Hello~ New year of the Rooster

Happy New Year ~

Long time no see all my dear friends. I didn't realize that I haven't posted any this long. Wow, I am pretty shocked. I must've been either super busy or extremely lazy. Either way, I am not so proud of myself. Oh, well but I am here to be friends with you again with my little stories of daily life and projects I am working on. Hopefully this little blog inspires you to create more and enjoy what you create.

2016 has been a great year. Personally I read a lot of books of many different kinds. Sometimes reading can be such luxury that I put it somewhere last spot in my to-do list. This year I discovered my local library which takes me about 1 hour walking round trip and started borrowing (and READING) books on a regular basis. This is good since I could get books while I do some exercises, killing two birds with one stone. :) Surprisingly the more I read the more I desire reading. I am simply amazed by how much I am hungry for reading. I am sure this new hobby will stick with me next year.

Other than reading I did more cook this year. I started with humble hope to be healthy but I came to know how much I enjoy cooking and feeding my hubby. So it instantly became great joy in my life. Certainly it takes time and energy. Let's not overlook that. From choosing menu, grocery shopping, surviving in the kitchen while cooking to cleaning the kitchen after all great eating. All steps require a good amount of work. But, cooking really helped me being more creative and diligent. I enjoyed exploring those colorful veggies, fruits and savory grains. After I got marry to an American guy I certainly eat more meats but that didn't stop me from consuming  fish. Well, I introduced a good variety of seafood to him and now he can enjoy pretty every seafood I eat. He has never been a fish-eater even though is from San Diego (go figure!) but now he is totally converted. He craves fish more than I do.

Hope your 2016 was full of love, warmth, and beautiful (in our own ways) memories and you're now ready to move to an exciting new year. As people say we don't know what the tomorrow brings but we know we should keep moving forward and fight a good fight. Life is short and we should adore every single moment we have here.

Did you know? The next year is a year of the Rooster according to Chinese zodiac. To celebrate the coming year of the Rooster I made those lovely chickens with a help of Dragonbird. I used way thinner yarns than the pattern originally called for but my babies turned out so~ beautifully that I wanted to share with you. If you do crochet you must try. So easy and quick. They would jazz up your simple spaces or New Year's cards. What a festive way of celebrating a new year!

I wish you a wonderful new year. May God bless you and your family with lots of love, joy and achievement coming year!
Take care and see you soon~

XO,

Soyun.

What summer calls for

Hi all,

 

How is the weather treating you this time of the year? It is getting warmer and more humid day by day in Korea. Well, still not too bad though. Sunny, flowery, breezy, and dry enough to enjoy outdoor. I am so~ loving it! Unfortunately, the rainy season is coming and it is my least favorite. Honestly I am pretty terrified with summer in Korea. (Isn't it funny that I worry about next summer during the winter season? I guess I could've enjoyed winter more if I didn't worry about coming season too much.) 

 

Now it is the last minute I can enjoy knitting before summer officially shows up and stops me from what I like most in the world. It means I better hurry up. So I decided to join KAL/ CALs to keep myself being extra busy with stitching. It is always helpful to have knitting friends to inspire and encourage myself. This time I joined some podcast KAL/CAL groups to maximize my stitching process. Watching and listening to podcasts are fun yet stitching together is double exciting! I've just started but I can say I am already pretty thrilled by this passionate waves of knitters. I didn't expect many people are knitting in this warm weather. I see huge numbers of fellow knitters joining those events and enjoying somewhat competitive ambience. This is super fun!

So far I finished two of my projects. Since I practice lace summer only (barely 2-3 months of the year) my lacework skill isn't great yet. But, as long as I don't gift them I don't worry so much about randomly broken holes and missing textures.. :)

I like this shawl because it is extra airy. Even though mainly made of wool it is still very breathable and light. Since it is pretty easy to squeeze in my tote I can bring it anywhere I go and put on anytime I feel uncomfortably chilly with the blow of an air conditioner.

