Ripple afghan pattern help

[TexasMama]

Hey, all. I'm new to the forums. I found this 'cause I'm trying to find someplace that might be able to help me with reading a pattern I'm having a bit of trouble deciphering. I usually don't have issue with patterns but it's been so long since I used one and I've never done a ripple afghan before. I usually just do "straight" or granny square ones. Anyway, I've got this ripple afghan I'm going to make for my little girl's toddler bed for when it's time to move her from her crib. Just a little something special for her. But for the life of me I can't figure out what this pattern is asking me to do!

 

Also, the pattern is written in US terminology, not the international if that makes any difference at all. 

 

 

 

So, first, I'm not sure how to create a gauge swatch on this one. That's the first issue. I can't figure out if my hook size is correct because of this. So I'm probably using the wrong hook to obtain my correct gauge. 

 

Next, in row one, at the beginning it says to dc in next ch, ch1, skip next ch twice, then dc, ch1 4 times in next chain. Do I skip a stitch before working 4 dc into the single space? I can't figure that out. And in row two (which is as far as I've ever gotten, I simply can't figure out what spaces it's telling me to work. So...basically, this entire pattern is completely hurting my head. I don't know why it just doesn't feel as clear as I think it could be. Or it's just been that long since I've seen a pattern that isn't just repetition row after row or round after round. So, thanks in advance for helping if you can. I know it's a lot to ask, I'd just really like to figure this pattern out instead of finding a different one. 

[Granny Square]

Hello and welcome to the 'ville!  Just to let you know, you've violated a bit of copyright law (and this forum's guidelines) by your photos of the pattern, so it would be a good idea to remove them.  It's OK to type in a line or 2 of a pattern you're stuck on, just not OK to scan or photograph pictures or whole pages you don't have the right to.  We don't want to get the forum owners into legal trouble.

 

OK, generically speaking: a ripple is a valley, a hillside going up, a hilltop, and a hillside going down.  Each hillside has the same number of stitches, and the increases in the hilltops cancel out the decreases in the valley.  This is the 'repeat' the gauge swatch is speaking of, and helps you picture what you are doing, since the hills and valleys take a couple of rows before they become really obvious. 

 

The pattern starts with an uphillside, then a hilltop's increases (dc, ch1 4 times into 1 stitch), a downhillside, and a valley (the DC 2 Together with 4 skipped chains between).  That's your pattern repeat, and the unit the gauge was having you measure widthwise.  

 

Two thoughts:  first, when a pattern tells me to chain anything over 100, I count to the needed number and add a few more chains.  I hate coming to the end of a chain and find I've short counted by mistake, and you can pick out the extra chains and weave in the end (it won't unravel from that end).  Second, it's often easy to miscount on ripples (one hillside gets longer than the others, so the hills tilt), so you might want to mark the center of your hilltops; since the valleys have a gap, that's probably a sufficient 'mark'.

 

Pretty, lacy pattern - have fun!