Put it down.
Know where to restart.

Write “completed” and “next” separately

Use a scrap of paper, a note, a spreadsheet or a counter you already like. Record these facts together:

1. Overall rows fully completed: the count since your chosen starting point. A half-worked row is not a completed row.
2. Next row to work: the next overall row, plus its position inside the current repeat.
3. Pattern location: the section, printed row label and PDF page. These locate the instructions; they are not necessarily your overall row count.
4. Mid-row details, if needed: what you actually finished, a stitch marker reference, and the next instruction. Do not turn a vague stitch count into a confident restart.

Keep the designer’s numbering intact. A foundation chain, a setup instruction and a turning chain are counted according to that pattern, not automatically treated as extra rows. Similarly, a printed instruction may cover several rows, while one row may contain many stitch repeats.

Two setup rows, then a four-row repeat

For this counting example only, define two setup rows followed by a block of four worked rows. We count fully completed rows from zero before setup. The block is worked four times in total, then the repeat section ends. There are no stitch instructions here and no pattern prose is being interpreted.

Scroll the table sideways on a narrow screen, or print this page using your browser.

At seven completed rows, two were setup and five belong to the repeating section. One whole four-row block and the first row of the second block are done. Your checkpoint is therefore: seven completed; next overall row eight; repeat two, row two of four.

Within this repeat section only:
Repeated rows completed = overall completed − setup rows
Next repeat number = whole completed blocks + 1
Next row within block = leftover completed rows + 1

For seven completed rows: 7 − 2 = 5; five contains one whole block of four, with one row left over. So the next position is repeat 2, row 2. Apply this only after setup and before the finite repeat section has ended.

“Four repetitions in total” is not the same as “repeat four more times” after an initial block. The latter could mean five total blocks. Follow the exact instruction and write the intended total on your checkpoint.

Check the places where counters go wrong

• An accidental extra tap: undoing completed count 6 back to 5 changes the next position from repeat 2 / row 1 to repeat 1 / row 4. Check both the total and the repeat position at a boundary.
• Stopping mid-row: leave the fully completed count at its previous value. Add a partial-row note and a physical marker when useful. A counter cannot reconstruct stitches you did not record.
• Undo versus unravelling: correcting a mistaken tap does not undo physical work. If you unravel a row, reconcile the fabric with the recorded completed count before continuing.
• A new section: record the section change explicitly. A border, shaping section or second panel may use a different repeat and a different starting point.
• A PDF reading band: mark the instruction you need next, not merely the last line on screen. Keep the page and section alongside the row count.

If the count and your fabric disagree, stop and inspect the pattern, markers and actual stitches. Do not use this arithmetic to guess a stitch, sizing or shaping decision.

Leave yourself a restart checkpoint

Copy this into your own note. It works without an app, account or email address. Keep any private or purchased pattern file for your own permitted use.

Project / pattern reference:
Section / panel:
PDF page and printed instruction label:
Pattern terminology / special key:

Counting starts at:
Setup rows before this repeat:
Rows in one repeat block:
Number of repetitions IN TOTAL / stopping instruction:

Overall rows FULLY COMPLETED:
NEXT overall row:
NEXT repeat number and row inside it:
Partial-row progress / marker reference:
Next instruction to work:

Hook / needle size, yarn and colour in use:
Last checked against the actual fabric:

A quick photo can help you recognise a project later, but does not establish an exact count. The clearest note answers one question: “What do I do next?”

Read the pattern’s own key

The Craft Yarn Council’s guide to reading crochet patterns explains instruction symbols and repeats within a row. Its abbreviation reference also distinguishes U.S. and U.K. terms. Check the designer’s own key, especially for special stitches. This worksheet tracks progress; it is not a replacement for the pattern or a teaching guide.