How to Count Amigurumi Stitches and Track Rounds

Find the top of a completed stitch

For ordinary US single crochet, look for the V formed by the two top loops. Count each completed V as one stitch. The working loop sitting on the hook is not another completed stitch. On an increase, two separate V shapes share one base stitch.

A chain, slip stitch or turning chain may or may not count according to the pattern. Read that instruction before counting. Fuzzy yarn can hide the loops, so smooth, light-colored practice yarn is useful while you learn to recognize them.

Move the marker after making the first new stitch

At the start of a continuous round, remove the marker from the old first stitch. Crochet into that stitch as instructed. Place the marker in the first new stitch you make. Continue around until the next available stitch is the marked one.

The marker identifies a stitch, rather than an empty space between stitches. Keep it in place while checking the round. In joined rounds, follow the joining and chain instructions instead; do not automatically apply the continuous-round method to a joined pattern.

Count the completed round once

Begin at the marker and touch each top V in order. Count the marked stitch as one, continue around, and stop immediately before reaching it again. Turn the piece in your hands so hidden stitches are visible; do not stretch the fabric to separate them.

For a longer round, count in groups of five or ten and use temporary markers between groups. Remove those extra markers after checking, leaving the first-stitch marker recognizable. Recount once if interrupted rather than guessing where you stopped.

Check the repeat as well as the final total

Suppose a round begins with 18 stitches and says (2 sc, inc) six times [24]. Each repeat uses three old stitches and makes four new ones. Six repeats therefore use 18 and make 24. The final number is a check, not an additional crochet instruction.

A correct final total does not prove every increase is in the correct place. Two offsetting errors can preserve the count while changing the shape. When shaping looks uneven, compare each repeat with the pattern and check where the shared increase bases occur.

Locate an extra or missing stitch

Check the round start first, then each increase or decrease. Check whether you worked twice into an unintended stitch or missed the second sc of an increase. Also check for a skipped stitch. In joined rounds, do not count the joining slip stitch as an ordinary stitch.

If you can identify the mistake, undo to that point and rework it. If you cannot, undo the affected round and follow each repeat slowly. An arbitrary extra increase may restore the number while leaving the original shaping error in place.

Keep a separate round record

Write the completed round number and its checked stitch count on paper or a counter. For “rounds 4–7: sc around,” record four separate rounds, each with the stated count. Pause at a checked round when stopping; leave a note showing exactly where to resume.