8 Knitted Rainbow Blanket Patterns | The Knit Crew
There is something undeniably joyful about a rainbow blanket. Whether you are knitting one for a new baby, a colorful child’s room, a pride celebration, or simply because you want to inject some happiness into your home, a rainbow knit blanket is the kind of project that keeps you smiling from cast-on to bind-off. The bold stripes, the cheerful transitions from one hue to the next, and the satisfying way color builds row by row make rainbow blankets one of the most rewarding projects any knitter can take on.
At The Knit Crew, we have rounded up eight of our favorite knitted rainbow blanket patterns, ranging from beginner-friendly striped designs to more advanced colorwork projects that will challenge and delight experienced knitters. Whether you prefer soft pastel rainbows, bold ROYGBIV color progressions, or something more modern and muted, there is a pattern on this list for you.
Let’s dive in.
What Makes a Great Rainbow Blanket Pattern?
Before we get into the patterns themselves, it’s worth talking about what separates a truly great rainbow blanket pattern from a merely functional one. A great rainbow blanket pattern gives you clear color guidance, whether that means specifying exact yarn shades or providing enough flexibility for you to choose your own palette. It has a stitch structure that complements the color changes rather than fighting them. It is sized generously enough to be useful, and it is written in a way that makes the color transitions feel intentional and polished rather than abrupt.
Gauge matters here too. A rainbow blanket knit at a loose gauge will drape beautifully and feel cozy to wrap up in, while a tighter gauge produces a denser fabric that holds its shape and works wonderfully as a decorative throw. Most of the patterns below give you some flexibility in this regard, so you can tailor the finished fabric to your taste.
Yarn choice also plays a massive role in how a rainbow blanket turns out. If you want crisp, saturated color transitions, a smooth worsted-weight yarn in 100% wool or a wool-acrylic blend will give you the most vibrant results. If you prefer a softer, more diffused look, a yarn with some halo or a cotton-bamboo blend will blur the color boundaries slightly, giving the finished blanket a more painterly quality. We’ll note yarn suggestions throughout.
1. Classic Striped Rainbow Throw
This is the pattern that every knitter thinks of first when they hear “rainbow blanket,” and for good reason. A classic striped rainbow throw is accessible to beginners, works up quickly on larger needles, and produces a finished piece that is genuinely beautiful in its simplicity.
The structure here is pure stockinette worked flat, with color changes every ten rows to create bold, equal-width stripes. The color order follows the traditional rainbow spectrum: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. You can work through the spectrum once for a single-pass rainbow or repeat the sequence two or three times across the length of the blanket for a multi-stripe effect.
For a throw-sized blanket roughly 40 by 50 inches, you will need approximately 200 yards of each color in a bulky-weight yarn. This makes the project very budget-friendly if you already have a stash of single skeins in various colors. The cast-on is a simple long-tail cast-on, the bind-off is a standard knit bind-off, and the finishing involves weaving in your ends and blocking the blanket flat. That’s genuinely all there is to it.
One tip that makes a huge difference with this pattern: carry your yarn up the side edge rather than cutting it at each color change wherever possible. This reduces the number of ends you need to weave in dramatically, and since the edge will typically be folded over in a border or seamed, it stays tidy.
Best for: Absolute beginners, quick gifts, baby showers.
Recommended yarn: Lion Brand Pound of Love or Red Heart Soft in multiple colors.
2. Gradient Rainbow Baby Blanket
There is nothing quite as sweet as a rainbow blanket made for a new baby, and this gradient version takes the concept to a more refined level. Instead of bold, distinct stripes, this pattern creates a gentle color wash that melts from one hue to the next using short-row color blending and held stitches.
The technique at the heart of this pattern is simple but clever: two colors are held together for a transition row between each color section, which creates a soft, blended boundary rather than a hard line. The result looks far more complex than it actually is, making this a perfect “impressive-looking beginner” project.
The blanket is worked in a simple 2×2 rib, which gives it a wonderfully stretchy, textured quality and makes it reversible. The dimensions are designed for a standard crib, approximately 30 by 40 inches, but the pattern is easily scaled up or down by adjusting your cast-on number in multiples of four.
For yarn, a DK-weight superwash merino in a rainbow of colors is ideal. The superwash treatment makes it machine-washable, which any parent will thank you for. Aim for about 150 yards per color, and consider starting your color palette with a soft pastel set rather than full-saturation colors for a baby-specific project.
Best for: Baby shower gifts, nursery décor, beginners who want to try color blending.
Recommended yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash in coordinating shades.
