(NB if you’re planning on making your own Rippling Cluster blanket, make sure you read the note on 20th April ‘16 about colour placement on the pattern rows - rightat the bottom of the page.)

When this project began I was planning on making Lucy’s Neat Ripple Pattern -

http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/neat-ripple-pattern.html

However, I decided to only work from the front to give a really smooth look. This didn’t work!! Looked lovely but squiffy as by working only from the front the stitches were gradually drifting to the right…

So, having taken advice and completely rethinking and looking for alternative patterns, I came up with Rippling Clusters. (The original Ripple Blanket is saved as a separate project here.)

Rippling Clusters is a combination of Beth Elliot’s 6 Day Kid Blanket and Anne Wilson’s granny ripple (facebook page - I’m not a member so can’t view…). Anne’s blanket looked like she’d used tr3tog clusters, rather than simply granny clusters and I really liked the look of them.
I adjusted Beth’s pattern and worked up some samples until I was happy and have made myself a chart to follow which I may try and write up neatly and attach.
I’ve decided to leave out some of my original colour choices - light and mid grey, and sand - and stick with shades of blue with white and a little teal.

I’ve done the first 2 pattern repeats and don’t want to put it down!! It’s going to eat wool like there’s no tomorrow, so I think I’ll have to buy some more now while the colours are still available!

Colours used -
0419 x 2 Choo choo Train
0354 x 4 Bluebell Mix
0438 x 2 Inkblot Blue
0440 x 2 Blue Bird
0251 x 3 White
0216 x 4 Sky
0321 x 2 Pastel Blue
0326 x 2 Denim
0436 x 1 Teal

(NB I only used 10g each of the 4th ball in bluebell mix & sky, and the 2nd ball of inkblot blue for the border. If the blanket were 6 inches shorter I wouldn’t have needed them. I also had 25g left of blue bird, pastel blue and denim,plus scraps of the other colours. Total yarn purchased was 1100g and total used was 900g.)

(PS Thanks to Claire of http://mrsbrownmakes.blogspot.co.uk/ for her help and advice!)

Update - 4 1/2 months in and I’ve managed 36” so far. It’s actually worked up to be 38” wide, so maybe I should have had one more pattern repeat. I don’t want much of a border on the the sides, maybe an inch, so it won’t be far off what I had visualised though.

Update - it’s now Feb’15 and I did a little more last weekend for the first time in ages. It now measures 42” long and makes a very satisfactory lap blanket. But I think I’ll keep going for a few more inches…
PS Just added a photo from Hengistbury Head last November - I think I got the colours
right!!!

May ‘15. Someone has just asked if I’ve written the pattern up yet. You know, I still haven’t…I did upload a photo of my rough and ready chart, although I couldn’t be bothered to work all the symbols properly as it was just a guide for myself.
I’d have to read Beth’s pattern again to be sure but I think I simply followed her instructions but substituted “3 treble cluster” in place of “3 treble” - although bear in mind that she uses US terms and I use UK terms…My pattern repeat has 17 sts.
I’ve just had a quick search for good instructions on how to work a 3tr cluster and found this -
http://www.cherryheartcrochet.co.uk/2014/03/cluster-stitc...
This is Sandra Paul of Cherry Heart. She has a lovely blog and a page filled with brilliant instructions on how to work all sorts of crochet stitches, with loads and loads of photos. Go and look now and book mark the page!!!