Learning to ripple was my first choice for a new year's project. I found a great tutorial here at Attic 24. If you're looking to learn to ripple, I can't recommend this tutorial enough. It includes a standard written pattern in addition to photos and explanations of how the pattern should work.
The pattern recommended that I make a small sample size before starting a full-sized project, so I chained 115 stitches and got to work!