Free Rainbow and Clouds Knit Blanket Pattern Using Red Heart Super Saver Yarn

There is something deeply satisfying about wrapping yourself or someone you love in a handmade blanket. When that blanket happens to look like a sky full of fluffy white clouds drifting beneath a brilliant arc of rainbow colors, the result is nothing short of magical. This free rainbow and clouds knit blanket pattern is designed for knitters who want a cheerful, eye-catching project that works up beautifully with Red Heart Super Saver yarn — one of the most trusted, affordable, and widely available craft yarns on the market.

Whether you are knitting this blanket for a nursery, a child’s bedroom, a cozy reading nook, or simply as a colorful addition to your home, this pattern delivers bold visual impact without demanding advanced skills. If you can knit, purl, and change colors, you have everything you need to make this blanket a reality. Let’s dive into all the details, from materials and gauge to step-by-step instructions and finishing tips.

Why Red Heart Super Saver Yarn Is the Perfect Choice

Before we get into the pattern itself, it’s worth spending a moment on the yarn, because choosing the right yarn makes an enormous difference in how your finished blanket looks and how long it holds up over time.

Red Heart Super Saver is a worsted-weight acrylic yarn that has been a staple in the crafting community for decades. It comes in an extraordinary range of colors — well over 100 shades — which makes it ideal for a rainbow-themed project where you need true reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, and purples, along with a clean, bright white for the cloud sections. You won’t have to hunt through obscure specialty shops or pay premium prices to find the colors you need. Red Heart Super Saver is available at major craft stores like Joann, Michaels, and Walmart, as well as online through Amazon and the Red Heart website.

Beyond availability and color range, Red Heart Super Saver is machine washable and dryer safe, which is a critical feature for a blanket that will actually be used. Children’s blankets, lap blankets, and cozy throw blankets all need to survive frequent washing, and this yarn handles it beautifully without pilling excessively or losing its shape. It is also one of the most budget-friendly options available, so you can make a large, generous blanket without breaking the bank.

For this pattern, you will be using several individual skeins across the rainbow color spectrum plus white. The exact colors recommended are listed in the materials section below.

Materials You Will Need

Getting your materials together before you cast on will make the knitting process smooth and enjoyable. Here is everything you need for this rainbow and clouds knit blanket.

Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver (7 oz / 364 yards per skein)

• 1 skein in Cherry Red (or your preferred true red)
• 1 skein in Carrot (or your preferred orange)
• 1 skein in Bright Yellow
• 1 skein in Paddy Green (or your preferred medium green)
• 1 skein in Bluebell (or your preferred medium blue)
• 1 skein in Amethyst (or your preferred purple)
• 2 skeins in White (for the cloud sections and border)

Needles: US size 8 (5.0 mm) straight or circular knitting needles, at least 36 inches long if using circular

Notions:

• Tapestry needle for weaving in ends
• Scissors
• Stitch markers (optional but helpful)
• Measuring tape

Finished Size: Approximately 36 inches wide by 44 inches long, making it a generous lap blanket or a perfect size for a baby or toddler blanket. You can easily adjust the width by casting on more stitches in multiples of 2, and you can adjust the length by knitting additional rows in any color section.

Gauge

Gauge: 18 stitches and 24 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch

Always knit a gauge swatch before starting a blanket, especially if you plan to gift it or need a specific finished size. Knit a swatch of at least 20 stitches and 26 rows, then measure the center 4 inches. If your gauge is tighter than listed, try going up one needle size. If it is looser, try going down one needle size. Getting gauge right ensures your blanket will be the size you expect when you bind off.

Pattern Notes

This blanket is worked flat, back and forth in rows. The body of the blanket is worked in stockinette stitch (knit on the right side, purl on the wrong side) for each color section, which allows each color stripe to read as a clean, smooth band of color. The cloud sections are worked using a simple bobble or seed stitch texture to give a dimensional, puffy appearance that evokes floating clouds against a pale sky.

Colors are changed at the beginning of rows. When changing colors, simply drop the old color, pick up the new one, and begin knitting. You do not need to carry colors up the side because each color section is worked for a substantial number of rows before changing. Leave tails of at least 6 inches when beginning and ending each color so you have enough yarn to weave in securely.

