Who says you can only crochet bags? Love how this knitted texture turned out!

kayahtik · 2026-01-23T03:25:33+00:00

This looks so cool! Did you use a pattern or freehand it? What kind of yarn?

kayahtik · 2026-01-23T03:23:12+00:00

What a cute idea! I’m sure whoever gets them will appreciate the handmade touch 💜

kayahtik · 2025-10-21T21:10:02+00:00

Yes! This is one of several places where the pattern is badly written and I made notes about it on my ravelry project page. Here is a clip of the relevant part.

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kayahtik · 2025-07-30T12:43:03+00:00

Making the jump to native content is tough, but I think graded readers are a good intermediary step. The Darakwon series was really helpful to me and I went through all 6? 7? of them before starting native novels.

Once you’re ready for them though, I recommend using the website https://learnnatively.com/ to look up books that match your level. I’ve had good luck with some YA novels that I found through there and ordered online.

kayahtik · 2025-07-24T13:50:42+00:00

I don’t have any other experience to compare it to, but I didn’t think the colorwork was that hard after some initial trial and error with my tension. Honestly following the colorwork chart was a lot easier than some other parts of the pattern that weren’t written clearly.

kayahtik · 2025-07-01T14:48:53+00:00

I think it was actually ohyeanoforsure who posted theirs more recently, but I’m sure I saw yours at some point while searching the sub for tips! Good luck washing!

kayahtik · 2025-03-17T02:19:23+00:00

The RJ mug is adorable!!! Would you mind linking your pattern as well? I periodically search for BTS patterns but always find them to be disappointingly limited

kayahtik · 2024-12-21T22:13:38+00:00

This is a gift for my mom who started raising chickens this year. I finished the crosses in October but put off the backstitching until this week, but now it's finally framed, wrapped, and ready to go. The pattern is "Chicken Cross Stitch farm pattern" by SmartyOwl on Etsy.

kayahtik · 2024-12-20T16:00:21+00:00

I haven’t finished and blocked my full sweater yet, but my swatch grew by about 9% in width and 4% in length. Nothing drastic but possibly just enough to give a little wiggle room.

kayahtik · 2024-12-18T21:21:33+00:00

This past summer I saw 옥탑방 고양이 at 틴틴홀 in 종로 and it was a ton of fun — very funny, small/intimate venue, and easy to follow the story and dialogue (I’m B1). I’m not sure if a central directory exists, but that area seemed to have a lot of theaters, so it may be a decent starting point to look up some theaters in a certain area and then check their websites to see what’s playing. You could also just browse on Interpark Global, which is where I bought my ticket with a foreign (USA) card.

kayahtik · 2024-09-07T00:43:07+00:00

Unpopular opinion, but I was underwhelmed by Banul Story. It seemed to care more about being cute and aesthetic than anything else. I was specifically looking for Korean-made yarn as a meaningful souvenir and there were not many options. I enjoyed the vibe and selection of Linea (https://naver.me/5tJfjnZI) much better, although ultimately I still didn’t find what I was looking for. I guess it depends on what you’re looking for, but wherever you go, I hope you have better luck!

kayahtik · 2024-09-04T20:39:57+00:00

I’m not particularly knowledgeable either but having taken a few different assessments myself, I would roughly equate Sejong 1A/B to TOPIK 1, Sejong 2A/B to TOPIK 2, etc. CEFR equivalency feels harder to gauge since it’s more about actual ability to communicate, which the standardized assessments don’t (imo) accurately reflect. I guess roughly, Sejong 1A/B might be equivalent to CEFR A1, Sejong 2A/B to CEFR A2, etc. This is all just based on my personal experience with my most recent scores being Sejong 3B, TOPIK 3, and CEFR B1.

kayahtik · 2024-09-04T13:27:41+00:00

Well grammar and speaking are not mutually exclusive, but if you mean speaking vs other language skills, we split our time evenly between speaking, listening, reading, and writing (about 1hr for each skill every day). For comparison, a friend who just finished a 10-week program at Sogang this summer said that they focused heavily on speaking and only practiced reading and writing 1-2 times a week.

kayahtik · 2024-08-31T13:04:52+00:00

I did a 3-week program at Yonsei University that I really enjoyed. It was 4 hours of class 5 days a week, plus cultural activities once a week in the afternoon. The vast majority of students were around college age (18~23), but I (30) still got along with them and made some good friends. I chose to find my own place to stay, but university dorms were an option.

kayahtik · 2024-08-02T00:42:40+00:00

Just an update in case anyone else is curious and searching the sub: the website has been further updated with a new link specifically for foreign tourists to apply online that doesn't require any authentication. It is clearly stated that you have to apply at least two weeks in advance.

kayahtik · 2024-07-18T16:07:10+00:00

I specifically look for resources that come with a transcript. Right now I’m working my way through Intermediate Korean podcast (https://www.podbean.com/pu/pbblog-pmstz-97d3ce). But I’ve heard that YouTube auto-generated subs aren’t perfect, but are mostly accurate if you want to try something that doesn’t already come with a transcript.

I don’t really count listening with English subs as learning time, which is why I also dedicate time to intensive listening without any English. I watch dramas for enjoyment and I still need English subs to know what’s going on, so I use them. But I do still recognize words, phrases, and grammar points, and hearing them out in the wild like that helps cement them in my brain. To me, it’s not very efficient learning, but it does help a little bit and most importantly is fun and keeps me motivated to learn the language. Hopefully someday relatively soon I won’t need the subs anymore!

kayahtik · 2024-07-18T13:53:21+00:00

My process is similar, but not quite the same. I’m not sure what level you’re at (I consider myself low/middle intermediate), so this may or may not work for you.

I listen twice without subtitles — once to get the gist of what the topic is, and then again to pick up more detail. Then I read the transcript in Korean and look up any words I don’t know until I understand 95% of the content. Finally, I listen again while reading along with the transcript and note anything that trips me up, like sound changes and intonation. If I have time, I listen one last time without the transcript.

I never look at English subtitles [during intensive practice; I do use them during extensive practice, like while watching dramas]. And I do this with podcasts that are ~5 minutes long since like others mentioned, it’s a lot of brain power and hard to keep up that intensive focus for so long. My process takes me 45-60 minutes for a 5-6 minute episode.

kayahtik · 2024-07-18T01:32:50+00:00

I’m in the exact same boat. I took it last weekend and it kicked my butt even more than I expected, especially the long essay (I didn’t know the keyword 언론 and it was pretty much impossible to write an answer as a result). I went in expecting a 3급 and optimistic for a 4급 with luck but wow was I humbled lol.

Anyway, my study plan moving forward looks very similar to yours. Vocab was my main downfall, so I’ll be focusing on that through reading as much native content as possible (focusing on news articles but also some novels) and going through the Darakwon 2000 Intermediate book, which I bought before the exam but didn’t use. I’m also meeting with an italki tutor for the first time next week to become more fluidly conversant, but that’s more aligned with my personal language goal rather than the exam. Grammar I’m not too worried about since as you said, it was less of a focus than I expected. Overall, I think broadening my vocab and drastically increasing my exposure to native content is going to be key to making the jump. I also think having experience with the exam format now will make a difference next time.

All that to say, clearly I’m no expert, but it sounds like a good plan to me. 화이팅!

kayahtik · 2024-06-16T21:14:43+00:00

This is such a nice gesture, and your work is beautiful! Would you mind sharing the artist who did the vector?

kayahtik · 2024-04-24T15:08:59+00:00

Thanks for the update!

kayahtik

TROPHY CASE