repeat (row 3 of 8, again and again)
- Increase/decrease events (“every 6th row, 12 times”)
- Rows per project — because nobody knits one project at a time
Why an app beats the barrel counter
Mechanical barrel counters hold one number, get bumped in project bags, and can’t tell you which project or repeat they were tracking. An app keeps a named counter per project and per repeat, survives being ignored for a month, and never rolls over in your bag.
The multi-counter approach maps perfectly: “Sweater — total rows” and “Sweater — repeat row” live side by side, and a goal (say, 64 rows to the armhole) shows exactly how far you’ve got to go.
Track your project with Tally Counter
- Create counters per project“Total rows” plus a “Repeat” counter for the pattern section you’re in; set the row goal from your pattern.
- Tap at the end of every rowOne tap and your place is saved — even if the project hibernates until next season.
- Reset the repeat counter each cycleWhen the 8-row repeat completes, reset it and keep going; the total keeps climbing.
- Match pieces perfectlySleeve two gets knitted to exactly the same count as sleeve one — no more holding pieces up to the window.
Knit through interruptions without fear. Get Tally Counter and let your phone hold the count.
Get Tally Counter: Clicker & Track
One-tap counting with goals, stats and charts. Download now on the App Store.
