I need serious help
August 20th, 2007 by CandaceNot professional – well, not yet atleast, but I’m headed in that direction – but any one who has crocheted a ripple blanket before, particularly the “Soft Waves” pattern from Jan Eaton’s ripple book
Heather and I deduced that maybe the pattern is wrong, since the hills and valleys aren’t lining up and after a few ripples, the next few become one even ripple (since, according to the pattern and counting, I’m increasing on the valley and decreasing on the hill). So if there is anyone out there who could help me, I can not tell you how grateful I will be. I’ll send you some yarn or hooks or something as a thank you. Leave me a comment with your email address and let’s start the crusade to save my sanity!
UPDATE: This is me, sitting in the corner with a dunce hat on 
A couple things to remember when working a pattern: 1) it helps to write it out, step by step, and check them off as you complete them until you get the hang of it. And 2) Don’t watch TV while trying to do a pattern for the first time. No matter how much you tell people, and yourself, that you can multitask. It probably will jack up your project. So thanks to all who helped, and an additional thanks to Jennifer for clarifying a few other things that would’ve been future problems had I even gotten that far!
August 20th, 2007 at 5:51 am
Go to Jane’s at her Yarnstorm blog
http://yarnstorm.blogs.com/
and check her archives for crochet: I believe she did the exact same pattern from the same book.
I’ll be very interested in what you find out, as I am eventually planning a similar ripple afghan with some left over yarn from a project I am working on now!
Maryjo
August 20th, 2007 at 6:33 am
What’s happening as you crochet? Is it your turning chain that is getting things mixed up? Let me know if you still need help, I’m doing a little charity baby blanket with this pattern, and it seems to be going fine…
August 20th, 2007 at 7:31 am
I was having this problem when I first started my ripple. What really helped me was doing 2 or 3 ripples worth of stitches with some scrap yarn and counting the stitches. It turned out I was adding an extra stitch before I turned the project. The pattern is a bit unclear about what goes on when you turn the work. While for the bulk of the pattern it is a [dc2tog] twice in the valleys and [2 dc in one stitch] twice in the peeks. At the ends of the blanket (peaks), however, you will only [2 dc in one stitch] once: 1) The last two stitches are [dc] into a previous row’s chain; 2) turn your work; 3) Ch3 + then dc into the same stitch; 4) then start in with the pattern: dc, dc, dc, dc2tog, dc2tog, dc… etc.
So basically those ends are “half-peaks.”
I’m not sure if that makes sense, but if indeed you are having the same problem that I was, trying it with scrap yarn will definitely make it clearer.
August 20th, 2007 at 7:31 am
I cant crochet.. is just one of those things…
Nothing I make ever turns out right when I crochet
I hope you figure it out.
August 22nd, 2007 at 9:46 am
I don’t have the pattern you are using, but in general for ripple afgans, in the valley you should be skipping a few stitches, and you make up for the skipped stitches on the hills – top peak – say if you skip 3 sts in the valley you would make 3 sts in the top most st of your peak. Hope this helps.
August 24th, 2007 at 10:43 pm
Oh, WOW. Thank you thank you thank you. I have been looking high and low for errata for this one and haven’t been able to find it. I just tried about 6 rows of this and it WORKED. That’s exactly where I was going wrong too — adding an extra stitch at the end.
September 4th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
I’m having a giant brain fart on this one as well. I am a long time knitter but I’ve tried to learn how to crochet twice (once when I was 12 and once 5 years ago) and it always ends poorly. I have the stitch itself down but I always make things grow or decrease unintentionally, it’s infuriating….maybe I need to get my eyes checked. So I’m a complete newb to this and am starting a practice scrap yarn session. I am casting on 51 stitches (multiple of 12 plus the 3) and if someone doesn’t mind this is what I am supposed to be doing correct?
with last chain link on hook I should dc into the fourth stitch to the left, dc,dc,dc, dc2tog, dc2tog, dc,dc,dc, 2dc in 1 stitch, 2dc in 1 stitch and repeat so on and so forth….but at the end of my row it should end with only one 2dc in the last 1 stitch? from there I chain 3, and then when it says dc in the same stitch? i’m lost….dc in the stitch already on my hook, i’m not sure i understand? or dc in that first chain I made? sorry this may be a really dumb questions, and maybe I should choose an idiot proof pattern since this one leaves me slapping my forehead a lot. Anyway, so then in that second row I continue the pattern as listed above?
Also, and this may be just a knitting thing…I love how my stitches are so evenly lined up with knitting and I immediately know if i’ve dropped one or mistakenly added one…but why does my first row look so retarded? it doesn’t look neat at all. I look online at all the soft waves afghans…and they look so nice and mine looks like a small child made it. Is this just a sign I need more practice? maybe my tension is fluxuating….sorry to hijack this post…I’m just going bananas here, and reaching the conclusion that crocheting is the bane of my existence because each and every time I try it my project always comes out all wonky. I do however, love the crochet stitch, the muscle memory and rhythm of it is very satisfying, I want so badly to get this. Thanks!
October 4th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
You basically have it backwards. You need to increase on the hill and decrease in the valley.Hope that helps.
October 4th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
at the end do 2 stitches in the last stitch.When you ch.3 and turn do a dc in the base of the chain.Then continue in your pattern.You probably need more practice in controlling your tension and dont work on it if you are upset or nervous. There are some websites that offer videos on crochet that you might find helpful.I wish I could just show you as it easier for me if I can see it.