The next shawl is made of Italian Linen. As usual linen never brings me down. The shawl does not stick to my skin and feels always dry and fresh. Just perfect for humid summer in Korea. I am glad I bought this yarn while I was travelling in Italy. I just wish yarn is not too heavy and bulky to carry. Sometimes I feel sorry to my hubby that I purchase too many things while we are travelling. We usually travel about a month so already many bags to handle. Adding more packages wouldn't be welcomed by those who doesn't shop at all. :) But, I have to say yarn collected from all over the world made my knitting way more vibrant and unique. It also reminds me of great memories of the trip whenever I play with it. How can I stop bringing yarns from abroad? (Don't tell my sweet hubby.)

What's on your needles and hooks? Anyone joining KAL/CALs? If you have something fun let me know. I'd like to join, too~ Happy summer!

XO,

Soyun.
 

Now you can find me on Instagram~

Hi there,

This is a short memo for those interested in my working process and behind the scenes of my little atelier. I started sharing my simple daily life on Instagram finally. (Warning: I might disappoint you with my extra-humble photo album. But, I am trying to improve asap so you can taste more of my creative life from the other side of the globe. I promise~)

If you're interested please visit and follow me. I will try to jazz up with cool photos of working in progress projects, my messy yet cozy atelier, the little nest I am building with my dear hubby, and something that surprise you. I truly hope you guys find some fun out of my page. I love blogging but as you guys know I cannot update as often as I want. So hopefully this would help us know each other better. Oh, but it does not mean I am gonna ditch blogging. I am still gonna be here as often as possible.

 

For those who prefer computer version here's a link. (https://www.instagram.com/atelierdesoyun/) If you already using Instagram you can find me simply plugging "atelierdesoyun" for search.

Thanks and see you there~

xo!

Soyun.

New Arrival

Finally one of the new arrivals shows up at my atelier. Well, I am still working on new designs and colors here and there. Developed some, fixed some, and trashed some... This process would never end but I enjoy it. Trying something new is always fun and exciting.

In the meanwhile I want to introduce you this improved big drawstring bag. The basic is always the best. :) Nothing fancy but it truly takes care of all your need. It embraces a working project, a few balls of yarns and some extras such as cable needles, darning needles, stitch markers, scissors, rulers, and even hand lotions if you'd like to. I like this six spacious inner pockets for my knitting-out days. When I go out one of those are occupied by a few of candy drops or gum strips for fun. :)

 

 

I am in love with this rich orange color. So juicy, so yummy. Whenever I dye this color I have this desire of drinking the whole bowl of dye water. Sounds so strange but if you saw this color in a glass you would know I am not exaggerating.

 

Since many of you asked me to offer bigger-sized bags I tried. Here we are. This is a 14"(35cm) by 14"(35cm) square bag. Not too huge but big enough for your medium sized project. Not too plain but flirty enough to show off at knitting group meetings. 

 

 

 I am trying to offer many different colors and sizes. As most of you already know please contact me if you want to customize the bag as you wish. I am always happy to work with you. You're my best inspiration!

 

Flower Power

 Hi everyone~

Hope your spring is full of warmth, freshness, and love just like gentle spring breeze. We are approaching the top of wonderful spring in Korea. My daily walk trail is nicely dressed up with colorful spring flowers and yellow green baby buds. They reminds me of preciousness of life, freshness of a new start, and warm fuzzy feelings of my loved ones.

 

 

 

 

While I was enjoying this marvelous season I whipped up one little project. This is my first time playing with lots of colors at once. Well, wanted to show off saying I did "colorwork" but I am not quite there yet. So.. this is my simple version of colorwork. (Please don't laugh.) Hopefully sometime soon I can master real colorwork so I can introduce some of my projects proudly. Until then this would be my colorwork.

 

 

Making lots and lots of flowers were fun but weaving ends was purely painful. It took forever but I admit that flowers are POWERFUL!~. Love the every each vibrant color and the vibe the whole combination brings. I have to say it is absolutely labor of love.

I am using this little pouch for my yarn cozy. Perhaps it is little too fancy for a ball of yarn but whenever I look at it I cannot get off of my eyes from it. It is just too fun!

So, what is you side of spring story? Are you making something fun, too? Something for someone you love? I'd love to hear what you're up to~

XO,

Soyun.