If you keep getting a different number every time you count, pause and decide exactly what belongs in the total. A live loop, a turning chain and a joining slip stitch can all look like candidates, but they do not automatically count as completed pattern stitches.
Start with the pattern’s rules, then find a consistent place to look. For many basic stitches, the top edge is easier to count than the texture on the front.
Find the row of Vs
Each ordinary completed stitch has a top that looks like a V. Count each V once, following the working edge from the first counted stitch to the last. The loop sitting on the hook is still active and does not add another completed stitch.
Special stitches can change what the count represents. A cluster may be counted as one unit even though several partial stitches form it. Read the pattern’s stated count and definitions rather than counting every visible strand.
Settle the turning-chain rule
Some patterns count a turning chain as the first stitch; others do not. If it counts, include it in the total and follow the corresponding edge placement on the next row. If it does not count, leave it out and identify the first actual stitch beside it.
Put a marker in the first counted stitch immediately after making it. With a counted chain-three, the marker belongs in its top. With a non-counting chain-one, it belongs in the actual stitch that follows.
Use both edge markers for a rectangle
A second marker in the last stitch makes the row boundaries clear. Work into both marked edge stitches on the next row, then move the markers into the new edges. This is particularly useful when the last stitch leans around the side.
If a row should have twelve stitches, count twelve before turning. Finding eleven now points to this row. Finding a narrow edge after ten more rows gives you a much larger area to inspect.
Counting rows from the fabric
Lay the sample flat and look for repeated horizontal bands or stitch posts. Examine both faces: one may show the structure more clearly. Compare a known small section first, such as three rows you counted while making them.
Do not assume every ridge equals one row. In some textures, a ridge represents a pair of rows or a feature created by loop placement. When the fabric is hard to read, a row counter or written tally made during the work is more reliable than a guess afterward.
Counting a spiral
Place a marker in the first stitch of a continuous round. Work until you reach it again, then move it into the first stitch of the next round. Without a marker, a spiral has no obvious joined seam to announce the boundary.
If you remove the marker temporarily, record the position before continuing. A loose tail at the center can suggest where the project began, but it is not a precise substitute for marking every current round.
Counting joined rounds
Identify the first counted stitch, the last stitch and the joining slip stitch separately. Unless the pattern says otherwise, do not make the join an extra stitch merely because it has a visible loop.
Check the total before joining when possible. A marker in the first stitch helps you return to the correct point without joining into the setup chain by mistake.
Count repeats as well as individual stitches
On a long row, mark manageable groups. If the design repeats every six stitches, verify each six-stitch section and then count the completed repeats. Keep any edge stitches outside that repeat in a separate note.
For a granny square, count groups and corners before counting every double crochet. Four correct corners with a missing side group point to a different fix from an entire missed corner. Choose the count that makes the structure easiest to inspect.
Keep learning
Understand pattern counts · Check shaping totals · Count groups in a square