Do you [U]ever [/U]count your cast on row as a row?
I never have ever but I’ve heard that, sometimes, a pattern calls it a first row. I’ve never come across that personally.
I ususally do count it as a row.
But typically the pattern will give you hints if you need to count it or not.
And there are times where I have found that I have to do opposite from the pattern and not count it because of my method of cast on.
I use Long-tail cast on. I’ve noticed some of the patterns assume you do the simple loop cast on.
If the pattern tells you, look carefully to see what the wrong and right sides are of the pattern and compare it to your cast on.
If the pattern doesn’t tell you, it likely doesn’t matter.
I don’t use long tail so that was a good point to make songbirdy.
I use longtail as a CO most of the time and never count it as a row. People say that it `makes your first row’, but it actually isn’t the same size as knitting a row. Most patterns don’t consider it the first row.
Good comment Sue. I’ve never encountered a pattern that advised it was, and, as you say, it’s not the same structure etc. However, given I’ve never knitted a sweater etc I then felt unsure after seeing songbirdys comment.
Must be confusing to new knitters sometimes reading the shades of opiion! 
:lol: See and I have never had an issue with it being smaller.
My Long tail cast on looks and stretches the same as the rest of my kniting. But I’ve been doing that cast on exclusively since for ever. And I have to say, it wasn’t always that way.
:lol: There is no rule, is there!
I’m doing a Patons Cable pattern right now and it did make a difference as to counting the first row. When I have the time I’ll take a pic of my WIP and show!
:woohoo:That would be good if you can show why it mattered 
[FONT=‘Times New Roman’]If your using a counter the cast on row will automatically not be counted since you will start to count after you finish the first row if knitting. If you forget to count a row on the counter and go back, and count your rows visually, you will probably count that cast on row if your are at the start of your piece. However, I have noticed that when I do forget to move the counter or lose count they only difference is that the first section of pattern looks shorther than the remaining sections. Therefore, it will not make that big of a difference since it is the beginning of your piece and only they greatest of knitters will be able to tell that you have made such a tiny diversion from the pattern.[/FONT]
I don’t because usually the patterns I’m working with have to cast on x number of stitches, then starts the instructions with “Row 1”.
I don’t know if there are patterns that count the cast on as a row - if there are, I’ve never run into one.:shrug:
great question! when I started knittingI asked the same one…I don’t count it, but one of the most common sense answers that I got from another experienced knitter was, "just be consistant in what you decide to do----if you count it then always count it. if you don’t then always start with the next row"
the ‘be consistant’ message as bailed me out many times!
welcome to knitting!