How to Crochet Dramatic Ripples in the Round

Crochet ripples are a cinch to make if you’re working flat. But learning how to crochet ripples in the round to crochet isn’t quite as straightforward.

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to crochet chevron in the round, resulting in an 12-point double crochet star. Plus, you’ll get instructions for adapting the pattern to make it larger. The small pattern is perfect as wall art, a table centerpiece or underneath a small Christmas tree. If you want to make it larger, you could even make a blanket.

How to crochet ripples in the round

Round ripples begin with a basic crochet circle and can be worked in any basic stitch (thought double crochet is the most common choice).

After a few rounds, strategic increasing and decreasing create the dips and valleys that make the classic chevron shape. This pattern changes colors each round, but you could work with varying color changes to create different effects.

Round 1: Start with a double crochet circle

Chain 3, work 11 dc into fourth chain from hook, sl st to top of ch 3 close.

This is a total of 12 dc stitches for round 1. If you have a preferred method of beginning your project, such as the magic ring, you can use that instead, as long as you end up with 12 dc in the round.

Finish off round and weave in ends.

Round 2: Double crochet around

Join new color yarn in any dc stitch. Chain 3 (counts as first double crochet) and dc into the same stitch. 2 dc in each stitch around then sl st to top of ch 3 to close. You should now have 24 dc stitches in round two. Finish off round and weave in ends.

Round 3: V-stitch around

Join new yarn in any dc stitch. Chain 3.

Skip next stitch. *Work V-stitch (1 dc, ch 2, 1 dc) into following stitch. Repeat from * around, working V-stitches into every other stitch.

When you get back to your starting ch 3, work 1 dc and ch 2 into the same stitch then slip stitch to top of ch 3 to close round. You should have 12 v-stitches in this round. Finish off and weave in ends.

Round 4: Make crochet shells

Join new yarn in any ch-2 space created the previous round. Ch 3 (counts as first double crochet) and working into the same space: 1 dc, ch 2, 2 dc. This is your first shell stitch.

Work one shell stitch (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) into each ch-2 space around.

Sl st to top of ch-3 to close around. You should have 12 shell stitches in this round. Finish off and weave in ends.

Round 5: Increase round

Pay close attention as you stitch this round — you’ll basically repeat it in all subsequent rounds.

Choose any shell from Round 4. Locate the ch-2 space of that shell. Join yarn in the stitch immediately to the right of that ch-2 space. Ch 3 (counts as first double crochet).

Work one shell (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) into the ch-2 space of the shell. Dc in next dc.

Skip the next two double crochet stitches. Begin your next group of stitches: Dc in next stitch, which should bring you to the ch-2 space of the next shell. Work one shell in that space. Dc in next stitch.

Repeat all the way around. Sl st to top of ch 3 to close round. Finish off and weave in ends.

Note: The shells become the “peaks” of your ripples; the skipped stitches become the “valleys” of your ripples.

Round 6: Increase round

Now you’ll more or less repeat Round 5, except that you’ve increased the size of the round, so you have to add stitches around the shell.

Choose any shell from Round 5. Locate the ch-2 space of that shell. Join yarn in the stitch that is two stitches to the right of that ch 2 space.

Ch 3 (counts as first double crochet) then dc in next stitch. Work one shell (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) into the ch-2 space of the shell. Dc in next 2 dc. (You did this same thing as in Round 5, except that you added a dc on either side of the shell stitch. You’ll continue adding double crochet stitches in this way on each subsequent round.)

Skip the next two dc stitches. Dc in each of next two stitches, which should bring you up to the ch-2 space of the next shell. Work one shell in that space. Dc in each of next two stitches.

Repeat all the way around. Sl st to top of ch 3 to close round. Finish off and weave in ends.

Round 7: Increase round

Continuing with the pattern…

Choose any shell from the previous round. Locate the ch-2 space of that shell. Join yarn in the stitch that is three stitches to the right of that ch 2 space.

Ch 3 (counts as first double crochet) then dc in each of next two stitches. Work one shell (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) into the ch-2 space of the shell. Dc in each of next three stitches.

Skip the next two dc stitches. Dc in each of next three stitches, which should bring you up to the ch-2 space of the next shell. Work one shell in that space. Dc in each of next three stitches.

Repeat previous step all the way around. Sl st to top of ch 3 to close round. Finish off and weave in ends.

Round 8: Increase round

Choose any shell from the previous round. Locate the ch-2 space of that shell. Join yarn in the stitch that is four stitches to the right of that ch 2 space.

Ch 3 (counts as first double crochet) then dc in each of next three stitches. Work one shell (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) into the ch-2 space of the shell. Dc in each of next four stitches.

Skip the next two dc stitches. Dc in each of next four stitches, which should bring you up to the ch-2 space of the next shell. Work one shell in that space. Dc in each of next four stitches.

Repeat all the way around. Sl st to top of ch 3 to close round. Finish off and weave in ends.

Rounds 9-11: Continue increasing each round

You get the idea by now! Continue around until your in-the-round ripples are as large as you like. Then finish off and weave in ends.

Creating a larger, flat round ripple

The crochet ripple pattern is not quite precise in the math to create a flat circle, so it begins to ruffle as you increase the number of rows.

If you want a perfectly flat round ripple, or you want to grow this design into a larger pattern for a tablecloth or blanket, then you need to make an adjustment to your increases. Here’s how:

Rounds 1-6:

Complete Rounds 1-6 in the exact same way as in the original pattern.

Round 7:

Replace the shell stitch in Round 7 of the original pattern with a V-stitch. Here’s how:

Choose any shell from the previous round. Locate the ch-2 space of that shell. Join yarn in the stitch that is three stitches to the right of that ch 2 space.

Ch 3 (counts as first double crochet) then dc in each of next two stitches. Work one V-stitch (1 dc, ch 2, 1 dc) into the ch-2 space of the shell. Dc in each of next three stitches.

Skip the next two dc stitches. Dc in each of next three stitches, which should bring you up to the ch-2 space of the next shell. Work one V-stitch in that space. Dc in each of next three stitches.

Repeat all the way around. Sl st to top of ch 3 to close round. Finish off and weave in ends.

Round 8:

For Round 8, you’ll go back to the shell stitch. However, since you didn’t add any stitches in the previous round, you don’t need to add extra dc stitches before and after the shell. Here’s how:

Choose any V-stitch from the previous round. Locate the ch-2 space of that V-stitch. Join yarn in the stitch that is three stitches to the right of that ch 2 space.

Ch 3 (counts as first double crochet) then dc in each of next two stitches. Work one shell stitch (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) into the ch-2 space of the V-stitch. Dc in each of next three stitches.

Skip the next two dc stitches. Dc in each of next three stitches, which should bring you up to the ch-2 space of the next V-stitch. Work one shell in that space. Dc in each of next three stitches.

Repeat all the way around. Sl st to top of ch 3 to close round. Finish off and weave in ends.

Subsequent rounds

Repeat Rows 7-8 all the way around until your ripple is as large as you like.

On odd numbered rows, work a V-stitch into the ch-2 of each shell, increasing the number of dc stitches on either side of the shell.

On even-numbered rows, work a shell stitch into the ch-2 of each V-stitch. There will not be any increases.