Ripple pattern beginner help!

[Muffin183]

Hi, 

I'm a knitter who would love to crochet. I'm expecting a baby next year and would love to crochet a baby blanket. I have all the items I need including a pattern but I'm struggling on how to make it. 

I'm assuming it's an American pattern but it says

 
Notes: 
- dc2tog: *yo, insert hook into next st, yo, pull through once, yo, pull through two loops (two loops remain)* 
- repeat from * to *, yo, pull through remaining three loops. 
- BLO = back loop only 
 
Note: 
Stitch pattern is worked in multiples of 12 (+ 3 for turning chain) 
 
Pattern: 
King Size: Ch 399 sts (includes 3 sts for turning ch) 
Queen Size: Ch 303 sts (includes 3 sts for turning ch) 
Twin Size: Ch 207 sts (includes 3 sts for turning ch) 
Crib Size: Ch 159 sts (includes 3 sts for turning ch) 
 
Row 1: 
- 1 dc in 4th ch from hook 
- *3dc, dc2tog (twice), 3 dc, 2 dc in next in next st (twice)* 
- repeat until 11 stitches remain in this row, 3 DC, dc2tog (twice), 3 DC, 2 DC in last stitch. 

 
Row 2 (work in BLO from this point on): 
- Turn work, ch 3. 
- 1 dc in 4th ch from hook 
- *3dc, dc2tog (twice), 3 dc, 2 dc in next in next st (twice)* 
- repeat until 11 stitches remain in this row, 3 DC, dc2tog (twice), 3 DC, 2 DC in last stitch. 
- change color 
 
Row 3 
- Repeat row 2 from this point on; work 2 rows per color. 

My yarn naturally changes colour so I won't be changing it. 

I just don't know where to start. I've made a granny square 2yrs ago so I've kind of forgotten what to do. 

Any help will be greatly appreciated! 

Thank you in advance. 

[Granny Square]

Hi, and welcome to the 'ville!  

This does appear to be a US termed pattern, the clue is at the beginning where it says, after the chain, to 'DC in the 4th chain from hook'.  If this was in UK terms, it would have said 2nd chain from hook (edited for clarity: assuming that the first stitch was a US SC/UK DC).  Assume you are familiar with the turning chain in crochet?  With US DC it is 3 chains, which is what you get if you make the first stitch into the 4th chain, 3 chains are 'free' and take the place of a DC.  Because the turning chain 'is' a DC, you need to stitch into the top of it when you come to it at the end of the next row.

If you have only ever made a granny square (made center out in rounds with squared corners), first--congratulations, because granny squares confuse a lot of beginners!  But, this ripple is made back and forth of course, and has it's own set of challenges.

The long foundation chain - think of it as the cast on 'into the air' (not a needle), which you didn't really have with the granny square, which starts with a little center circle.  Throwing this out there as a brush up -- you start by putting a slip knot onto your hook, and you will always have (at least) 1 loop on your hook, which doesn't count as a stitch.  Binding off is just cutting the yarn and pulling it thru that last loop, and weaving in the end.

General tip - when a pattern says to chain anything over 100 stitches, I always do count, but throw in a few extra for insurance - just in case I short-counted, I don't have to rip and start over.  You can pick out the extra chains later, crochet won't unravel from the beginning end.

There are 3 ways to work a crochet stitch into a foundation chain.  If you get 3 crocheters in a room, each will probably have a different 'favorite' way to do it.  If you look at a chain, with the chain facing you: Method 1 (my favorite) is to stitch into/under the top loop of the chain only.  This makes a fabric edge that looks like a chain with it's legs crossed, and has the same tension in the fabric.  Method 2 is to stitch into/under the top loop and the loop that is behind the chain, leaving the single bottom loop of the chain as the edge; it also has a neutral tension.  Method 3 is made by flipping the chain over and work into the 'backside bump' of the chain.  This leaves the chain as the edge, which looks nice, but it pulls the fabric tight, which makes it fiddly IMO.  It's recommended to use a larger needle for the chain, and switch to the 'right' one for the project to help with the tension.

OK, row 1 - like knitting patterns, asterisks mean repeats. Parsing row 1, my notes below (not underlined)

1 dc in 4th ch from hook = the loop ON your hook doesn't count, ever.  When you complete this, you will have 3 free chains which stand in for 1 dc, and then a real DC into the 4th chain.

*3dc, dc2tog (twice), 3 dc, 2 dc in next in next st (twice)*

3dc= 1 dc into each of the next 3 dc

dc 2 tog twice= same idea as k2tog twice, so from 4 stitches you end up with 2

2 dc in next in next st (twice)= the closest knit analogy is kfb, sort of,--2 dc into 1 stitch (in the same place as you'd make 1 stitch), twice, so from 2 stitches you end up with 4

repeat until 11 stitches remain in this row, 3 DC, dc2tog (twice), 3 DC, 2 DC in last stitch. = hopefully the underlined part makes sense, the not underlined describes what to do with the last 11 stitches.

Row 2 - hopefully I've given you enough with row 1 to continue with row 2.  The only slightly odd wording was at the beginning --"1 dc in 4th ch from hook ", which is a little inaccurate because row 2 isn't made into the foundation chain, so here the '4th chain' is really the last real stitch you made before chaining 3.  In US dc, if the first stitch in the next row is dc, you'd  turn, chain 3, skip the first stitch you encounter and dc in the second stitch--because the chain 3 'uses up' the first stitch.  If you don't do this, you will be making an inadvertent increase each row.  There are ways to get around this, but what I've just described is the way that 99% of patterns are written.

This site has all sorts of  good stuff for both crochet and knitting - https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/standards -- see the menu on the right side and click on 'crochet patterns -  how to read' for more tips.

Edited October 13 by Granny Square

[Granny Square]

Forgot to add -- ripples are the devil for keeping track of your stitch count.  They are simple patterns, just easy to goof if your mind goes into autopilot.  They are a recipe of x stitches on each slope, add y stitches at the mountaintop and subtract y stitches in each valley.  Just keep making sure your stitch counts don't 'drift' on the slopes, and that the valley decreases and hill increases all line up.

[Muffin183]

Thank you so much for your help. I'm going to have a go at this when my son takes a nap! Let's see if I can do this! If not, I'll have to go for a much easier pattern! 

[Granny Square]

You're welcome!  BTW, if you like the ripple 'look', and enjoyed doing granny squares, there are 'granny stitch' versions of ripple blankets.  I think it would be a lot harder to err on the stitch count without it being really obvious right away.

Ha, found a pattern that is on a blog called 'crochet for knitters' http://verypink.com/2013/10/16/crochet-for-knitters-granny-ripple-blanket/