Knitting tips – never counting higher than 10

     Crocheters sometimes say they prefer crocheting to knitting because there is too much counting in knitting.  I believe they are just not making use of all the tools that knitting provides. Here I intend to let you in on some tips to how to never have to count higher than 10 when you are knitting. In addition, these tips will help you feel more relaxed while knitting and offload much of the brain power required, which will help knitting become more relaxing and fun for you!
    To start, you should never have to count higher than 10 when casting on. When I cast on, I place a stitch marker every 10 sts. That way when I have to cast on 100 or so sts for a large hat for example, I place a marker after every 10 sts cast on, and then I just have to count 10 of those sections of 10 sts. Then on your first row/round, you can remove the markers.
    Next make sure you are making use of your row counter. Depending on what you are knitting, and what the pattern is, you may use your row counter in different ways. You may even need to use more than one row counter on a project! I do this when there are two different things going on, for example, a pattern that repeats every 6 rounds, and a decrease that happens every 4.  Yes, you have to remember to click your row counter every row, but this will otherwise keep you oriented in where you are in your work. This is especially helpful for when you set your work down and pick it up later. My rule of thumb is, I set my row counter to the number of the row I am working on. That way when I come back to it later, I can see exactly which row in the pattern I am on.
    Back to stitch markers, another great use is to set them around different pattern elements, or between repeats within a row. It depends on the complexity of the pattern you are working, but it would be nice to only have to look back to your last marker rather than the beginning of the row to check your number of stitches in a complex pattern.
     If you have another place in your knitting that you find yourself doing too much counting, let me know and I will help you never count higher than 10 ;)