Everybody loves a rainbow, so hook up your own splash of colour with this free crochet rainbow pattern by Lucy Croft. Here you can see how this rainbow pattern makes a fantastic appliqué, but you could use this free rainbow crochet pattern for all sorts of purposes - it would make a fantastic card embellishment of a window decoration!
This free crochet rainbow pattern uses some of the most basic crochet stitches, so it's a great pattern for those who are new to crochet. But if you've never even picked up a hook before, we've got plenty of help for you! You can find our guide on how to read crochet patterns, and you can also find our tutorials for every stitch you need in our crochet guide for beginners.
P.S. This crochet rainbow pattern was originally published in issue 57 of Simply Crochet, as part of a garment embellishment to accompany the gorgeous children's rainbow skirt pictured below. If you're interested hooking up the skirt to match your rainbow, you can find the pattern on Ravelry here!
You will need
Scheepjes Sunkissed (100% cotton, 50g/170m) - or alternative 4ply yarn, small amount of each:
- Yarn A Poolside (04) - Light Blue
- Yarn B Lavender Ice (10) - Violet
- Yarn C Beach Hut Pink (20) - Pink
- Yarn D Beach Hut Orange (12) - Orange
- Yarn E Noonday Sun (15) - Yellow
- Yarn F Spearmint Green (14) - Green
You will also need a small amount of off-white DK cotton yarn for the cloud
Abbreviations
You can find a full list of all abbreviations we use in our abbreviations and conversions guide. This rainbow pattern is written in UK terminology but you can easily convert it to US terms using the guide. And don't forget, if you need any help, you can find tutorials for all the stitches used in this pattern in our how to crochet section.
Here's some more fab free crochet patterns for you to try!
How to crochet a rainbow
Free Crochet Rainbow Pattern
Using Yarn B, ch15.
Row 1 (RS) Dc in second ch from hook, (2dc in next ch, dc in each of next 2 ch) twice, (dc in each of next 2 ch, 2dc in next ch) twice, dc in last ch, turn. [18 sts]
Row 2 Ch1 (does not count as st throughout), dc in each of first 3 sts, 2dc in next st, dc in each of next 3 sts, 2dc in next st, dc in each of next 2 sts, (2dc in next st, dc in each of next 3 sts) twice, turn. Fasten off. [22 sts]
Row 3 Join Yarn A in first st, ch1, dc in each of first 7 sts, 2dc in next st, dc in each of next 6 sts, 2dc in next st, dc in each of next 7 sts, turn. [24 sts]
Row 4 Ch1, dc in each of first 6 sts, 2dc in next st, dc in each of next 2 sts, 2dc in next st, dc in each of next 4 sts, 2dc in next st, dc in each of next 2 sts, 2dc in next st, dc in each of next 6 sts, turn. Fasten off. [28 sts]
Row 5 Join Yarn F in first st, ch1, dc in each of first 5 sts, 2dc in next st, dc in each of next 5 sts, 2dc in next st, dc in each of next 4 sts, (2dc in next st, dc in each of next 5 sts) twice, turn. [32 sts]
Row 6 Ch1, dc in each st to end, turn. Fasten off.
Row 7 Join Yarn E in first st, ch1, dc in each of first 5 sts, 2dc in next st, dc in each of next 5 sts, 2dc in next st, dc in each of next 8 sts, (2dc in next st, dc in each of next 5 sts) twice, turn. [36 sts]
Row 8 Ch1, dc in each st to end, turn. Fasten off.
Row 9 Join Yarn D in first st, ch1, dc in each of first 7 sts, 2dc in next st, dc in each of next 5 sts, 2dc in next st, dc in each of next 8 sts, 2dc in next st, dc in each of next 5 sts, 2dc in next st, dc in each of next 7 sts, turn. Fasten off. [40 sts]
Row 10 Ch1, dc in each st to end, turn. Fasten off.
Row 11 Join Yarn C in first st, ch1, dc in each of first 10 sts, 2dc in next st, dc in each of next 5 sts, 2dc in next st, dc in each of next 6 sts, 2dc in next st, dc in each of next 5 sts, 2dc in next st, dc in each of next 10 sts, turn. Fasten off. [44 sts]
Row 12 Ch1, dc in each st to end, turn.
Fasten off.
If you just can't get enough of rainbow patterns, here's some more colourful rainbow projects for you to try!
Crochet Cloud Pattern
Using off-white, ch10.
Round 1 (RS) Ch2 (counts as htr), 2htr in third ch from hook, htr in each of next 8 ch, 5htr in last ch, rotate to work along opposite side of starting ch, htr in each of next 8 ch, 2htr in next ch, ss to top of beg ch-2 to join. [26 sts]
Round 2 Ch2 (counts as htr), 2htr in st at base of ch-2, 2htr in each of next 2 htr, htr in next htr, ss in next htr, skip next 2 htr, 4dtr in each of next 2 htr, skip next 2 htr, ss in next htr, 2htr in each of next 4 htr, htr in each of next 4 htr, ss in next htr, htr in each of next 2 htr, 2tr in next htr, tr in next htr, 2tr in next htr, ss to top of beg ch-2 to join.
Fasten off and weave in ends.
Sew the Cloud on top of one end of the rainbow.
For more kids craft projects why not check out our craft ideas for kids blog post? Or we're uploading free daily craft patterns so you're entertained all year round.
