Dongdaemun Craft Market

I had plans to hang out with some of my girl friends today. We decided that lunch, a visit to the Dongdamun Craft Market, and then a coffee shop crochet lesson were the perfect plans for an autumn afternoon. I'd heard about this market, and I was excited to go. I have missed doing crafty things over the past year... Despite what I'd heard, I wasn't entirely prepared for the spectacle of the market.

For lunch, we went to a Korean Porridge restaurant. I've been to this chain before, and it's always quite enjoyable. Today, I had sweet corn chowder with red beans in a bread bowl. The red beans were a bit odd in the corn chowder, but overall, it was quite enjoyable! This is Stacy and I. Two other ladies, Karen and Becky, were on the other side of the table, actually taking the picture. 

Next stop: Dongdaemun Craft Market. 

On the street leading up to the market (which is in a 6 story building), there were small shops that were overflowing with feathers, trims, furs.... Anything you could think of.

First off, we went to the basement to try and find some yarn and crochet hooks, which was the initial purpose of our expedition. However, I was so busy looking at various yarns, trying to find crochet hooks, discussion patterns with my friends, and trying to barter and negotiation in Korean, that I neglected to take any pictures. However, Becky took one picture of Karen, Stacy and I examining a knit pattern. 

It was rather amazing to see so many yarns and samples, in every color and texture imaginable, all together. 

After we successfully found all of the yarns and hooks we needed,  we decided to explore the rest of the market to see what it was all about. There were rows and rows of pearls, in every size, shape and color. 

You could buy necklaces that were already put together. 

Or if you were feeling adventurous, there were lots of beads to make your own necklace. 

They had abalone and mother of peal in every design imaginable (and some that I'm quite sure I've never imagined). 

There were tables full of loose faux gemstones. 

Piles and piles of roses and other flowery things just waiting to be glued or sewed onto a project. 

Tiny charms, pendants, and assembly pieces for making all different types of jewelry. 

Yards and yards of ribbon in every color, design and texture.  

There were very colorful buttons

And very delicious buttons

Buttons made from semi-precious stones

And some buttons that were just ordinary. 

There were two and a half floors dedicated to nothing but fabric. 

Some of the fabric was very, very fuzzy. There was an entire wall (think the entire length of your local big box store) dedicated to furry fabric. 

Several stores did their best to show that plaid can be fashionable, although the jury is still out on if they succeeded. 

Some of the fabric was cut into fat quarters for quilting. 

Some of it was just folded and stacked on tables. 

There were piles of rolls laying on the floor.  

Samples hung on the wall. I've never seen so much fabric in one place in my entire life! It's probably a good thing I don't have a sewing machine here....

We spent a good two and a half hours in this market, and we just barely did anything more than give a quick overview of things. We didn't even make it to the top floor. We were just too tired and overwhelmed. We certainly didn't stop to look at things closely. It was basically the most amazing store I've been to in Seoul. I'm definitely going to have to go back sometime, when I have a little bit clearer of an idea about various projects I want to make. I don't think the Dongdaemun Craft Market is someplace you go wander around and wait for inspiration to strike. There's just too much there...

After we finished our shopping, we went to a nearby coffee shop for our crochet lesson. Stacy and I knew how to crochet, but Becky and Karen didn't know. So far, everything is going well! We are hoping to have part two of the crochet lesson soon!

After the crochet lesson, Stacy decided to go to the clothing market to look for some clothes. I didn't have anything else to do today, so I went along with her. In the clothing section, we saw this luggage, which I thought was just the most amazing thing ever! It's really too bad luggage is so ridiculously expensive in Seoul. Wouldn't it be amazing to have?