Chevron Ripple Baby Blanket Pattern

A chevron ripple baby blanket gets its zigzag from two moves repeated across every row: extra stitches worked into one place push the fabric up into a peak, and stitches joined together pull it down into a valley. Everything between is plain double crochet.

This classic ripple changes color every 2 rows. It suits an intermediate crocheter or a confident beginner who is comfortable with rows of double crochet. The pattern is written in US crochet terms.

Materials

• Worsted weight (#4 medium) yarn in three colors, about 1,000-1,200 yd (910-1,100 m) in total: Color A, Color B and Color C
• US H-8 (5 mm) crochet hook
• Blunt yarn needle
• Scissors and a tape measure
• Stitch markers (optional, for marking peaks)

Each color is about one third of the total, with slightly more of Color A. The amounts are estimates that depend on your gauge, so buy a little extra of each color from the same dye lot.

Finished Size

About 30 x 35.5 in (76 x 90 cm).

Gauge

One 12-stitch repeat = about 3 in (7.5 cm), measured straight across from peak to peak, and 7 rows = about 4 in (10 cm). Matching this target matters for the finished size and for how much yarn the blanket uses.

For a swatch, chain 27 and work 10 rows. That gives two repeats, about 6 in (15 cm) wide. See the guide to measuring crochet gauge if your swatch is off.

The chain follows from the gauge. Thirty inches at 3 in per repeat is 10 repeats. Each repeat needs 12 chains, so 10 x 12 = 120, plus 3: 123 chains.

Abbreviations

• ch – chain
• dc – double crochet
• st(s) – stitch(es)
• yo – yarn over
• dc3tog – double crochet 3 together: (yo, insert hook in next st, yo, pull up a loop, yo, pull through 2 loops) 3 times, which leaves 4 loops on the hook; yo and pull through all 4. Three stitches become one.

A dc2tog is the same decrease over two stitches. This pattern uses dc3tog only.

Pattern Notes

• The starting chain is a multiple of 12, plus 3. To change the width, add or remove chains in groups of 12.
• The turning ch-3 counts as a double crochet. The last stitches of every row go into the top of that chain.
• Every row has 121 stitches.
• Rows 1 and 2 use Color A, Rows 3 and 4 Color B, Rows 5 and 6 Color C, and so on in that order.

How Peaks and Valleys Balance

A peak is 3 dc worked into one stitch, a gain of 2. A valley is a dc3tog, a loss of 2. As long as a row gains as many stitches as it loses, its count does not change and the sides stay straight.

This blanket has 10 valleys, so each row loses 20 stitches. It has 9 full peaks, which add 18, and a half peak at each side edge, where 2 dc share one stitch and add 1 each. That is 20 gained and 20 lost, and the row stays at 121.

Instructions

With Color A, chain 123 loosely.

Row 1: 2 dc in the 4th ch from the hook (the 3 skipped chains count as the first dc). Dc in each of the next 3 ch, dc3tog over the next 3 ch. *Dc in each of the next 4 ch, 3 dc in next ch, dc in each of the next 4 ch, dc3tog over the next 3 ch; repeat from * until 5 chains remain. Dc in each of the next 4 ch, 2 dc in the last ch. (121 sts)

Row 2: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), turn. Dc in the first st, the same stitch the chain rises from. Dc in each of the next 4 sts, dc3tog over the next 3 sts. *Dc in each of the next 4 sts, 3 dc in next st, dc in each of the next 4 sts, dc3tog over the next 3 sts; repeat from * until 5 stitches remain, counting the turning chain as the last one. Dc in each of the next 4 sts, 2 dc in the top of the turning chain. (121 sts)

Rows 3-62: Repeat Row 2, changing color after every second row.

Fasten off, leaving a 6 in (15 cm) tail. The blanket has 31 stripes: 11 in Color A and 10 each in Colors B and C, beginning and ending with A.

Row 1 has 3 plain stitches before the first decrease and Row 2 has 4. That is not an error: the edge group is 3 stitches in Row 1 and 2 stitches in Row 2.

Check the Count on a Small Sample

Chain 27, the swatch size. Row 1: the skipped chains and 2 dc make 3 stitches, then 3 dc and one dc3tog, 7 stitches from 10 chains. One repeat makes 12 stitches from 12 chains. The last 5 chains take 4 dc and 2 dc, 6 stitches. The total is 7 + 12 + 6 = 25.

Row 2 makes 7 stitches over the first 8, 12 over the next 12, and 6 over the last 5: again 25, worked over 8 + 12 + 5 = 25. Row 3 is the same.

Changing Color Every Two Rows

At the end of each even-numbered row, work the final dc until 2 loops remain on the hook, then pull the new color through both. Chain 3 with the new color and turn. Every change falls on the same side edge. See how to change colors in crochet for the details.

With three colors, each yarn waits 4 rows before its next turn, a long way to carry a strand up the edge. Cutting at each change and leaving a 6 in (15 cm) tail is neater. That makes 30 changes and 60 tails, so weave a few in after every stripe.

Finishing

Weave each tail into its own color along the stitch posts, changing direction at least twice. See how to weave in ends for the method.

The side edges of a ripple are straight, but the top and bottom stay zigzag. Squaring them means filling each valley with stitches of graded height, a separate technique this pattern does not use.

To flatten the peaks, follow the care label and see how to block a crochet blanket for the steps. After the first wash, check for any tail that has worked loose.