# How to Count Repeats and Rows at the Same Time

https://rowandround.app/guides/counting-rows/how-to-count-repeats-and-rows-at-the-same-time · Counting rows; published 2026-11-01, updated 2026-11-01 · Kallos Labs

> Keep two numbers: the row you are on inside the repeat, and how many full repeats you have finished. The row goes back to 1 each time the repeat count goes up by 1.

To count repeats and rows at the same time, keep two numbers: the row you are on inside the repeat, and how many full repeats you have finished. When the row reaches the end of the repeat, it goes back to 1 and the repeat count goes up by 1. Crocheters do the same with rounds.

This sits between plain [counting rows](https://rowandround.app/guides/counting-rows) and reading a chart. A running total alone doesn't tell you which row of the pattern comes next, and that is what you need at the needles.

## What is the difference between a stitch repeat and a row repeat?

A stitch repeat runs across the row, and a row repeat runs up the fabric. They are two separate counts, and a pattern can use both at once.

[Tin Can Knits](https://blog.tincanknits.com/2014/06/06/how-to-read-a-knitting-chart/) gives the example of a pattern repeat that is 8 stitches wide and 12 rows tall. Charts mark repeats with heavy lines or boxes, much like the brackets in written instructions. Across a row you work the edge stitches once, then the boxed stitches as many times as they fit.

Up the fabric, you work the chart from row 1 to its top row, then begin again at row 1 if the stitch pattern repeats. The written pattern says how many rows or inches to work. If you want the wording behind this, see [what rep means in a pattern](https://rowandround.app/guides/reading-patterns/what-does-rep-mean-in-a-knitting-pattern).

## How do you count the row and the repeat together?



![Hands crocheting a small white piece with a hook, a ball of white yarn in front.](https://zkszhxwbppkanfjpstvn.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/rowandround-article-images/articles/how-to-count-repeats-and-rows-at-the-same-time/how-to-count-repeats-and-rows-at-the-same-time-inline.webp)

_[Photo by Miriam Alonso on Pexels](https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-person-crocheting-7585546/)_

Write down two numbers and change them in a fixed order: finish the row, add 1 to the row inside the repeat, and when that passes the last row, set it back to 1 and add 1 to the repeat count.

[Toe Hurts](https://www.toehurts.com/blog/tracking-rows-and-repeats-without-losing-your-place/) puts the idea as two questions. A plain count asks how many rows you have worked in total. A repeat-aware count asks how many full repeats you have finished, and where you are inside the current one.

Here is a 12-row repeat:

| Rows worked in total | Repeats finished | Next row in the repeat |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 11 | 0 | 12 |
| 12 | 1 | 1 |
| 30 | 2 | 7 |
| 36 | 3 | 1 |

At 30 rows you have two full repeats (24 rows) plus 6 rows of the third, so row 7 is next. You can work it out from the total at any time: divide by the length of the repeat, the whole number is the repeats finished, and the remainder is the rows done in the current one.

The same idea covers an instruction like "repeat rows 1 to 8 six times". That is 48 rows. The row counter runs 1 to 8, and the repeat counter runs to 6.

## How does it work in a lace pattern?

In lace you count the repeat across the row and the repeat up the fabric, and each has its own rule.

[Lion Brand's Winter Lace](https://www.lionbrand.com/community/blog/knit-this-stitch-winter-lace/) is worked over a multiple of 12 stitches plus 1, so you cast on 13, 25, 37 and so on. The extra 1 is the edge stitch outside the repeat. The row repeat is 20 rows long, with row 2 and all wrong side rows purled, and the pattern says to keep working rows 1 to 20 until you reach the length you want.

A few habits help.

- Place a marker at the start of each stitch repeat so you can check each section as you reach it.
- Check the stitch count after a right side row. If it is off, look at the edge stitches first.
- Move your markers when the pattern says so. Row 19 of Winter Lace tells you to shift markers to the beginning of each repeat.
- When you start the chart again at row 1, remove and re-place the markers, as Tin Can Knits advises.

## What do I do when I lose count?

Trust the knitting over the counter. If the counter and the fabric disagree, the knitting is right.

Lay the piece flat and find the clearest visible repeat boundary near your needles, such as a row where the pattern changes or a colour change. Count forward from that point rather than guessing at a number, as Toe Hurts suggests. If the pattern gives you no clear cue and you cannot rebuild the count, rip back to a point you trust, such as a marker or a colour change.

To avoid it next time, write the row inside the repeat and the repeat count on a note when you put the work down. The guide on [keeping track of rows](https://rowandround.app/guides/counting-rows/how-to-keep-track-of-rows-when-knitting) covers more ways to save your place.

## Try it

You can do all of this with a paper note and a tally. You just fix the count by hand. In Row & Round, [linked counters](https://rowandround.app/features/linked-counters) do the resetting for you: link a repeat counter to a pattern row so that the row goes back to 1 each time the repeat goes up. For "repeat rows 1 to 8 six times", the row counter counts 1 to 8 and the repeat counter counts to 6.

Any counter can be linked to another, links can go several levels deep for repeats inside repeats, and nothing else resets without asking. Linked counters are part of the one-time unlock. Row & Round, by Kallos Labs, is coming soon to iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.

## Bottom line

Keep two numbers: the row inside the repeat, and the repeats finished. Reset the first and raise the second when you reach the end of the repeat, and check your place against the fabric whenever the two disagree.

## Questions

### Do I count the edge stitches as part of the repeat?

No. Work the edge stitches once, then the repeat as many times as it fits. A stitch pattern written as a multiple of 12 plus 1 has one extra stitch outside the repeat.

### Do I reset the row count after each repeat?

Reset the row inside the repeat to 1 and add 1 to the repeat count. If you also want the total rows worked, keep that as a separate note and never reset it.

### What if the pattern says repeat rows 1 to 8 six times?

That is 48 rows. Count rows 1 to 8, add 1 to the repeat count, and start again at row 1 until the repeat count reads 6.

### Does this work for crochet?

Yes. Count rounds instead of rows. The row inside the repeat and the repeat count work the same way.


## Sources

- [Tin Can Knits: Knitting Charts, How To Read A Knitting Chart](https://blog.tincanknits.com/2014/06/06/how-to-read-a-knitting-chart/)
- [Lion Brand: Knit This Stitch, Winter Lace](https://www.lionbrand.com/community/blog/knit-this-stitch-winter-lace/)
- [Toe Hurts: Tracking Rows and Repeats Without Losing Your Place](https://www.toehurts.com/blog/tracking-rows-and-repeats-without-losing-your-place/)