3. Rainbow Log Cabin Blanket
The log cabin construction method is one of knitting’s great structural gifts. Squares and rectangles of color are built outward from a central starting point, creating a pinwheel-like pattern that is bold, graphic, and completely addictive to work. A rainbow version of the log cabin blanket takes this already dynamic structure and layers color progression on top of it, resulting in a piece that looks genuinely like a work of art.
In this pattern, the center square is knit first in red, and then each successive “log” of the blanket cycles through orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet before repeating the sequence. The resulting blanket has a mandala-like quality, with color radiating outward from the center in ever-larger bands.
The stitch pattern is garter stitch throughout, which is perfect for this construction style because it lies completely flat without any blocking and looks the same on both sides. It also makes color changes very clean and sharp, since garter stitch’s ridge structure draws the eye along the horizontal rather than highlighting any irregularities at the join.
This is a great stash-busting project. Because each log uses only a modest amount of yarn, you can use up odd skeins and remnants to build your rainbow. The finished blanket can be scaled to any size simply by continuing to add logs.
Best for: Intermediate knitters, stash-busting, decorative throws.
Recommended yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers or any worsted-weight wool.
4. Brioche Rainbow Blanket
If you have not yet discovered brioche knitting, a rainbow blanket is arguably one of the best ways to fall in love with the technique. Brioche produces an incredibly luscious, squishy fabric that looks equally beautiful in solid colors or, as in this case, in bold color combinations. When you add a rainbow color sequence to a two-color brioche pattern, the result is something truly spectacular.
In this pattern, two colors are worked simultaneously in alternating brioche rows. As the colors shift through the rainbow spectrum, the light color and the dark color swap roles, creating a subtle reversal effect that makes the blanket look different depending on which side you face outward.
This is not a beginner pattern. Brioche requires you to learn a handful of specific stitches, including the brk (brioche knit) and brp (brioche purl), and the rhythm of working with two colors on the same needle takes some getting used to. That said, once you have the rhythm, brioche is almost meditative in its repetition, and the color transitions give you clear visual markers to track your progress.
Plan for this blanket to be a slower, more mindful project. Use it as an opportunity to enjoy the process rather than racing toward the finish line.
Best for: Experienced knitters, showpiece projects, gifts for knitters who will appreciate the craftsmanship.
Recommended yarn: Malabrigo Rios in two complementary shades per color pairing.
5. Rainbow Mosaic Colorwork Blanket
Mosaic knitting is one of the most beginner-friendly forms of colorwork because you only ever work with one color per row. Instead of stranding two yarns across the back of your work simultaneously, mosaic knitting uses slipped stitches to create the illusion of intricate two-color patterning. The result looks like you worked complex stranded colorwork, but the technique is actually approachable for knitters who have mastered basic knit and purl stitches.
In this rainbow mosaic blanket pattern, each color section features its own geometric mosaic motif: chevrons in the red section, diamonds in the orange, a small tile pattern in the yellow, and so on through the spectrum. The overall effect is like a sampler blanket that also happens to be a rainbow, giving you a chance to practice several different mosaic patterns in a single project.
Because each mosaic section uses two colors with one acting as the background and one as the pattern color, you will need to plan your palette slightly more carefully than in a straightforward striped blanket. A light neutral background worked throughout with each rainbow color as the pattern color creates a cohesive, unified look. Alternatively, use each rainbow color as both the background and pattern color in adjacent sections, shifting the relationship as you move through the spectrum.
Best for: Adventurous beginners and intermediate knitters, sampler-style projects.
Recommended yarn: Paintbox Yarns Simply DK in a neutral plus all seven rainbow shades.
6. Feather and Fan Rainbow Blanket
The feather and fan stitch, also known as old shale, is one of knitting’s most beloved lace patterns. Its gentle scalloped waves are created by a simple four-row repeat of knit and purl rows combined with a cluster of decreases and yarn-overs, and the resulting texture is simultaneously delicate and robust. When this pattern is worked in rainbow stripes, the scalloped edge of each color section takes on the appearance of ocean waves washed in color, which is breathtaking.
In this blanket, each color of the rainbow is worked over four complete feather and fan repeats (sixteen rows), which gives each color enough presence to be clearly distinct while keeping the overall stripe proportion elegant. The blanket is worked flat on a long circular needle, and the natural scalloping of the feather and fan stitch means the side edges will not be perfectly straight, which adds to the organic, handcrafted beauty of the finished piece.