The border is worked after the main body is complete, using a simple garter stitch edging in White to give the blanket a clean, finished look and to echo the cloud theme.

Throughout this pattern, RS means right side and WS means wrong side. All stitch counts assume you have cast on 162 stitches, which gives you approximately 36 inches at the gauge listed above.

The Pattern

Casting On

Using White yarn and your US size 8 needles, cast on 162 stitches. If you prefer a stretchier cast on, use the long-tail cast on method. If you prefer a firm, tidy edge, the cable cast on works beautifully here.

Cloud Border at the Bottom (White Section One)

This section forms the first cloud band at the bottom of your blanket, setting the scene before the rainbow arcs overhead.

Rows 1–4: Knit all stitches (garter stitch). This forms your bottom border.

Row 5 (RS): Knit across.
Row 6 (WS): Purl across.
Row 7 (RS, Bobble Row): K4, make bobble (knit into the front, back, front, back, and front of the next stitch to make 5 stitches from 1; turn, p5; turn, k5; turn, p5; turn, slip 1, k1, psso, k1, k2tog; turn, p3tog — bobble complete), k8 repeat from to across, ending k4 after last bobble.
Row 8 (WS): Purl across.
Row 9 (RS): Knit across.
Row 10 (WS): Purl across.

Repeat Rows 5–10 two more times (you will have worked the bobble row a total of 3 times in this white section). Then work Rows 5–6 once more.

This gives your white cloud section a generous depth of approximately 4 inches before the rainbow colors begin.

Purple Section

Change to Amethyst (purple) yarn.

Row 1 (RS): Knit across.
Row 2 (WS): Purl across.

Repeat these 2 rows until your purple section measures 3 inches from the color change, ending after a WS purl row.

Blue Section

Change to Bluebell (blue) yarn.

Row 1 (RS): Knit across.
Row 2 (WS): Purl across.

Repeat until the blue section measures 3 inches, ending after a WS row.

Green Section

Change to Paddy Green yarn.

Row 1 (RS): Knit across.
Row 2 (WS): Purl across.

Repeat until the green section measures 3 inches, ending after a WS row.

Middle Cloud Section (White Section Two)

Change to White yarn.

Row 1 (RS): Knit across.
Row 2 (WS): Purl across.
Row 3 (RS, Bobble Row): Repeat the bobble row from the first cloud section.
Row 4 (WS): Purl across.
Row 5 (RS): Knit across.
Row 6 (WS): Purl across.

Repeat Rows 1–6 twice more, then work Rows 1–2 once more. This middle cloud section should measure approximately 4 inches.

Yellow Section

Change to Bright Yellow yarn.

Row 1 (RS): Knit across.
Row 2 (WS): Purl across.

Repeat until the yellow section measures 3 inches, ending after a WS row.

Orange Section

Change to Carrot (orange) yarn.

Row 1 (RS): Knit across.
Row 2 (WS): Purl across.

Repeat until the orange section measures 3 inches, ending after a WS row.

Red Section

Change to Cherry Red yarn.

Row 1 (RS): Knit across.
Row 2 (WS): Purl across.

Repeat until the red section measures 3 inches, ending after a WS row.

Top Cloud Section (White Section Three)

Change to White yarn and work the same cloud section as the middle cloud section above, for approximately 4 inches.

Final Garter Border

Work 4 rows of knit all stitches in White.

Bind off all stitches loosely. A loose bind off is important here — if you bind off too tightly, the top edge of your blanket will pull inward and the finished blanket will not lie flat.

Side Borders

To complete the blanket’s finished look, you will add a garter stitch side border in White on each vertical edge.

With White yarn and your needles, pick up and knit approximately 1 stitch for every 2 rows along one long side of the blanket. The exact stitch count will depend on how many total rows you knitted, but aim for an even number.

Knit 4 rows in garter stitch (knit every row). Bind off loosely.

Repeat on the other long side.

This border gives the blanket a tidy, unified edge and prevents the sides from rolling, which is a natural tendency of stockinette stitch.

