Grandma Spiked My Ripple Blanket

• This pattern is not suitable for eyelash or similar yarns that would obscure the spike stitch definition. The spike stitch needs a yarn with little or no halo in order to look its best.
• The greater the contrast between yarn colors, the more dramatic the spike stitch effect will be.
• The sample used up almost the entire skein of six of the seven colors I’d chosen, plus more for the one I used for the border, It is sized for an infant or child so for an adult sized afghan, you’ll need to at least double the amount of yarn used if the yarn is worsted weight.
• Although I used the Yarn Bee Soft Secret yarn for the sample project, I would not recommend its use. It had knots every few feet/yards in several skeins, it splits and frays easily, and knots are inconsistent (some are made over all strands, some over half the strands). It is also slippery so slip knots tend to, well, slip apart. Other Yarn Bee yarns I’ve used have not had this problem so don’t hesitate to use them.

• Instead of making two rows of ea color, try making one or three or four.
• Make the width one or two reps and 50-60″ long or 50-60″ wide and 6″ long for a scarf.
• Make the width 50-60″ wide and 15″ long for a wrap (or 15″ wide and 50-60″ long).

• Because this is a ripple pattern, the finished width will be shorter than the original base ch/fsc. To determine how many reps you’ll need, do one rep of rows 1 and 2 (ch 24 or fsc 22) and measure the finished width. Divide that measurement into the final width to get the number of reps. For example, if your finished swatch is 3″ wide and your blanket needs to be 36″ wide, 36″ / 3″ = 12 reps.
• Next, determine the length of your base ch or fsc row. Each rep is 18 sts, so multiply the number of reps by the stitch reps, for example, 12 reps * 18 sts = 216 sts.
• Finally, add 7 sts if you will be using a starting chain, i.e., 216 + 7 = 223.
• Or, add 4 sts if you will be using an fsc base row, i.e., 216 + 4 = 220.
• Calculations:
  • Final width of blanket / width of 1 rep = number of reps to be made
  • Number of reps * 18 sts = subtotal number of sts
  • Base ch: Subtotal number of sts + 7 sts = total number of chs needed
  • Fsc: Subtotal number of sts + 4 sts = total number of fsc needed

If your second dc isn’t loose enough for your liking, feel free to replace it with a treble crochet.

Reverse Single Crochet (rsc) aka Crab Stitch

1. Ch 1, with the right side of the work facing you, work left to right and insert hk into the front of the next st to the right, yo, pull through, yo, pull through both lps on hk.

2. Insert hk into the front of the next st to the right, yo, pull through, yo, pull through both lps on hk.

3. Rep step 2 until you reach the first rsc, join with sl st.

Here’s a video from the Crochet Geek to help you if needed: Crab Stitch Reverse Single Crochet Edging Border.