How to Count Stitches in Crochet

How To Count Stitches In Crochet

The most important part of crochet is keeping track of your stitches. Too many or too few stitches can totally ruin your project! Sure, you can go off on an adventure and eyeball your stitch count…but I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re not experimenting!

Make Your Foundation Chain

To create your foundation chain, keep count of your stitches! For this example, I will be making a 10 single crochet foundation chain with a cake of our Worsted Weight Silk Yarn and my 5.5mm crochet hook!

(Pro tip: The darker and thinner the yarn, the harder it is to see those stitches! If you’re a newbie, try some thick and bright yarn to start with!)

Depending on your pattern, your next row may have you create additional chains or skip a stitch or two before you go on to the next row. For this example, I’m going to do a simple single crochet row, which requires me to make 1 extra single crochet, which does not count as a stitch!

On a dark brown table, a golden crochet hook is attached to a chain of blue yarn. White arrows are pointing at the individual chains with white numbers

A stitch will look like this:

A hand is pinching a row of blue single crochets, a white v is laying horizontal to the row, showing the 'v' of the stitches

Like a bunch of little V’s. To make your new stitches, you will push your crochet hook through one or both of the loops that create the V.

Create Your First Row!

After I create that extra chain, I will turn my work, skip that chain, and then single crochet the other 10 stitches.

On a dark wooden table a golden crochet hook is attached to a chain and row of single crochet blue worsted weight yarn.

To repeat the process, I will turn the work, chain 1 and then make 10 more single crochets, again ignoring the extra chain. If I keep doing this, I will eventually have a little single crochet square.

A hand is holding onto the row of single crochet piece made out of blue worsted weight silk yarn.

A small square of single crochets is made out of light blue worsted weight silk yarn, resting on a dark wooden table with a golden crochet hook attached to the project at the top.

Of course, you also have to keep track of your rows. The amount of rows controls the length of your finished project. No one likes a scarf that is too small to tie! You can keep count of your rows by using a stitch counter (I like to find cheap ones on Amazon) or by crossing out the rows on your written out pattern!

I hope this has helped you in your crochet journey!

Learn more about crochet in our private Facebook Group: Official Darn Good Yarn® Crafting Enthusiasts Community

Meet the Author

Kate has been on the Darn Good Yarn team since 2018.

They have their degree in Creative Art Therapy & Psychology - and like crafting and animals a little too much.

You can sign up for our sms text messages by texting LOVE to 65079