slmhugill, if you do stamped stitchery, counted is not so very hard to learn. This should come with instructions that explain what to do, and if you have any trouble, you have a whole board of helpful stitchers here to help you learn!
Most of the really cute patterns nowadays only come in counted. I think it's worth it to learn. I do both, because I like both, and honestly they aren't *that* different.