Nested Repeat Counter

How Nested Repeat Counter Works?

The Nested Repeat Counter works by tracking an Inner Repeat inside a larger Outer Section. A pattern line such as "[k2, p2] 3 times, k4; repeat 5 times" has an inner repeat of 3 and an outer section of 5.

1. 1

   Count the inner repeat

   Tap the count pad or press Space each time the small repeat finishes. Inner Repeat climbs to the bracket number.

2. 2

   Close the outer section

   Press → when the full outer instruction is done, then press Reset Count to start the inner count again at 0.

3. 3

   Check both levels

   The line is done when Outer Section equals the outer number and Inner Repeat is 0.

4. 4

   Step back

   Press ↓ for an inner repeat counted twice, or ← for an extra outer count.

Nested Repeat Counter Formula

The Nested Repeat Counter formula is stitches in one outer section = (inner length × inner repeats) + plain stitches. Multiply by the outer count for the full line.

Outer section length

O = (i × a) + p

i is stitches in the inner repeat, a is the inner repeat count and p is the plain stitches in the outer section.

Full line length

Line = O × b + edges

b is the outer repeat count.

Position

Pos = (B − 1) × O + A × i

B is the current Outer Section and A is the current Inner Repeat.

Worked example: The line "[k2, p2] 3 times, k4; repeat 5 times" has an outer section of (4 × 3) + 4 = 16 stitches and a full length of 16 × 5 = 80 stitches. Outer section 3, inner repeat 2 sits at stitch 2 × 16 + 2 × 4 = 40.

Nested Repeat Counter Conversion Table

The Nested Repeat Counter conversion table works out the full line length for 6 nested instructions.

Chains count as stitches in the crochet rows shown. Add edge stitches to the full line.

What is Nested Repeat Counter?

A Nested Repeat Counter is a two-level counter for instructions that repeat a small motif inside a larger repeated section. Brackets, asterisks and double asterisks in patterns mark these levels.

Nested lines are easy to misread. Losing the inner count halfway through sends every later stitch out of line, and a repeat 1 off moves the whole motif.

The Stitches Counter tool keeps the inner and outer counts on one screen and saves both after each change.

What are the uses of Nested Repeat Counter?

There are 4 main uses of the Nested Repeat Counter, including lace panels, texture blocks and crochet motifs.

• Lace panels

  Track eyelet groups inside each lace panel repeat.

• Texture blocks

  Count rib groups inside basketweave or checkerboard blocks.

• Crochet motifs

  Count shell or chain groups inside each side of a square.

• Charts with sub-repeats

  Follow charts with a small boxed repeat inside a larger boxed repeat.