Scrappy Rainbow is a joyful celebration of your yarn scraps, designed to help you stash bust every last bit of yarn. This shawl features a stunning marled effect, achieved by holding two strands of fingering weight yarn together throughout the project and changing one strand at a time as you run out of that color. The result is a beautifully blended fade that transforms leftover bits of yarn into a cohesive, eye-catching masterpiece.
The exaggerated crescent shape makes it easy to wear, draping effortlessly around your shoulders or wrapping snugly as a scarf. Worked from the top center outward, Scrappy Rainbow is as simple as it is satisfying: after casting on, every row is the same until you reach the bind-off. This meditative, one-row-repeat pattern offers the perfect balance of mindless knitting and creative play, letting your colors shine as they fade into one another.
Whether you’re looking to create a vibrant rainbow, a subtle ombré, or a playful mix of hues, Scrappy Rainbow is your canvas for turning yarn scraps into something truly special.
Skills
Knit
Knit Front Back Front
Yarn Over
Bind Off
Sizing
One Size: 13.5” Depth, 87” Top Edge
Gauge
16 stitches and 28 rows over 4”/10cm in garter stitch, blocked
Materials
Yarn
Approximately 330 grams or 1430 yards/1310 meters of fingering weight scraps.
Line up your scraps in a fade or ROYGBIV rainbow. There’s no need to go in Red to Violet order. Mine starts with Yellow and flows backward to Green (YORVIBG). I recommend starting with the color you have the least of and fading (or rainbow-ing) from there. Take a picture so that you don’t forget what you decided.
The scraps in the sample were anywhere from 1 gram to 44 grams. The smaller scraps will result in little blips of color, while the larger scraps will result in large bands of color. I recommend planning your color order so that most of your larger amounts of scraps are toward the bottom of the shawl, which is wider.
The exact weights bases and colorways used in the sample are listed at the end of the pattern for reference. There is no need to acquire the exact yarns to replicate the sample; please make this shawl your own using the scraps that you have.
Needles
US 9 (5.5mm) 40-inch circular needles or size needed to obtain gauge
Notions
Scissors
Tapestry needle
Abbreviations
k knit
kfbf knit front, back, front
st stitch
yo yarn over
Written Instructions
Throughout the pattern, hold 2 strands of yarn together. When one strand has 6-10” remaining, join the next strand and continue in pattern. There will be 3 strands of yarn overlapping for those 6-10”, which weaves in the ends as you knit.
Hold 2 strands of yarn together and cast on 7 stitches.
Set Up Row (WS): k1, yo, kfbf, k to last 2 stitches, kfbf, yo, k1
Row 1: k1, yo, drop yo, k to last 3 stitches, kfbf, yo, drop yo, k1
Repeat Row 1 until the shawl is 13” or until you have a tail that is 6 times as long as the length of the live edge of the shawl, whichever comes first.
If you decide to keep going for a deeper shawl, keep in mind that the width grows quickly. For each additional row, expect an additional 1/2” of width.
Bind Off: k1, drop yo, k1, slip 2 st to right needle and knit together through back loop, (k1, slip 2 st to right needle, k2tog through back loop), repeat to last 2 st, drop yo, k1, slip 2 st to right needle, k2tog through back loop
Pull the yarn through and break yarn.
Finishing
Weave in the ends of the cast on and bind off yarns. Block, smoothing out the crescent shape. Trim all ends.
Happy Knitting!
I’d love to see your finished project! Use #scrappyrainbowshawl to share your creation on social media, and tag me @knitritionist so I can celebrate your work.
Pattern Information
Designer: Katy Hoyng | knitrition.com | Email: katy@knitrition.com
Sample Yarns for Reference
The yarns used in the sample are listed in the approximate order of use. Not all yarns pictured above were used in the final sample.
- 35g Hedgehog Fibres Skinny Singles in Heyday
- 3g Lorna’s Laces Solemate in EatSleepKnit
- 44g String Theory Colorworks Inertia Self Striping in Fractal
- 3g Murray & Co. Wool Goods Classic Sock in Candy Cane
- 28g Mrs Crosby Satchel in Hummingbird
- 10g Malabrigo Yarn Lace in Fucsia (held double)
- 6g Manos del Uruguay Alegria in Antigua
- 8g Manos del Uruguay Alegria in Magenta
- 28g Mrs Crosby Satchel in Pansy
- 12g Holly Press Fibers SHEEPISHsock in Sugar Plum Fairy
- 20g SweetGeorgia Yarns Tough Love Sock in Eden
- 7g Spincycle Yarns Dyed in the Wool in Love Spell
- 4g Hue Loco Tweed Sock in Bluebird
- 20g Manos del Uruguay Alegria in Ming
- 4g Manos del Uruguay Alegria in Royal
- 8g Hedgehog Fibres Sock in Beach Bunny
- 43g Teenybutton Studio Shimmer Sock in Cotton-Headed Ninnymuggins
- 1g Manos del Uruguay Alegria in Oxygen
- 4g Malabrigo Yarn Lace in Water Green (held double)
- 2g Hue Loco Merino Sock in Sexy Christmas
- 10g Malabrigo Yarn Sock in Fiona