This pattern works best in a smooth, light-to-medium-weight yarn that shows off the lace structure. Avoid anything too fuzzy or textured, as the yarn halo will obscure the detail of the yarn-overs. A silk-merino blend is particularly gorgeous here, as it gives the finished fabric a subtle sheen that makes the colors glow.
Best for: Intermediate knitters, decorative throws, gifts for people who appreciate lace work.
Recommended yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh DK or a similar silk-merino blend.
7. Rainbow Granny Square-Style Knit Blanket
Wait, granny squares are crochet, aren’t they? They are, but this ingenious pattern translates the beloved granny square aesthetic into a fully knitted format. Each “square” is worked in the round from the center outward using short rows and mitred construction, with color changes at each round creating concentric squares of color. The individual squares are then seamed together or joined as you go to create the overall blanket.
For a rainbow version, each square progresses through the full spectrum within itself, from a tiny red center out to a violet border. Alternatively, you can assign one color to each square and arrange the finished squares in rainbow order across the blanket. Both approaches produce a stunning finished piece.
The construction of each square is a good introduction to working with double-pointed needles or a short circular needle, and the seaming is a satisfying finishing exercise. The modular nature of this project also makes it wonderfully portable: you can work on a single square anywhere without lugging a full blanket in progress, and you will always have a clear sense of how much you have completed.
Best for: Intermediate knitters, portable projects, knitters who love crochet aesthetics.
Recommended yarn: Scheepjes Colour Crafter in a full rainbow palette.
8. Intarsia Rainbow Arch Blanket
The intarsia rainbow arch blanket is the most ambitious project on this list, and also arguably the most visually striking. Instead of horizontal stripes, this pattern features a large arched rainbow motif worked in intarsia colorwork against a cream or white background. The finished piece looks like a painting: a bold, cheerful arc of color rising across the center of the blanket, with fluffy white “cloud” motifs at either end if you choose to add them.
Intarsia requires you to work with separate bobbins of yarn for each color section rather than carrying yarn across the back of the work. This means you will have a number of yarn strands hanging from your work at any given time, which can feel daunting at first. The key is to use small bobbins for each color section and to unwind only a yard or two of yarn at a time, which keeps the tangle manageable.
The color sequence in this pattern follows a traditional rainbow arc: red at the outermost band, then orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet at the innermost band. The background is worked in a simple stockinette, and the intarsia sections follow the same stitch for a smooth, even fabric. Blocking is essential for this pattern to smooth out any puckering at the color joins.
This is the blanket you make to hang on a wall, drape over a crib, or present as a heirloom gift. The time investment is significant, but the finished piece is genuinely extraordinary.
Best for: Advanced knitters, heirloom projects, statement nursery décor.
Recommended yarn: Quince and Co. Chickadee in natural white plus all six rainbow shades.
Tips for Knitting a Rainbow Blanket
No matter which pattern you choose, a few universal tips will help your rainbow blanket turn out beautifully.
Plan your palette before you buy. Lay your yarn out in color order and look at it in natural light before you commit. Sometimes colors that look great individually can clash or muddy each other in sequence. If you are using stash yarn, photograph your skeins and look at the image in black and white to check that your values (the relative lightness and darkness of each color) are roughly even, which will help the rainbow read clearly.
Weave in ends as you go. A rainbow blanket generates a lot of ends. If you let them pile up to the end of the project, finishing can feel overwhelming. Weave in each end after every color change and you will reach the finish line feeling relieved rather than defeated.
Block your finished blanket. Even if you are using an acrylic yarn that technically doesn’t require blocking, wetting or steaming the finished blanket and laying it flat to dry will even out your tension, smooth your edges, and give the piece a polished, professional look. For wool and natural fiber yarns, blocking can be genuinely transformative.
Don’t be afraid to adjust colors. The rainbow spectrum is a suggestion, not a rule. Some of the most beautiful rainbow blankets use unexpected interpretations of the spectrum: dusty rose instead of red, terracotta instead of orange, sage instead of green. Trust your eye and your instincts.
Final Thoughts
A rainbow blanket is one of those projects that rewards you not just at the end but throughout the entire process. Every color change is a small milestone. Every completed section is a visible reminder of how far you have come. And the finished piece, regardless of which of these eight patterns you choose, is the kind of object that brings genuine happiness into a room.
Whether you are a beginner working your first striped throw or an experienced knitter taking on an intarsia arch, we hope this list has inspired you to cast on something colorful. The yarn is waiting, the needles are ready, and your next favorite project is one rainbow at a time.
Happy knitting from all of us at The Knit Crew.
