The designs are renowned not only for their beauty and symmetry, but also for a curious hallmark that involves a break in the pattern at the border, which, when viewed from a distance, can easily be mistaken for a loose thread, even though it has been incorporated directly into the fabric. This minor but deliberate flaw is known as a ch’ihónít’i, or “spirit line,” and its purpose has been interpreted in a variety of ways, one of which suggests that it is an expression of restraint.