Finishing

Weave in all yarn ends using your tapestry needle. Take your time with this step. Weave each tail in at least two directions — once along the horizontal of a row, then back through a few stitches in the other direction — to ensure the ends are truly secure and will not work loose over time with washing and use.

Once all ends are woven in, wet block your blanket if you would like it to lie particularly flat and even. Fill a sink or bathtub with cool water, submerge the blanket gently, and let it soak for about 20 minutes. Do not wring or twist. Lift the blanket out carefully, supporting its weight, and press out excess water by rolling it in a clean towel. Lay it flat on a blocking mat or clean surface, shape it to the correct dimensions, and allow it to air dry completely. Blocking is not required with acrylic yarn, but it can make a noticeable difference in the drape and appearance of the finished blanket.

Customization Ideas

One of the most wonderful things about a pattern like this is how many ways you can make it your own. Here are a few ideas to inspire your creativity.

Adjust the color order. Traditionally, a rainbow goes red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet from the outermost arc to the innermost. This pattern runs the colors in a gentle gradient from purple at the bottom through to red at the top, mimicking the arc of a rainbow over a cloudy sky. But you can reverse the order, rearrange it, or add additional colors if you want a longer blanket with more stripes.

Add a seventh stripe. If you want to include an indigo stripe between the blue and purple, pick up a skein of Concord Grape or a similar deep blue-purple from the Red Heart Super Saver line. Simply work it the same way as the other color sections.

Make it larger. To make a full throw blanket size — approximately 50 by 60 inches — cast on 225 stitches and work each color section to 4 inches instead of 3. You will need 2 skeins of most colors and 3 skeins of White.

Adjust the texture of the clouds. If you find bobbles intimidating, you can replace them with a simple seed stitch texture for the white sections. Work seed stitch by alternating knit and purl stitches across the row (k1, p1), then on the next row, knit the purls and purl the knits. This creates a bumpy, textured surface that still suggests the look of fluffy clouds without requiring you to work the bobble technique.

Use variegated yarn for one section. Consider using a Red Heart Super Saver variegated colorway in a sky-inspired print for one of the white cloud sections. Red Heart offers several variegated options that blend blues and whites together, which could create a beautiful watercolor effect in your cloud bands.

Tips for Success

A few small habits make a big difference in how your finished blanket looks.

Always join new yarn colors at the beginning of a row rather than in the middle. This keeps your color changes neat and makes ends easier to weave in later.

Use a clip or safety pin to mark your right side at the beginning of your project. It is easy to lose track of which side is which when you are working on a large piece, and knowing your right side prevents you from accidentally working a bobble row on the wrong side.

Keep your tension consistent from row to row and from color to color. Switching yarn colors can sometimes cause your tension to shift slightly, especially if different colors have slightly different textures or if you hold the yarn differently. Take a moment as you start each new color section to check that your stitches are not noticeably tighter or looser than those in the previous section.

Count your stitches periodically. It is very easy to accidentally add or drop a stitch over the course of a long project. A quick count every 20 rows or so catches any errors before they become impossible to fix.

A Note on Gifting This Blanket

This rainbow and clouds blanket makes an extraordinary gift. It is especially beloved for baby showers, first birthdays, new nurseries, and gifts for children who are going through a difficult time and could use a little extra comfort and color in their lives. Because Red Heart Super Saver is machine washable and incredibly durable, parents appreciate receiving it as much as children love using it.

If you are gifting this blanket, consider printing out the pattern or a simplified care card to tuck inside. Include washing instructions — machine wash warm, tumble dry low — and let the recipient know what yarn was used so they can repair or extend the blanket with matching yarn if ever needed.

Share Your Make

If you knit this rainbow and clouds blanket, please consider sharing a photo of your finished project. Seeing how other knitters interpret a pattern — the color choices they make, the sizes they adapt, the creative variations they invent — is one of the greatest joys of the knitting community. Tag your photos and share them in knitting groups, on social media, or anywhere crafters gather. Your finished blanket might be exactly the inspiration another knitter needs to start their own.

This pattern is free to use for personal projects and for charitable knitting, such as blankets donated to hospitals, shelters, or community organizations. If you sell finished blankets made from this pattern, a credit to the original pattern is always appreciated.

Happy knitting — and may your skies always be full of rainbows and clouds.