Pattern description from Knitting in America: “We were enthralled by the interplay of colors when we placed Molly’s Pre-Columbian Shawl on an adobe wall in Ranchos de Taos as the sun was setting and a storm was brewing in the distance (see pages 63-64). To make the shawl, Molly matched a rayon and mohair novelty yarn from Fiesta Yarns in a color called Taos (a melange of gold, copper, rust, and grayish blue) with a two-ply silk yarn called Rapunzel that she purchased from Henry’s Attic and dyed herself in a palette of turquoise and purple (using Lanaset dyes) and varying shades of brown (using Cushing’s Perfection Acid dyes). The silk yarn has a jewel-like luster that contrasts beautifully with the matte color and the fluffiness of the mohair. The stamp motif is pre-Columbian and was commonly used by Central and South Americans as a fabric motif. Although Molly’s shawl is a one-of-a-kind piece that cannot be recreated exactly, the chart on page 188 can be used as a guide. To create the triangular shape, cast on three stitches, knit one row, then working in stockinette stitch, increase one stitch at each end of every row until the shawl reaches the desired dimensions. (Without the fringe, Molly’s shawl measures ninety-four inches wide and thirty-eight inches deep and required approximately one-and-a-third pounds of the silk and three eight-ounce skeins of the mohair-rayon yarn.) For a neat finish at the top, knit about seven rows straight, then make a fold line by either knitting on the wrong side or purling on the right side. Next, work about five rows stockinette stitch, cast off, and sew down the edge with a whip stitch. Using a crochet hook, attach the fringe (mixing together strands of all the different fibers used in the shawl). Be sure to knit the shawl at a medium-loose gauge to assure an attractive drape. Molly worked twelve stitches and fourteen rows to four inches over stockinette stitch, using a size 11 circular needle.”