Stitches
Stitches are the individual loops of yarn that make up the knitted fabric and hang on your needles. The number of stitches is counted horizontally.
Explanation
Stitches are the basic building blocks of knitting – the small loops of yarn that hang on the needles. When you knit, you create new stitches by pulling the yarn through existing ones. The number of stitches determines the width of the knitting. Patterns often state 'cast on 80 stitches', meaning you should create 80 loops on the needle before you start knitting.