Ripple Afghan - Do You Have One?

Suddenly, I have a hankering for.....a ripple afghan.

Could it be? Me, miss "untrendy"? Have I jumped on the Missoni bandwagon?

I admit, when the Missoni designs hit Target I had no idea who Missoni was/is. I did know that I didn't care for the zig zag designs. I'm an engineer, after all. I'm a bit Type-A when it comes to lines. I like them straight. (It's the shortest distance between two points.)

So why, oh why, do I find myself thinking about zig zags? And crochet, no less!

Well, I think my inspiration comes from Jane Brocket and her lovely book, "The Gentle Art of Knitting." If you are not familiar with the author, she has a beautiful blog and has written a number of books including "The Gentle Art of Domesticity."   Her newest book relishes in creating practical (a girl after my own heart!) items to wear and use around the house. Although the book is about knitting, she does share a crochet pattern for an afghan. She points out that crocheting an afghan is easier on the body because the weight is not carried by both arms and shoulders as in knitting. Her selection of colors and stripe pattern design is fresh and modern. She believes it has an art deco feel.  I fell in love with it! Go check out various versions she created here.

I believe there is also a connection to the past. My mother-in-law crocheted a lot of ripple afghans in her day. I think we have one up in the attic made with shades of oranges. I even have the pattern she used!  You can find free patterns at FaveCrafts and Lion Brand.

So now I'm dreaming about a ripple afghan in neutral shades with stripes of various thickness. What do you think? Have you ever knit or crocehted a ripple blanket? Do you have one draped over the couch made by someone special in your life?