Adjusting a blanket pattern

[Elorahd]

I'm wanting to make this ripple blanket but I know I'm going to want to make it bigger than the pattern but they're not giving me a ratio to work with for the beginning chain (like multiples if 4 plus 2). Anyone know how to figure this out with the info I'm given?

 

http://www.lionbrand.com//patterns/L0092AD.html?iP=2&p=2&ss=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lionbrand.com%2Fcgi-bin%2FpatternFinder.fcgi%3Fsearch%3D1

[RoseRed]

Make the chain about a foot longer than you want and crochet the repeats until it's as wide as you want.  When you're happy with the width - undo the excess chains.

[magiccrochetfan]

I agree with Rose, you can just make a longer chain to start and work across it til it is the width you want.   But with a ripple it can be hard to estimate the width because the ripple effect takes up some of the width of the chain, but the ripples don't form until you are a few rows into it.  So it will be good to swatch first and make sure you know how wide each of *your* ripples is going to be.  

 

I'm gonna do another post on how to determine the multiple but it may take me a while.  

[HerterCrochetDesigns]

Yup, I agree with making a swatch first. For a blanket, I would not just chain a number of stitches without knowing how big it was going to be first. It's a lot of yarn and time invested in a blanket, so you want it to come out perfect.

 

First make a swatch, and then sues the swatch to see how large the ripples are, AND to figure out how many stitches per pattern repeat (basically figure out that ratio that they left off in the beginning.)

 

After you have your numbers, figure out how many pattern repeats to get the length you want, and then chain the number of stitches accordingly.

[Elorahd]

Well, I guess that's why I posed my question here. I've always been terrible at making swatches - the math never seems to come out the same for the full project. I was hoping someone knew how to figure out the math with the given info or was familiar with the ripple pattern.

[magiccrochetfan]

Basically you just have to count the sts.

 

the patt says--

Dc in 4th ch from hook,  so that is your 3 turning chains (counts as a dc)  and 1 dc which uses 1 ch.  Let's call this the Beginning.

 

 

 

*dc in next 4 ch,   this uses 4 ch.  Asterisk indicates beginning of the part you repeat across the row, This is called the Multiple.  

 

dc3tog, uses 3 ch

 

dc in next 4 ch, uses 4 ch

 

3 dc in next ch  uses 1 ch

 

; rep from * 4 more times    So this is the end of the multiple, the st patt you repeat across the row.   

 

 

 

 

Then after you've done the above , from the first asterisk, as many times as you want, you finish the row by doing the End:

 

dc in next 4 ch   Uses 4 ch

 

 dc3tog   Uses 3 ch

 

dc in next 4 ch  Uses 4 ch

 

2 dc in last ch   Uses 1 ch

 

 

 

 

So now, add up the chains  used in each section: the Beginning, the Multiple, and the End.    Then what you want to do is decide how many of the Multiple you want to have.   Multiply the # of chains used in the Multiple by the # of ripples you want.   Add that  to the # of chains needed for the Beginning and the End.  Now you know   how many chains to make.

 

And its always a good idea to make extra chains in case you miscount somewhere.  

[Elorahd]

Ok, so would that basically come out to multiples of 8 plus 13?

[magiccrochetfan]

How did you arrive at those numbers?

Not being snarky but just trying to help you learn to do this for yourself.  

[Elorahd]

Basically, if I read the breakdown right, there's one stitch in the beginning, eight for the ripple repeat, and twelve stitches at the end. So I figure out how many repeats I want (multiple of eight) then add beginning and ending stitches together (plus thirteen).

[Granny Square]

I'm counting up Kathy's description as...

 

The beginning is 2 stitches, but will use up 4 of the foundation chains--1 chain is used for a 'real' dc, the other 3 'stand in for' a DC.  So, there are 2 more chains than stitches (which is how DC works, always chain 2 more than the end # of stitches you want)

 

The middle is 12 (4+3+4+1)

 

The end is the same as the middle: 12 (4+3+4+1)

 

I would chain a multiple of 12, plus 4.   Plus a few more chains just in case...

 

Re: the need for swatching, this blanket uses bulky yarn and a very large N hook.  Bulky yarns vary a lot by size, and so do individual tensions, so it is a good idea to make a swatch of at least 1 ripple, 2 would be better.  This will help you determine how many middles to repeat to get the size you want, with your tension.

[Elorahd]

Ok, that makes more sense. I missed a 4 ch in the middle. And I've never really understood counting a stitch for a dc you didn't actually do, so thanks for clarifying that. Thanks for your help, everybody. I'm gonna give this a shot!

[magiccrochetfan]

Elorahd, I apologize for not posting last night!  there was a glitch and i couldn't get on the site.  Thanks to Amy I am now again able to access the site.

 

I had an answer all typed out but GrannySquare's answer is better, so that actually worked out well ;-)   Esp her explanation of the turning ch and the st count there.  

 

Just remember that often the Beginning and the End will both be different than the Multiple, and be sure you account for each part.