adlitam

Update 2 Nov: I'm taking a break from swapping for November, at least - I just got a job (yay!) but it's in Norway so I'll be very busy with organising the move, travelling etc. I'll still be checking e-mails and swap-bot messages of course so if you haven't received something I was supposed to send (I have sent all my swaps but you never know with the postal service...) or haven't been rated for something you've sent me, please let me know!

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I live in the cold dark north together with my boyfriend and two cats. Since I just finished my degree in Museum Studies, I'm looking for a job - preferably one where I get to work with digital heritage or museums on the internet. When I'm not writing job applications or working on the part-time Chinese class that I'm taking, I like to hang out on web forums, read (mostly non-fiction or mysteries), knit, cook and practice tai chi chuan (that is, tai chi the martial art, not just handform). I also really like plants and gardening, but I don't have a garden so I can only grow things that can survive in pots indoors.

(in no particular order)

• Ornamental patterns and geometric patterns (islamic patterns, tiles, mosaics...the more intricate the better)

• Trees, cherry/plum blossom, nature in general, natural materials.

• Houseplants/potted plants, especially edible ones and succulents.

• Stars, in both the decoration/design sense and the astronomical sense.

• Internet culture. Lolcats and the like, but also serious analyses of online stuff.

• Recycled/reused things.

• Stripy socks (or socks with interesting patterns). (Size: European 38-39)

• Things with a story behind them or which symbolize something.

• Food and spices.

• Chinese and other Asian things/style.

• Nice textures (velvet or corduroy fabrics etc).

• Robots and other "geeky" things (not geeky as in Star Trek, more as in "let's build a pet out of Lego" or "let's sew a Tetris quilt")

• Arts/crafts based on something that's not art/crafts (eg a pattern built on mathematical concepts).

• Seaglass, pottery shards and other random things washed up by the sea (I like when they are obviously shaped/smoothed by the water).

• Tea. I prefer fruity or spicy (or plain tea) flavours over flowery ones (with the exception of jasmine tea). I don't really like a lot of herbal teas but feel free to prove me wrong.

• Animals that I particularly like: koalas, elephants, dragons, foxes, magpies, ravens, cats, strange deep-sea creatures. I like all animals though.

I do NOT like coffee, red tea/rooibos, cheese and cheese-flavoured things (though I don't know why anyone would send me cheese...) or fake cherry flavour (real cherries are OK for some reason).

Most scented stuff (like bath products) is too strongly scented for me, and I have sensitive skin so stuff like that might not be a good idea anyway.

Not a big fan of kawaii (I think I overdid it at some point) or trinkets that don't have a function.

Also, I don't have pierced ears at the moment, but plan to get them re-pierced. And I have tiny wrists so store-bought bracelets are likely to be too large :-/

In general, though, I'm not really picky. I just love getting mail.

Knitting, sewing - though I'm very much a beginner at sewing. I love patterned fabrics (especially quilting/patchwork fabrics), buttons and sewing notions of any kind. As for knitting, I mostly use yarn made from natural materials but am open to anything really.

I love teal and any blue-green colour, as well as springy or muted greens (not really forest green and the like). I also love red.

I don't watch a lot of TV, but I love CSI (Vegas). Currently re-watching the first seasons.

People usually think I'm crazy when I admit this, but: I don't like watching movies. They're just too long and I tend to lose focus. But if I have to watch something, I'd choose something animated - Wallace & Gromit and other similar films are nice.

As mentioned, I mostly read non-fiction or mysteries. The non-fic can be about anything - I love learning about new things, and I tend to get really interested in one topic and read a bunch of books about it, then move on to something else. I think the last topic was investments, current one is food.

Oh, and I love my university's library.

Random things I'm kind of in search of (just to give you an idea):

• Sewing notions of any kind - ribbon, buttons, bias tape, sequins, whatever. I can't find a lot in my town.

• Fabric scraps! Preferably at least 10cm/4" square. I like patterns (ornamental, abstract, cute, retro...), but solid colours would be great too.

• Leftover sock yarn! Or other yarn of similar weight (suitable for 2.5mm/2.0mm knitting needles). Variegated, self-striping or solid colours, anything's great. I'm making a blanket out of sock yarn squares so I'll need a lot of different yarns. The squares are small so even small amounts are much appreciated. (But of course a whole skein of sock yarn would be lovely, too :-)

• Other interesting yarn (scraps or larger amounts)

• Most edible things - especially strange local specialties. I'm more into actual food than candy, though - trying to avoid sugar (small amounts is OK, as is dark chocolate). Recipes and spices are great.

• Pretty tins to put tea (or other things) in.

• I'd love a pair of glittens - mittens where you can fold down the top to reveal fingerless gloves. They are so useful in the cold weather here, but the pair I used last winter is falling apart :-(

• Warm tights/leggings are always welcome, as I wear a lot of skirts these days. (Northern European size 40-42 which I think is a US 12-14, UK 14-16)

• Anything else you think I'd like, based on what I've written above! I love getting mail so I'd probably love anything you send (well, unless it's cheese-flavoured coffee or something... ;-)

I re-use packaging that is in good enough condition, and I encourage you to do the same. No need to throw away materials that are still usable!

At the moment I'm not participating in many swaps because I only want to join those that I feel really excited about. I always do my best to send something that my partner will enjoy, and I always send out swaps - so if you haven't received something I was supposed to send you, please contact me before rating.

And of course, I always rate. :-) I give out hearts for effort, not simply extras if there's no thought behind them.