At first, we were satisfied with yarn from the 100-yen shop… But the knitting club members got so hooked that we eventually crossed borders and went all the way to South Korea to buy yarn! | Club Activity Report

Hello, everyone! We are the SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP knitting club “SAC (Sunny Amimono Club),” which became an official club this term!

We usually hold our activities in rental spaces or available meeting rooms within the office, but after receiving pre-trip investigation reports from multiple members stating that “Korean yarn is adorable,” we ended up organizing an overseas expedition.

In this article, we will introduce our fun and delicious 2-night, 3-day trip to South Korea!

What are SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP’s “Club Activities”?

The “Club Activity Support” program is one of the unique employee benefits included in SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP’s “32 Benefits.” With the goal of promoting communication among members and enhancing group synergy, it supports the establishment and continuation of club activities that match members’ various hobbies and interests, regardless of whether they are outdoor or indoor activities.

However, as PR professionals, our mission extends to information dissemination. As demonstrated in this article, members of each club freely share their activities on our group’s owned media platform, SUNNY DAYS.

Day 1: Off to a Knitting Specialty Store in Seoul!

On this expedition, we planned to visit adorable yarn shops, explore wholesale markets lined with so much yarn that we wouldn’t know where to look, knit on-site, and eat delicious food whenever we had spare time!

What an attractive and delicious-sounding trip!

Although it was the middle of winter in South Korea, which is much colder than Japan, fortunately the weather seemed to be on our side. Moreover, most of the expedition members were seasoned Korea travelers. We couldn’t have felt more reassured!

After arriving in South Korea, we first headed to the adorable house we had booked through Airbnb, for which SUNNY SIDE UP handles PR and communication. The host was kind, the room was warmly heated, and there were plenty of rooms and beds! After dropping off our luggage, we headed out to fill our stomachs.

After enjoying yukhoe bibimbap and Terra beer and satisfying our appetites, we headed to “banul story,” a stylish yarn shop in the Yeonhui-dong area.

The shop’s name translates to “Needle Story” in Japanese… What a lovely name! The way words are combined and used differs by language and country, which is so exciting.

※By the way, the sticks used to knit yarn are called needles.

As I looked around the shop wondering what kind of “story” would unfold through knitting…

Oh my goodness, there was a sample of a fried egg! (It looks well-used!)

It seems that fried eggs are essential to our story! We successfully obtained the sample pattern.

Surprised and delighted by the scale of this large yarn specialty store, which we rarely encounter in Japan, we began our yarn hunt! In our excitement, we soon found ourselves going our separate ways.

Each of us, basket in hand, would pick up our favorite or unusual yarn, rush over to show the others, and then scatter again to browse… After spending time this way, we realized we had put too much yarn in our baskets and reluctantly returned items to the shelves, telling ourselves “there’s always tomorrow.”

By the way, the second floor of banul story is a knitting café! Carrying our purchased yarn, we stepped onto the second floor…

There, a new paradise awaited us!

All the café decorations were hand-knitted! We excitedly took photos of the adorable interior and delicious-looking menu, and finally began knitting!

Our sadness vanished—how simple-minded we are!

At this point, some members were still browsing yarn, while others returned to the sales floor from the café. The blouson displayed in the shop was so cute we wanted to make it SAC’s uniform!

We vowed to definitely buy it if it was still available on our next visit, and everyone returned to our accommodation with plenty of treasures.

Upon arriving home, the first thing we did was check the day’s haul. Let’s lay everything out…

Ta-da!

Yes, I can hear your thoughts.
“You could buy that in Japan too…”
No, no, let me say this loud and clear!

It’s different!

The texture, the colors, the shape—there’s an indescribable cuteness… In South Korea, you can get high-quality yarn at very reasonable prices! Just looking at this pile fills us with a sense of accomplishment.

At night, we aimed for a late hour and went to a gamjatang restaurant rumored to always have long lines! Despite the late hour, the restaurant was nearly full. Most customers were locals, which somehow made the food taste even better and made us feel lucky. The beer went down smoothly!

We went to bed on the first day with full stomachs.

Day 2: To the Market in Search of More Yarn Encounters!

For breakfast, we went to a shop inside the market.

We thought it was just a tofu shop, but so many dishes arrived that they covered the table! In South Korea, there is a culture of wanting guests to “eat their fill and be satisfied” when hosting them. South Korea is kind and delicious! We love it!

Well, with our stomachs and hearts satisfied, we were fully prepared for day two. Looking around again, it was like a movie set—the market! The shijan (시장)! Just being there was exciting.

As we were admiring the scenery, men with carts loaded with goods called out energetically, “Coming through!” Of course, it was in Korean, but the message came through clearly! We’re sorry!

Immersed in the market atmosphere, we headed to the yarn zone we were looking for! The members’ excitement was already at maximum.

…We underestimated the market!

Yarn and all kinds of craft materials we had never seen before filled the sales area! Being here made us feel like we could create anything with our own hands…

With such an overwhelming quantity, our eyes wandered, and we no longer knew where or what to look at first. We felt bewildered beyond happiness! This is exactly what they mean when they say people can’t choose when there are too many options. A happy dilemma.

We visited dozens of yarn shops in the maze-like market, forgetting to even take photos, but in the end, everyone settled on the same shop.

Even though we had eaten so much for breakfast, we took a café break to recover the energy we had expended at the market, using our newly purchased yarn as a conversation piece.

So… cute…

After continuing to enjoy South Korea, it was finally time to pack. We still wanted to stay in South Korea…

One final challenge awaited us. What do you think happened?

That’s right—the purchases of members who had confidently assumed “it’ll probably be fine” and brought only carry-on luggage wouldn’t fit in their bags! We told you so!

As for me, I had of course prepared plenty of space for yarn. It seems the members still underestimated the cuteness of yarn. After struggling to pack their luggage, we finally managed to return home.

Having acquired so much yarn, we can’t stop getting excited about what to make. We must do even more knitting club activities than before!

After the Expedition: A Sneak Peek at Members’ Creations!

What we learned from this expedition is that next time, everyone should bring a large suitcase, stay for at least 3 nights to explore the market more calmly, and eat even more Korean food! In the future, we hope to make items that can be used in the office, such as dish scrubbers and cushion covers.

Still, knitting really is amazing. The preparation is fun, just looking at yarn is healing, knitting itself has a therapeutic effect, and you get a sense of accomplishment when you see the completed work. Its potential is immeasurable.

Although almost all of us were beginners, we can now make so many different things. The bonds between knitting club members are just like yarn!

We always have adorable yarn on hand, so anyone can use it anytime! Please come visit SAC and experience the charm of knitting!