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AubriesMom
May 4th, 2006, 11:13 PM
I am pretty new at crocheting and could really use some help! I can do simple stitches like single, double, and so on but I am trying to figure out how to do the up/ down\ pattern. A friend told me it was easy but I can't seem to figure it out! PLease help! I hope I am explaing it okay it's just like /\/\/\ except a lot bigger obviously! Thanks in advance for any hints.

AubriesMom
Jamie
May 4th, 2006, 11:32 PM
Where abouts are you having difficulty, the hills or the valleys? Susan B has a really easy and fast ripple pattern on her site.

http://home.att.net/susanBinKC/patterns.html

It's all double crochet and like I said it works up fast!
AubriesMom
May 4th, 2006, 11:33 PM
thw valleys - I have the hills but I don't know how to make the valleys - lol so I just have plateaus
Jamie
May 5th, 2006, 12:04 AM
On Susan B's site, that pattern I mentioned has really clear directions on the "valleys". The pattern uses the 3 stitch decrease in the body of the afghan and the 2 stitch decrease on the edges.

The 3 stitch decrease goes like this-in the designated stitch start like you would any double crochet, yarn over, insert hook in stitch, pull yarn through. You now have 3 loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through 2 loops, leave the other two loops on the hook. Now, yarn over and insert in next stitch, pull yarn through, you should have 4 loops on the hook, yarn over and pull through 2 loops, there should be 3 loops left on hook. Yarn over, insert hook in next stitch, pull yarn through, you now have 5 loops on hook, yarn over and pull through two, there should be 4 loops on hook, yarn over and pull through all 4 loops at once. Voila, you have completed a 3 stitch decrease. A 2 stitch decrease is the same method, just one less step.

Have look at the pattern and try a swatch.
Empress Busy Bee
May 5th, 2006, 12:40 AM
Maybe it's just me but that link isn't working.
Jamie
May 5th, 2006, 12:47 AM
Try this one. http://home.att.net/~susanBinKC/patterns.html
Empress Busy Bee
May 5th, 2006, 02:22 AM
Much better. :)
theworm
May 5th, 2006, 09:50 AM
Thank you!
I tried one ripple pattern once with no success. I'm going to try this one now! :)
AubriesMom
May 5th, 2006, 11:44 AM
Alright! I am going to give this a shot and I will let you know how it goes! Thank you so much!
AubriesMom
May 8th, 2006, 11:28 AM
I have tried it a few times and it gets better each time! Isn't it funny how excited I am about such a simple stitch when people are out there making animals by crocheting?!? :) Anyway - thanks to everyone!
eyenowhour
May 8th, 2006, 11:49 AM
I have tried it a few times and it gets better each time! Isn't it funny how excited I am about such a simple stitch when people are out there making animals by crocheting?!? :) Anyway - thanks to everyone!

I don't think it's funny at all. I get excited if I learn to make a new stitch. Can't wait to see your finished work!
theworm
May 8th, 2006, 12:04 PM
I have tried it a few times and it gets better each time! Isn't it funny how excited I am about such a simple stitch when people are out there making animals by crocheting?!? :) Anyway - thanks to everyone!

I've made several cute animals, but have had no luck (yet) with zig zag. I will master it, but haven't yet. :lol
AubriesMom
May 12th, 2006, 05:57 PM
I am still working on the stitch - my ends are sometimes straight and sometimes very crooked. lol - but I will get it
peppermintpatti
May 14th, 2006, 02:19 PM
Hello,

Crocheting is exciting no matter what level you are at currently, because you know in your heart that you wil also be making the fancier projects in the future.
Aggie May
May 14th, 2006, 06:29 PM
:cheer The main thing to remember, with a Ripple Pattern, is that it is just a series of increases and decreases and as long as the increases match the decreases you should get it to go straight.
Be sure to do the decreases at each end of the row, they are easy to miss.
Of course, there are different patterns out there, but generally, they follow the same theme, no matter how many stitches up and down the sides of the ripple.
Once you get the hang of the pattern, you will wonder why you ever had a problem.
Maybe you can practice on a smaller number of stitches.
Just do a long chain and work a couple of repeats of the pattern along the chain, using just as many as you need and leaving the rest hanging. (Much easier to correct mistakes and work out a pattern on a smaller number of stitches.) When you get it right, save the sample for reference when you have a problem.
Have fun.
Colleen.:hug
nucki
May 14th, 2006, 07:32 PM
I do my ripples a little differently...

I can't remember exactly where I first read the ripple pattern, but I basically just read the pattern and once I figured out how the ripples were made, worked out the rest on my own.

What I do is chain any multiple of 11 stitches (I usually just count 1, 2, 3... 11 over and over again until it's as wide as I want), ch 2, turn.

Then I dc in the first 4 sts, 3 dc in the next st, dc in the next 4 sts, then I SKIP 2 st, and repeat until I get to the end. From that point on, I skip the first and last stitch of every row. It ends up being a bit open on the ends, but since it's open on the valley of every ripple, it looks to me like it all matches, if that makes any sense. There's a picture of a ripple blanket on my blog, it might make more sense LOOKING at it than me trying to EXPLAIN it.

KWIM? :hook