Cascade Yarns W Rainbow Wrap Knitting Pattern

Cascade Yarns W Rainbow Wrap

What is Being Made

The Cascade Yarns W Rainbow Wrap is a triangular shawlette designed by Ethel Weinberg. This knitted wrap measures 66 inches wide by 14 inches high when blocked, making it an ideal accessory for layering or draping across the shoulders. The finished piece features optional decorative button closures, allowing for versatile styling options.

Craft and Techniques

This project is created using the knitting craft with an Easy/Intermediate skill level. The wrap employs several fundamental knitting techniques to achieve its distinctive aesthetic. The pattern incorporates yarn overs and decreases to create openwork lace elements, which are essential for generating the wrap's elegant drape and visual interest. The construction method uses a structured approach with clearly defined sections: an edge border, left diagonal stripe section, and right diagonal stripe section, each worked with specific stitch patterns that create directional visual flow.

Stitches Used

The pattern utilizes a variety of essential knitting stitches:

• Garter Stitch – used for the bottom border to create a stable, textured foundation
• Stockinette Stitch – the primary stitch used throughout the main body, providing a smooth, classic fabric base
• Yarn Overs (YO) – creates decorative holes and increases for the lace pattern
• Knit 2 Together (K2tog) – a right-leaning decrease used in the edge borders and right diagonal stripe section
• Slip, Slip, Knit (SSK) – a left-leaning decrease used in the left diagonal stripe section to create balanced decreases
• Knit (K) and Purl (P) – fundamental stitches forming the base of all stitch patterns

Materials

The wrap is constructed using Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash Wave, a 100% Superwash Wool yarn. The project requires 3 skeins of color #113 (Unicorn), with each skein containing 100 grams (3.5 ounces) and 220 yards (200 meters) of yardage, providing a total of approximately 660 yards of yarn.

Essential tools include US 6 (4.0 mm) knitting needles or the size needed to achieve the specified gauge of 18 stitches by 24 rows equaling 4 inches in Stockinette Stitch. Additional materials include 3 stitch markers for tracking pattern sections, a yarn needle for weaving in ends, thread for sewing, and 3 optional buttons measuring 17 mm (11/16 inch) for closure embellishment.

Pattern Construction Details

The wrap begins with a long-tail cast-on of 234 stitches divided into four distinct sections: 5 stitches for the edge border, 112 stitches for the left diagonal stripe, 112 stitches for the right diagonal stripe, and 5 stitches for the opposite edge border. The pattern starts with a garter stitch bottom border that establishes the foundation and creates decorative yarn-over and decrease sequences at the edges. The main body then transitions into diagonal stripe patterns where the left section features left-leaning decreases paired with yarn overs, while the right section mirrors this with right-leaning decreases, creating a balanced, symmetrical design that flows diagonally across the finished wrap.