What is a rainbow? Have you ever thought to ask? The human ability to see the world around us, create meaning, and use math and science to deepen our understanding of the world in which we live is…well, just so human! We just love to try to figure things out, don’t we?

Let it be known right now that I am not, nor have I ever been, a mathematically inclined person. I flunked out of every math class I ever took from pre-algebra onwards, and spent my high school years sleeping through remedial math classes where my greatest accomplishment was understanding how to balance a checkbook. While I was working on this shawl – in an unrelated event – I geeked out with my kids a bit about rainbows. One of them is little enough that things like the moon and rainbows are just incredibly magical. One of them is at the age when they ask things like, “What is a rainbow, like, actually?” And so, the Google machine took us on a wild rainbow-filled ride. I found an amazing article by Ali Kayaspor, who also writes for However, Mathematics, called The Beautiful Mathematics Behind a Rainbow. As I was reading, I kept thinking about the shawl, and the mathematical nature of…well, everything! It frustrates me now that my grasp of mathematical concepts is so tenuous. Luckily, as an adult I have been the recipient of lots of totally sensible mathematical knowledge from friends who paid much more attention in class than I did.

Back in the early aughts, my bestie, roommate, and coworker at our Philly LYS, Grace Anna Farrow and I designed a seemingly simple shawl using Schaefer Yarns Anne. We were familiar with Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Pi Shawl, and wanted to create a half-circle version. It took us a few tries to get it just right, but we nailed it. I’m older now, I have a better grasp on math, and dare I even say that I enjoy it? For this year’s LYS Day Shawl I have revisited our old pal, the half pi shawl, and added some mathematically inspired stripe sequences, a squishy slip stitch pattern, and a simple and stretchy edging! This shawl uses the new Kelbourne Woolens yarn, Perennial – an homage to the original Anne used in the old school version of the half pi shawl.

A Bow in the Sky Shawl by Courtney Kelley

LYS Day Kits

A Bow in the Sky features our new yarn, Perennial. The pattern, and accompanying kits, will be available exclusively through Local Yarn Stores. If you are lucky enough to have a shop in your town, please go visit them on April 27th to show your appreciation for the hard work they do by purchasing a kit. LYS Day Kits for A Bow in the Sky includes:

• One skein of Perennial

• Two 10g gram mini skeins of 4 contrast colors

• Two 10g mini skeins of the main color

• A KW project bag

There are four colorways available: