It’s been a couple of days since I returned from Seoul, and my thoughts are looking ahead to the next trip, to Andong at the end of next week. Meanwhile, I’ve been doing a lot of home improvements: I bought a new dresser, dining set, lamp, and screen door. I’m also about to hang my mandala, after I decide on a good method. I just blocked it, and it’s ready to display (see photo below).
Bo and I took a big forest walk after I got back, and stopped at the big lotus pond on campus to eat lunch beside it. The pink lotus that come up during mid-summer have massive blooms, and the leaves are bigger than a person’s head. The plants engulf almost the entire pond, and dragonflies are darting among the foliage with their translucent wings. The landscape is extraordinary to compare with winter. You can see the difference back in one of my January posts.
I’m working on a number of crafty projects, including finally finishing the mermaid’s hair (the yarn finally arrived, yay!), the border to the Tramonto shawl (photos in my next post), and a big granny square shrug. I bought some wonderful sea-green silk blend yarn for another garment. The Spice Market mandala blocked beautifully, and I think it will be fine as a wall hanging.
While in Seoul, I bought a Korean pendant lantern, made of hanji (a traditional mulberry paper, see photo below). I plan to hide the cord with macrame. I promise to post how I do it – I found an HGTV video that I think will help me. It will be perfect hanging above my new dining table.
I also like to cook, and made corn tortillas for the first time (I can’t find them in Korea). I don’t have a tortilla press, so I had to do much of the work using old-fashioned methods – a plate and rolling pin. One of the challenges of living abroad is that many things you may like are not available in that country, so you do without, or make it yourself. I am famous for doing the latter as much as possible, and here you see my tortilla steps, resulting in some rather delicious beef tacos for tonight’s supper. I even found fresh cilantro at a market in my neighborhood.
So glad you stopped by! I’ll be back soon with a wall hanging, macrame, and another cultural adventure in Korea.
The Frill Seeker 