I am trying a knitty.com falling leaf lace scarf. It has a 10 row repeat (slightly complex) pattern. I have written out the rows on 3 x 5 cards as someone recommended, but now is there a trick to remembering which stitch your working within that row??? Just thought I’d ask, since everyone here has such great ideas! Thank you.
Knitnight
I use stitch markers that go over the needle. You can buy them or make them. I also use a lifeline for complex patterns, which is threading a fingerweight or laceweight yarn through the loops while on the knitting needles. Then if you make a mistake you can take your project off the needles, frog (rip back) to the lifeline row and reinsert the knitting needle. You’ll need a tapestry needle. Some people use dental floss, etc. For stitch markers - some make them from embroidery floss and make a tiny circle which slides onto the needle. Any tricks that help are a good thing …
Look at your knitting as you make each stitch, yo and decrease. Eventually you’ll be able to recognize what you’re doing as you go. It may take a while, but you’ll be grateful that you paid attention to the knitting itself as well as the written pattern. It will come in handy for every project.
I have not tried the lifeline, but I might have to do that. Ingrid, you are right about watching the stitches…I’m fairly good at “knitting backwards”!!! I have frogged this thing about 20 times and was just trying for new ideas. Thank you!
Knitnite
When I first started knitting lace and had a hard time keeping my
place horizontally in the pattern. I took a pen and drew a vertical
line every 5 stitches or so and then numbered the sections so that
I could keep track. For example (made up pattern):
K2, yo, k2tog, yo k1 | yo, ssk, yo, k3 | k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk
…Section 1…Section 2…Section 3…
Then I could do the stiches in section 1 make sure they were right and
then move on to section 2 and section 3. It is a bit of work but it
worked for me!
Libbie 
If you can, don’t stop until you get to the end of the row.
As life often interfers with knitting time, that may not always be possible. If you’ve got a stitch marker every 10 stitches to mark the repeats, make sure you always stop 1-2 stitches before or after a marker. You don’t want to stop ‘at’ a marker - it’ll just fall off when you’re not looking. But close to the marker, it will only take a fraction of a second to see where you are in the 10-stitch repeat.
I use a large post-it note, place it under the line of the pattern I’m working on. As I complete each line, I check it off and then move the note, keeping a tally on the note as well. I make it a rule to try and complete a section before I put it down for boiling rice, cat disasters, husband demands, granddaughter attention or other interruptions. When this isn’t possible, the suggestion to recognize stitches kicks in and works. As stated, lifelines are also lifesavers and will quite possibly help you avoid going bald! LOL!
This sounds like the best answer for me. I have written 10 rows of instructions onto the 3 x 5 cards, now if I underline “sections” as Gargoylelib recommended… I think I can do it!!! Thank you!!
I don’t understand the “lifeline” thing…
Can someone explain that a little better?
KH has tons of videos to help with all sorts of projects. Click on this link then scroll down to “Fixing Mistakes” and there’s a video for the lifeline. http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/knitting-tips
Hope this helps!