by Natty Knits

Who doesn't love rainbows and knitting around corners? My seven-year-old son recently came home from school singing "I can sing a rainbow", which of course made me wonder if I could knit one. This cute and cuddly rainbow is knitted flat on straight needles and sewn together with one short seam. The pattern contains right and left leaning increases and decreases and some short rows, so it's good for practicing your shaping.

It's also a fun way to use the Loopy Cakes Rainbow Sampler by Loopy Ewe. Which contains 6 mini skeins of 110 yds each in bright and cheerful rainbow colors. There's enough yarn in the sampler to make a total of 6 rainbows. Note that the gauge is a little tighter than recommended for the yarn -- that's just to keep the fabric firm and keep the stuffing in.

SIZE
One

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Height: 3 inches
Width: 5 inches

MATERIALS
Yarn
Loopy Ewe Loopy Cakes Rainbow Sampler containing 6 skeins in 6 rainbow colors [100% Superwash Merino Wool; 110 yards/1 oz ball];
[Red] Strawberry; 1 skein; sample as shown used approximately 16 yds
[Orange]: Orange; 1 skein; sample as shown used approximately 14 yds
[Yellow]: Sunshine Yellow; 1 skein; sample as shown used approximately 12 yds
[Green]: Kelly Green; 1 skein; sample as shown used approximately 10 yds
[Blue]: Cobalt; 1 skein; sample as shown used approximately 8 yds
[Purple]: Purple; 1 skein; sample as shown used approximately 14 yds
Note: One kit provides enough yarn to make 6 rainbows.

Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below -- every knitter's gauge is unique]
1 set US 2.5/3mm straight needles

Notions
polyester fiberfill stuffing
yarn needle

GAUGE

PATTERN NOTES
[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here.]

This pattern uses short-row shaping.
Each yfwd, turn creates a loop of yarn under the stitch. After the turn, make sure that the yarn is positioned in the back, then slip the first stitch purlwise. If the next stitch is a knit, then the yarn is already at the back. If the next stitch is a purl, bring the yarn to the front after you slip the first stitch at the start of the row. When working back over a stitch with a loop under it, you must knit into the loop at the same time as the stitch above it. This closes the hole left by making the turn. and makes a clean finish. A full explanation of short row shaping can be found on my blog.

There are a lot of color changes in this pattern. Cut the yarn before each change and add the next color by knotting it to the last yarn end.

M1R: Insert left needle, from back to front, under the horizontal strand which lies between the stitch just knit, and the following stitch; then knit into the front of this loop. 1 stitch increased.

M1L: Insert left needle, from front to back, under the horizontal strand which lies between the stitch just knit, and the following stitch; then knit into the back of this loop. 1 stitch increased.

Yfwd (yarn forward): bring the yarn. to the front of the work as if to purl

Instructions for Mattress Stitch can be found here:

Instructions for the Invisible horizontal seam can be found here.

DIRECTIONS

Cut Purple; join Blue yarn.
Row 9 [RS]: K14, M1R, k2, M1R, k4, M1L, k2, M1L, k11, yfwd, turn. 40 sts.
Row 10 [WS]: Slp, p32, k1, yfwd, turn.
Row 11 [RS]: Slp, k10, M1R, k3, M1R, k6, M1L, k3, M1L, k12, yfwd, turn. 44 sts.
Row 12 [WS]: Slp, k1, p36, k2, yfwd, turn.

Cut Blue; join Green yarn.
Row 13 [RS]: Slp, k11, M1R, k4, M1R, k8, M1L, k4, M1L, k13, yfwd, turn. 48 sts.
Row 14 [WS]: Slp, k2, p40, k3, yfwd, turn.
Row 15 [RS]: Slp, k12, M1R, k5, M1R, k10, M1L, k5, M1L, k to end of row. 52 sts.
Row 16 [WS]: K4, p to last 4 sts, k4.

