Small Stripes
Holding red & orange together, CO 30 stitches and K 4 rows. Drop red, add yellow and knit 4 rows. Drop orange, add green and knit 4 rows. Continue adding blue, purple and red in turn, ending with 2 rows of red and orange. BO

Large Stripes
Same process, but K 10 rows with each pair of colors, ending with blue & purple. Last stitch of each row was also slipped on this.

Pics show the front and back of each hotpad. The difference is very subtle, mostly noticeable in the line of a previous color showing in the first row of a new stripe on the back in the second and third pictures.