Susan Bowman – Pikes Peak Granite

After a trip to Pikes Peak, Katharine Lee Bates was inspired to compose a poem that would later be set to music and become “America the Beautiful.” I looked to the striking red granite of Pikes Peak for the inspiration for this weaving. Amazingly, Pikes Peak granite is 1.08 billion years old, with coarse grains varying from pink to red with black flecks. In 2026, Colorado celebrates its 150th year of statehood — another reason for this woven tribute.

I designed the asymmetrical pattern in the shawl using WeavePoint weaving software. Four curved parallel threading lines with four colors (red, black, two oranges) comprise the 16-shaft pattern, which includes a tubular woven selvedge for a nicely finished edge. To achieve organic shapes, I designed a curving advancing treadling with 428 picks per repeat, woven with a dark purple thread. All threads in this weaving are 20/2 mercerized cotton.