We've all done it - got a little too into a project, lost track of our count, and either frogged out a ton of stitches or rolled with it and ended up with a wonky finished piece. I messed up often enough that I made a system to add to my own patterns to help! The good news is, there are ways to avoid it, even if you have ADHD like me (so counting and keeping track is a chore).
The first thing you want to learn is how to count your rows. For amigurimi, "right side" rows have a clear distinction between them, like this:
You can count your rows by starting at your magic ring (or other starting spot) by placing your nail on the outside of that initial circle, and moving it out as you go up or down, moving your finger to keep track.
"Wrong side", however, looks a little different. With "wrong side" out, your ridges aren't neatly going across your piece, they spiral diagonally! Keeping track here is a little different, and I like to use a stitch marker or a piece of yarn in a different color to help. I place the yarn (my usual go-to) under my hook - but over the yarn from the ball - before I go into the last stitch of a round (where I usually mark). When I come around at the end of the next row, my final stitch will be in the same hole that the yarn is in now.
Now initially, I tried to tough it out... mainly because I'm really bad about losing stitch markers to the void. Really, it feels like if I try to lose them one disappears every time I blink. But the thing is, it can take away a ton of the counting. Most of my patterns are done in the round, so each row has six increases, spaced evenly around the row. My count before always had to include what number increase I was on. SC 1, 2, 3, Increase #1, SC 1, 2... all it took was one distraction for me to lose that number! Then I tried adding a stitch marker or a bit of yarn - now, I only have to remember what the instruction for that row is: SC 3, INC. I do that around until my hook goes into the marked stitch, and I know I have done the full amount.
Forget to move your stitch marker? Look at the "wrong side" of your piece - the diagonal lines continue up above each stitch, so the one you'd need to mark will be along that line! It's just getting the trick of it.
The above works for flat hexagons and circles too, but what about everything else? The same trick applies to things like blankets and scarves, but with a little more context to it. When you're working on a flat, square or rectangular object, two things are important - using stitches that take up the space you have and no more/less (remember, we're thinking rectangles here), and getting the ends of your rows right.
First, the stitches. Looking up a stitch bible can help with this - if you have a width of 30 stitches for a patchwork square, for example, you want to think in terms of stitches or stitch combinations that will break down that number evenly, or with spaces that fill it out to be even. So for example, for 30, I can do 10 stitches that take up 3 spaces, 6 stitches that take up 5 spaces (a fan stitch, for example), or 15 stitches that take up 2 spaces, and have it fill out evenly (mostly - there are some exceptions). But say that I want to do some odd combination that takes up 7 spaces, or 4... that's actually not a problem, so long as I plan in advance. The seven spaces could have a simple stitch that fits the height as the stitches on the very end, like single or double crochet. Same thing for 4. The problem to be wary of is wider stitches, like puff stitch - if you do a full row of puff stitch, it will be wider than a row of single crochet would be for example. If it's something like every other row is puff stitch, that should work out, but I have a scarf of shame lying around here somewhere that I did not take this into account on - the center stitches are very tight, while the outer ones are much looser and more relaxed (stitch, not tension). Instead of a nice twisted tube for an infinity scarf, I ended up with a weird hourglass, and I had to start the gift over entirely. My stitch numbers were even, but the size wasn't accounted for, so the lines weren't right.
The second important bit is getting your ends right. In patterns, they will specifically tell you how many to chain (or not) at the beginning of a new row when you turn your work. That is extremely important to follow exactly, but equally important is to make sure you are finishing the previous row in the right stitch. Using stitch markers here to help keep track (I like to add them in an easy multiple to remember if I'm doing a simple stitch, like every 5 stitches) can help a ton, especially on bigger projects, but if you're doing something like the fan stitch I mentioned above, just count across to make sure you are lining up right (barring missing a stitch, of course). If you come up short of finishing the last stitch, you missed one and need to look back (or add a stitch with an increase, but that doesn't always look right). If you have your six fans across for thirty, you're set! I get a little stubborn sometimes about not using stitch markers, so I just try to make sure I slip my hook into the last knot at the end of the last row, even if the stitch I did before that looks correct (because it's usually not).
Seem too obvious? Tell that to the Dr Who scarf I accidentally narrowed ten stitches over 6 color changes. I still have to restart that one, I was so mad. I hope this helps you keep avoid getting lost in your project!
Have questions? Leave a comment, I'm happy to help!
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