I contribute my income from this pattern to Stonewall UK

Rainbow Relay is an elongated crescent shape designed to show off mini skeins, gradients and lovely leftovers.

The main body is a simple and easy-to-memorise knit, then each successive row of colour gets its day in the sun in an oval of short rows, before handing on the baton to the next colour, shifted but overlapping the last, creating swells of colour across the shawl.

The pattern is a tool kit, providing an easy-to-customise formula for making your shawl, plus three specific designs for the samples pictured.

It’s an addictive and fun to knit - if you’re anything like me you’ll want to do a whole bunch of them!

Yarn

Main Colour: one 100g skein of 4ply/fingering weight yarn of at least 400m/ 437yd
Contrast Colours: a set of 3-12 mini skeins or leftovers adding up to at least 60g of 4ply/fingering weight (or 30g in laceweight, as is used in the first sample).

Gauge

The gauge isn’t important and is easily adapted to different weights of yarn.

This pattern has been tech edited by Katherine Lymer and test knitted.

Size

As a rule of thumb, a mini set and one 4ply/fingering skein (of about 400m) will get you a shawl spanning about 2m/6.5ft.

Grey sample size: depth - 30cm/11.5in, and length (of top edge) - 218cm/86in
Orange sample size: depth - 40cm/16in and length (of top edge) - 227cm/89in
Variegated purple sample size: depth - 43cm/17in, and length (of top edge) - 238cm/94in