Stitch counter

A stitch counter is a counter you press once per stitch, so the number on screen matches how many stitches you've worked. The one above does that: tap the big button for each stitch, and use −1 if you tap by mistake. For a project where you also need to know which row you're on, run a second counter for rows, so stitches and rows each keep their own number.

Stitches or rows: which count do you need?

A row counter and a stitch counter count different things, and they go up at different speeds. Rows go up once per row. Stitches go up once per stitch, many times within a single row.

If you only follow a pattern row by row, a row counter is usually enough. A stitch counter earns its place when you lose track inside a row: a long row, a repeat that's easy to miscount, or a stretch where you keep getting interrupted. For how a plain tap counter behaves, see the click counter page.

How a stitch counter works

Press, and the number goes up by one. When you notice a slip, take one off. When you finish the row, reset to zero and begin again. Physical clickers and phone apps follow the same idea.

What a counter doesn't do is watch your work. It has no idea whether you pressed it for a stitch, a skipped stitch or an accidental tap. That's why the habits below matter more than the tool.

Running two counters per project

1. Name them. "Stitches" and "Rows" are clearer than "Counter 1" and "Counter 2", especially once you have a few projects on the go.
2. Press the stitch counter as you work each stitch. Don't batch it up afterwards from memory.
3. At the end of a row, reset the stitch counter and press the row counter once. Do those two in the same order every time so it becomes automatic.
4. Fix errors straight away. If you pressed twice by accident, press − right then, before you forget.

Say a row has 60 stitches (an example, not a rule). Your stitch counter should read 60 when the row ends. If it reads 58, you know the row is short before you go on to the next one.

Count stitches and rows with Tally Counter on iPhone

Tally Counter lets you keep as many counters as you like, each with its own name. To set up one project:

1. Open the app. On the Counters screen, tap Create Counter (or New Counter if you already have counters).
2. Type a name in the field, for example "Stitches", then tap Create.
3. Do the same for "Rows".
4. Open "Stitches" and tap the large + for each stitch. Your iPhone gives a haptic tap each time, so you can count without looking. The − button takes one off and stops at zero.
5. At the end of the row, tap the reset button. The app asks "Reset this counter to 0?" before it does it.
6. Go back to the list, open "Rows" and tap + once.
7. To rename a counter, open it and tap Edit. To delete one, swipe it in the list.

Counting is free, and the number of counters is unlimited. You can turn haptic feedback off in Settings. Premium adds Insights for each counter: total actions, daily average and peak hour, plus an hour-by-hour chart.

The app doesn't connect your counters to each other, so resetting stitches won't add a row for you. There's no camera or sensor either, and your counts are stored on your iPhone, not synced to other devices.

Which one to use

Use a row counter alone when you only need to know where you are in the pattern. Add a stitch counter when rows are long enough that you lose your place inside them. If you want both, two named counters in Tally Counter keep them side by side in the same list.