My Bixi is starting to look like something.

It's starting to look like something!

See? The potential is there for a monster.

I’m on row 24 of the body. Just a few more rows and I can attach all the appendages.

You’ll notice that I’m missing a mouth. I didn’t have any black yarn when I started crocheting. How wild is that? Black and white yarns should be a staple of any stuffy making stash.

What colors are staples in your stash?

Don’t worry. I have both colors now and a mouth will be made in short order.

My bag of stuffing has also been located. Really, I should have wrangled all these supplies before I chained my first stitch. But who has time to be that organized?

Counting Rows

How do you count your rows when you crochet?

When I knit I use either a plastic row counter that dangles from my needles or I use an app on my phone. It kind of depends on the project.

If I’m working on a flat crochet project I just count the rows since they are usually so clearly defined. I suppose one of the counters I use for knitting would work in that situation, but it doesn’t usually occur to me.

When I crochet in the round counting rows is a much more hands on process. I find that crocheting in the round usually creates such a seamless spiral that I loose my place if I just try to count without a visual marker.

That can be especially tricky when working increases. If I loose track of the beginning of a round my project could end up misshapen!

Contrasting yarn is a great way to keep track of your rows.

I like to use a piece of contrasting color yarn to track my rows when crocheting in the round.

At the beginning of a row, before I work the first stitch, I lay the tracking yarn across the top of the project from back (outside) to front (inside). I work the first stitch over the top of the tracking yarn. Then I flip the tracking yarn back across the project to the outside around the stitch I’ve just made. Then I work the next stitch across the tracking yarn, which traps in in position.

All I have to do is count the bumps when I want to see how far I’ve gone.

You’ll notice in the picture I’d started the process with a piece of green ribbon. Not very smart since it doesn’t stand out from the green yarn very well! Fortunately the ribbon was short and I was forced to change. That happened at a good breaking point, actually, because it was on the row after all the increases where I was working even for a stretch.

Since my tracking yarn is not permanently attached I’ll be able to just tug it out when I no longer need it and return it to my notions box for the next project.

What tips do you have for keep your place in a project?