Counting stitches in a long cast-on
Counting 180 cast-on stitches in one go invites a slip. Place a stitch marker every 20 or 25 stitches as you go. If the total comes out wrong, you only recount back to the last marker. Take the markers off as you work the first row, unless the pattern uses them for something else.
Checking a stitch total after shaping
When a pattern prints a number in brackets at the end of a row, like "(48 sts)", that is the total you should have once the row is done. Count it before you start the next row. A missing stitch is easier to find one row later than ten.
If the pattern only says "increase 8 stitches evenly across", the increase and decrease calculator writes that row out for your stitch count.
When a tap counter helps with stitches
A counter is useful for stitches when you repeat something across a row and need to know how many times: pattern repeats, increases on a yoke, or the stitches between two markers on a chart row. For a single total, counting in groups along the needle is usually faster than tapping each stitch.
How to use a stitch counter or row counter
The counter can be a ring or dial you turn by hand, a clicker, or a counter app. The habit is the same for all of them: change the number once, at the same moment, every time. For rows, that moment is after the last stitch of the row, before you turn the work. Then the number always means rows finished, and you never wonder whether you already counted the one in your hands.
For stitches, set the counter to zero at the start of the row and tap after each repeat or each marker, not after every stitch.
Rows are where a counter earns its place
Rows are what you lose track of between sessions. A row counter keeps the number while the work sits in a bag for a week. Count rows you have finished, and keep a second count for a repeat that restarts every few rows, so a 6-row lace repeat and the total for the sleeve each have their own number.
The online row counter does this in your browser, with one repeat length and a note. In the Rowloft app, each project has a main row counter and up to two extra counters. Name one "Stitches" or "Repeats" and it counts in that unit; a linked counter steps forward on its own every set number of rows.
Keep the pattern beside the count
Most counting mistakes happen when you look away from the pattern to find the number, or away from the number to find your line. Rowloft puts the PDF or a photo of the chart on the same screen as the counter. A bar marks your row, and for tapestry and C2C charts a second line marks the column.
Everything stays on your phone. There is no account to make.