Welcome to the Saturday Stitch Explorer series! This week I’m revising the Raised Ripple Stitch. Originally, I was going to demonstrate it as it is written, straight out of the book, but after completing the first six rows, I wasn’t happy with it at all. I changed it up a bit using modern techniques and made it a bit easier (in my humble opinion). The edges have fewer gaps for easier sewing! Less math, more fun!
This is the fifth and final of the five stitches we are going to learn leading up to creating the coolest 5 stitch project ever! You can come back to this link and explore the rest of the stitches, there is so much to learn!
What we’ve learned so far are the
- Alternating spike stitch: tutorial is here.
- Open Ridge stitch: tutorial is here.
- Pique Stitch: tutorial is here.
- Bead stitch: tutorial is here.
On to the modern version I created of the Raised Ripple Stitch…
As a designer & teacher, I tend to ask myself these questions:
“How easy will this stitch be to sew together for a cardigan, pillow, or sweater?”
“Are there gaps along the border?”
“Is this the easiest way to make this stitch?”
So I came across a few issues and decided to make it easier to understand, and no more gaps. Here I am giving you’re the original wording from the book, and after that, I’ve written my newer, updated, and more modern version of this classic stitch.
And I must say that I have an aversion to counting turning chains as stitches or using them in the design for flat works. I was taught a stitch is a stitch, a turning chain is a turning chain, but there are so many ways to crochet, and neither is better or worse, but those pesky gaps! Me no likey those.
This is the original raised ripple stitch – my version is below this….
Original Raised Ripple:
Chain any number of odd number of stitches (add 2 for foundation chain)
Row 1:
1 dc in 4th ch from hook, 1 c in each ch to end, turn.
Row 2:
1 ch, skip first st, 1 sc in each st, ending 1 sc in 3rd of 3 ch, turn.
Row 3:
3 ch, sk first sc, *1 frtr around dc below next sc, skip this sc, 1 dc in next sc, repeat from *, ending 1 dc in 1 ch turn.
Row 4:
as row 2
Row 5:
3 ch, skip first sc, *1 dc in next sc, 1 frtr around dc below next sc, repeat from *, ending 1 frtr around dc below 1 ch, turn.
Repeat rows 2 – 5.
I don’t know about you, but that just seems really complicated and confusing. When I write patterns, I like to write them abbreviated, but if you were to speak it aloud, it would form a cohesive sentence of some kind, you know what I mean? lol.
Here is my version modern crochet techniques:
Updated with a foundation double crochet row. I also made sure that if you are working into stitches, not chains (easier to count your stitches!). I reduced the turning chain count from a chain 3 to a chain 2 (to even the edges out and remove the gaps), and updated the frtr (front raised treble) to fptr (front post treble) – these are the same stitch, but most designers I know use the term post instead of raised.
This stitch uses all three of the basic stitches in a four row repeat. The single crochet, double crochet, and treble crochet.
The pattern goes as follows:
Tasha’s modern crochet version of the Raised Ripple Stitch:
+ Abbreviations
sc | single crochet |
dc | double crochet |
fdc | foundation double crochet |
fptr | front post treble crochet |
ch | chain |
sk st | skip stitch |
yo | yarn over |
st(s) | stitch(es) |
+ Stitch Guide:
sc – single crochet
insert hook in indicated st, yo, draw up a loop, yo draw through both loops on hook.
dc – double crochet
yo, insert hook in indicated st, yo, draw up a loop, *yo, draw through 2 loops* – repeat from * to * until you have one loop left on the hook.
fdc – foundation double crochet
create a slip knot, ch 3, step 1: yo insert hook in first ch, *yo, pull up a loop, ch 1, yo, pull through 2 loops until one loop is left on hook* step 2: yo, insert hook in bottom two loops of ch 1 you created in step 1, then repeat step 1 from * to *
FPtr – front post treble crochet
yo 2 times, insert hook around indicated st (from front to back and out the front again). yo and draw through two loops until only one loop on hook remains on hook.
Pattern:
Row 1:
fdc 20 (or any even number of stitches)
Row 2:
ch 1, turn. sc 1 in each dc across.
Row 3:
ch 2, turn, dc in 1st sc, *fptr around dc below next sc, sk st behind fptr, dc in next* – repeat from * to * across, ending with 1 dc in last st.
Row 4:
repeat 2.
Row 5:
ch 2, turn. sk 1st sc. *fptr around 1st visible dc 2 rows down, sk st behind fptr, dc in next* – repeat from * to * across (one stitch left), fptr around last dc from 2 rows down, dc in last st.
Rows 6 – X:
repeat rows 2 – 5.
I hope this makes this beautiful stitch easier to learn for all you beginners out there! I know learning to crochet can be sooooo confusing. When I was learning to write patterns, I discovered how different designers worded their stitches differently. I was longing for some uniformity across the board, but discovered it’s a little about writing style, and a little about how that person learned to crochet.
It’s an age old craft passed down from generation to generation, and things change, new things are discovered, and as times change, it’s great to learn how things are evolving. Growing and learning together. I love learning new techniques <3. I hope you do too!
Video tutorial here:
What should I make with the Modern Raised Ripple Stitch?
This is a puffy raised stitch and I think it can cross over well to all sorts of project, like using a chunky yarn for a blanket, or scarf. It would even make a great pillow cover, and if you’re feeling daring, it may even translate over to a sweater :).
I hope you enjoy this tutorial, and if you have any questions or comments, please leave them below, I would love to talk crochet!
I love your updated version. In doing a sample to be sure I understand your version, I can do all the rows fine until I get to repeating them. When I am doing row 3 again (which when repeating you will be working into row 5 below for the fptr), the beginning of the row does not work out right for me. I dc into the first sc, then it says to fptr around dc below next sc, however I do not have a dc below the next sc, it is a fptc, which is the second last stitch on row 5. ?? Thank you.