Rainbows speak of hope in the rain, of a fresh beginning after the rainstorm. I have a passion for rainbows because their colors and the meaning of love and equality. Carry your own rainbow with you in form of this scarf, knitted sideways and shaped like a rainbow with evenly spaced increases. It is designed specifically for mini skeins or stash busting.

You start with a short tail cast on - the Chinese waitress with crochet hook and set markers already when casting on to simplify casting on such a large number of stitches. The scarf is constructed sideways in welts of 4 and 5 rows. Welts in one color alternate with color transition welts, where one row of the new and one of the old color alternate.

The arch-shape is achieved by decreasing evenly with the start of every new color. Due to the welts, you see from one side primarily the pure colors and from the other side the color transitions. The scarf is completely reversible - wear it either as clear rainbow stripes or as more gradient transition. The arch shape lays very comfortable around your neck and stays in place.

MATERIALS
Riverknits BFL 4 Ply Mini (Bluefaced Leicester; 87yds/80m per 0.71 oz/20g skein/ball); 12 skeins or other fingering weight yarn of the same amount in 12 colors. When substituting yarn, I recommend an estimate swatch (see Gauge).

Sample uses the Shadow Rainbow Mini Skein Set.

NEEDLE SIZE
1 US #6/4mm 40-inch or 47-inch/100cm or 120cm circular needle

GAUGE
22sts/36 rows = 4 inches square in stockinette stitch using 4mm/US #6 needles
22sts/76 rows (8,25 ridges on right side) = 4 inches square in pattern using using 4mm/US #6 needles
I recommend knitting a swatch for estimating the amount of yarn you will need. Work as follows: Cast on 32 stitches, work 9 rows in stockinette stitch. Unravel except for the cast on. Weigh the unraveled yarn and multiply with 16. That number is approximately the weight you need for C2, which uses most of the yarn. If you have a limited supply of yarn, you want to stay a few grams below the amount you have (about 1-2g). If your calculation is more than you have, try using a smaller needle.

DIFFICULTY
Intermediate

TECHNIQUES USED

• Knit & purl
• Decreases
• Chinese Waitress CO
• 2 stitch I-cord BO

NOTIONS
1 US #G/4mm crochet hook for cast on
17 stitch markers
Darning needle

ALTERNATE VERSIONS
The shape lends itself to rainbow colors, but other gradient colors or just two colors striping or wildly different colors would all look great as well! A pride version with the colors of the pride flag could be achieved by working two stripes of each flag color.