Help with Red Heart Chevron Blanket Pattern

[Crochetnewb9]

Hi!

I’m having difficulty with this chevron blanket pattern. In particular where it says rows 2-6. I find that as I continue, the rows get wider at the edges. 

Edited December 22, 2019 by Crochetnewb9
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[magiccrochetfan]

Have you counted your stitches in the last completed row?  You should always have 196 stitches.  Count the tops of the stitches, not the posts.  The decreases of dc3tog will have 3posts but only one top.  

[Granny Square]

^ What she said. Ripples are very simple but are very easy to mess up.   It's not a zone-out and not pay attention to what you are doing project, you DO need to pay attention to your count.  Been there, done that even when I knew better, grr.

The simple part: they are comprised of a hilltop, a valley, and 2 slopes.  The 2 slopes are each the same number of stitches.  Each hill top adds the same number of stitches that the valley subtracts.

In your case the slopes are each 10.  The valley (dc 3 tog, twice) turns 6 stitches into 2, so is a decrease of 4.  The hilltop (3 dc into each of the next 2 dc) turns 2 dc into 6, so an increase of 4.  As you go, count each of the 4 components of your ripple (valley, uphill, hilltop, downhill) as you complete them.

 

[Crochetnewb9]

I believe I’m following it correctly in terms of the decreases and increases. However it’s the very end of the row or the beginning of it that trips me up. 
 

for example when it says ch 3, 2 dc in first dc, dc in next 10 dc - does that mean a total of 12? and the end when it says dc in the next 10 dc, 3 dc in top of beginning ch - does that mean a total of 13? 

[Granny Square]

It's conventionally understood that turning chains count as stitches for DC and taller stitches, so 1+2+10 is 13.  On your second question, the count at the end is 13.

Note, normally when you are not increasing, and are doing plain dc back and forth, at the end, you chain 3 and skip the first dc - because even tho the chain 3 isn't technically 'in' the first real dc, it's 'functionally in' it.  Therefore, "ch3, 2dc in the first dc" is the same as 3 dc in the first dc--so an increase of 2.

 

[Crochetnewb9]

42 minutes ago, Granny Square said:

It's conventionally understood that turning chains count as stitches for DC and taller stitches, so 1+2+10 is 13.  On your second question, the count at the end is 13.

Note, normally when you are not increasing, and are doing plain dc back and forth, at the end, you chain 3 and skip the first dc - because even tho the chain 3 isn't technically 'in' the first real dc, it's 'functionally in' it.  Therefore, "ch3, 2dc in the first dc" is the same as 3 dc in the first dc--so an increase of 2.

 

This helps me so much! I’ve been reading it all wrong. Where it says “ch 3 counts as first dc”, I’ve been interpreting that as 1 of 2 dc in the first dc instead of it needing 3 to balance out the end of that row. Silly me. Thanks for all your help!!! 😊