The gauge and size dimensions are only suggestions. I envision this to be more of a recipe than a written in stone pattern. The yarn, needle size and stitch patterns can be followed or you can choose different weight yarns and stitch patterns if they would work better for your needs.

For the green shawl, I used 200 yards of a variegated yarn for both ends of the shawl which are knitted in Double Broken Rib. For the center I used 500 yards of a self-striping yarn. This is the larger shawl.
For the smaller shawl, I used a total of 500 yards of a self-striping yarn.