In flat peyote stitch, the beads are offset by one half bead from column to column. Sometimes a pattern or tutorial asks you to stitch a specified number of rows, or to weave through the beadwork and bring your needle out at a particular row.
To count rows, begin at the bottom right corner of the beadwork. Look at the bottom beads in the first two vertical columns. Beginning with whichever of those beads is lowest, count the beads by zig-zagging back and forth between those two columns, as shown above. When rows are numbered on a pattern chart, the numerals are usually printed just to one side of the pattern in the same zig-zag configuration.
Tip: Pointing to each bead with the end of a beading needle or beading awl can help you keep your place while counting.
For help counting peyote columns, see the next page.
Peyote Rows in Beading Pattern Software
Be aware that peyote rows may be counted differently in beading pattern software, such as BeadTool. In that case, the number shown for "rows" may be the number of beads in the longest outermost column. In order to count the true number of rows in a pattern, use the technique shown above on this page.