Raindrops and Rainbow Blanket

I have made lots of rainbow blankets over the years and some have been for "rainbow babies." The term "rainbow" is symbolic of the hope brought by a child after the storm of a previous loss. The rainbow has also taken on greater significance during 2020 and I wanted to design a blanket representing hope and healing. I love crocheting in bright colours and wanted to design a rainbow blanket that was cheerful and upbeat, but also reminds us that rainbows come after rain or stormy periods. The pattern can be made using any yarn and also lends itself to yarn cakes, gradient and self striping yarns. You will need to be able to change colour for your rainbow stripes if you are following the pattern colour sequence. On the bobble rows you will need to be able to change colour mid row and know how to carry your yarn across the row as in tapestry crochet. The pattern is written and charted using UK crochet terms.