Counting Rows and Stitches in Knitting

Back when I first started getting into knitting, I had gotten one of the "I taught myself to Knit" kits that Walmart sells for Christmas one year. Included in the kit was a stitch counter, which is now somewhere in my knitting supplies, but I haven't ever tried it yet. Instead, I prefer writing down which row or round I am on. I don't remember why I started doing it this way or why. But it comes in handy, especially if the pattern has sections where you are working the same stitch for multiple rows.

While I typically don't do many patterns that call for needing to use a stitch counter or the paper and pen/pencil method, I currently have two patterns in progress that have sections that I need to keep track of which row I am on since I am slowly working on them. The first pattern is a shawl pattern from Darn Good Yarn, while I haven't worked on it in a while, I know where I will be in the pattern when I do start working on it again. Because a few years ago I got a notebook and pack of mechanical pencils for keeping track of rows in pattern and I am using it for this pattern. Which is why I am using a pen and sticky note for the second pattern, which is also from Darn Good Yarn.

The sticky note that I am using as a way to keep track of which row I am working on is from a mini booklet that my college was giving away a while back. And the colored tabs come in handy with helping me keep track of which part of the pattern I am working. Since I am making a frog amigurumi, I decided to use a green tab for the pattern. One of these days I might get around to actually using a stitch/row counter, but I don't know how soon that will happen.