Keep a tally on paper the old-fashioned way.
If you don't want a gadget, just keep a piece of paper and a pencil nearby. Make a mark (like a vertical line) every time you finish a row. After fifteen marks, you know you've done fifteen rows.
Place stitch markers every ten rows.
For large projects, you may not want to click or write after every row. Instead, add a removable stitch marker to the edge of your knitting every time you finish ten rows. Then you can count rows by tens: seven markers mean at least seventy rows, plus whatever rows you've made since the last marker.
A few extra reminders
- The cast-on row never counts toward your row total.
- Basic knit stitches are Vs; garter stitch bumps are upside-down Us.
- For cables, count the ladders above the cross-hole, then subtract one.
- Use a needle tip, a counter, an app, paper tally, or stitch markers - pick what feels easiest for you.
With practice, counting rows will become fast and natural. And you'll never again wonder, "Did I already count that one?"