Sketch to Garment: Yehliu
Please excuse my delay in posting about Yehliu — I’ve been a very busy bee working on some designs for SWTC and the upcoming TNNA trade show next week.
I my previous posts about Knitting in the Sun, I mentioned that designers were asked to submit names of sunny places for our garments to keep with the book’s theme. My lacy cables-and-lace kimono cardigan design just begged to be named Yehliu (phonetically pronounced YAY-lou). The texture and patterning of the cardigan reminds me of the divets and textures in some of the rock formations in the geological wonders at Yehliu Park.
The sketch and original swatch that I submitted differed
a little from the final garment, because my swatch used a DK yarn, and in the end, Kristi and I went with Lorna’s Laces Lion and Lamb, a worsted weight yarn. At the time, we really couldn’t find a nice DK yarn that really would give the garment the sheen and drape that we wanted. The garment is knit from cuff to center at the bodice, seamed, and then stitches are picked up for the lower portion of the cardigan. The silky yarn gives is great drape, while the looser fit just screams luscious comfort.
Because of the difficultly in translating a character-based language with sounds not used by English-speakers, Yehliou is another variation of the romanized spelling. So, if you want to search for information in addition to the links I’ve provided, check the different spellings.
Yehliu is one of the many famous and beautiful destination sites in Taiwan. It is located north of Taipei, along the northern coast, and very close to Yangminshan National Park (where I once got a nasty “bite” from a caterpillar), and located withing the Guanyinshan National Scenic Area. (btw, “shan” is mountain).
Yehliu is geological phenomenon – there are many gorgeous and unusual rock formations created by Mother Nature. One of the most famous formation is known as the Queen’s Head, with reference to it’s resemblance to Nefertiti. My dad has photos of the Queen’s Head from the 70’s and her profile was much more pronounced and apparent. Over the decades, wind has whittled down her silhouette. It’s nature, but I wonder how many more years, the Queen’s Head will have before her neck snaps off. I should try to find my dad’s photos for comparison.
If you want to see Nefertiti’s bust in person, do it soon! Geologists estimate that she many only survive for another 20 years. Even then, since Taiwan sits on a volcanic bed and on some fault lines, any earthquake coud also cause her neck to snap. Some of the nearby attractions include Taipei, the hot springs at Yangminshan, Tamshui Fisherman’s Wharf, and many others!
Below are more fantastic photos of these natural wonders. Many of the formations have been dubbed with names like Tofu Rock, Candle Rock or Boob Rock, I personally don’t have any good digital photos of Yehliu, since when I went 5 years ago, I had a really crappy camera, and the weather situation was not conducive to great photos. The photos below are from URLs that I grabbed from photos that I found. In all cases, I linked the photo to the photographer’s Flickr page so that due credit can be recognized.
Clever design and name. You are making me want to visit Taiwan!