Cut Green; join Yellow yarn.
Row 17 [RS]: K14, M1R, k6, M1R, k12, M1L, k6, M1L, k11, yfwd, turn. 56 sts.
Row 18 [WS]: Slp, p48, k1, yfwd, turn.
Row 19 [RS]: Slp, k10, M1R, k7, M1R, k14, M1L, k7, M1L, k12, yfwd, turn. 60 sts.
Row 20 [WS]: Slp, k1, p52, k2, yfwd, turn.

Cut Yellow; join Orange yarn.
Row 21 [RS]: Slp, k11, M1R, k8, M1R, k16, M1L, k8, M1L, k13, yfwd, turn. 64 sts.
Row 22 [WS]: Slp, k2, p56, k3, yfwd, turn.
Row 23 [RS]: Slp, k12, M1R, k9, M1R, k18, M1L, k9, M1L, k to end of row. 68 sts.
Row 24 [WS]: K4, p to last 4 sts, k4.

Cut Red; join Orange yarn.
Row 33 [RS]: K14, k2tog, k8, k2tog, k16, ssk, k8, ssk, k11, yfwd, turn. 64 sts.
Row 34 [WS]: Slp, p56, k1, yfwd, turn.
Row 35 [RS]: Slp, k10, k2tog, k7, k2tog, k14, ssk, k7, ssk, k12, yfwd, turn. 60 sts.
Row 36 [WS]: Slp, k1, p52, k2, yfwd, turn.

Cut Orange; join Yellow yarn.
Row 37 [RS]: Slp, k11, k2tog, k6, k2tog, k12, ssk, k6, ssk, k13, yfwd, turn. 56 sts.
Row 38 [WS]: Slp, k2, p48, k3, yfwd, turn.
Row 39 [RS]: Slp, k12, k2tog, k5, k2tog, k10, ssk, k5, ssk, k to end of row. 52 sts.
Row 40 [WS]: K4, p to last 4 sts, k4.

Cut Yellow; join Green yarn.
Row 41 [RS]: K14, k2tog, k4, k2tog, k8, ssk, k4, ssk, k11, yfwd, turn.
Row 42 [WS]: Slp, p40, k1, yfwd, turn.
Row 43 [RS]: Slp, k10, k2tog, k3, k2tog, k6, ssk, k3, ssk, k12, yfwd, turn.
Row 44 [WS]: Slp, k1, p36, k2, yfwd, turn.

Cut Green; join Blue yarn.
Row 45 [RS]: Slp, k11, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k4, ssk, k2, ssk, k13, yfwd, turn. 40 sts.
Row 46 [WS]: Slp, k2, p32, k3, yfwd, turn.
Row 47 [RS]: Slp, k12, k2tog, k1, k2tog, k2, ssk, k1, ssk, k to end of row. 36 sts.
Row 48 [WS]: K4, p to last 4 sts, k4.

Cut Blue; join Purple yarn.
Work Rows 1-8 once more.
BO, leaving a long tail

FINISHING
Block. Weave in the yarn. ends except for the BO tail.

There is only one seam in this pattern: the BO edge is sewn to the CO edge. Stuff the Rainbow firmly as you sew the seam closed.

With RS facing, use the BO tail to sew through the loops made by the end sts in the garter stitch section

Sew the top and bottom of the garter stitch portions together, using mattress stitch, picking up the bumps at the very edges of the piece. Sew through the upper loops on the bottom piece and the lower loops on the top piece.

Seam the top and bottom of the stockinette portions together, using the invisible horizontal seam.

Once seam is complete, pull tight to gather and secure end.

Clare Doornbos is a full time mother and part time knitted toy designer. Over the last five years, she has built a thriving small business and gained international recognition. She uses the name Natty Knits because her real name is difficult to spell.

Her patterns include a Self Coiling Snake, that was featured in Knit Now October 2012, a Shark with knitted teeth that was in a German calendar and a Mallard who was the poster duck for the Unraveled Knitting Festival in Farnham, UK.

To see more examples, visit nattyknits.com. Natty Knits blogs occasionally too.