adlitam

I just moved from Sweden to Norway so I'm not participating in a lot of swaps right now - too busy with the move and new job and all. I want to focus on the few swaps that I do join, so I can send good stuff and not just throw things together in a hurry.

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When I'm not at work (I work in IT/digital heritage) I like to knit, hang out on web forums, read (mostly non-fiction or mysteries) 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. I love food too but haven't done much cooking lately - I've been too busy.

(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 plain black or green teas, or spicy flavours. I don't really like a lot of herbal teas.

• 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, herbal teas, 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 miss 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.

• Interesting yarn (any amount). I mostly buy "natural" yarns myself (in particular alpaca yarn) but I'm open to anything really.

• Safety eyes for stuffed animals. Can't find them here.

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

• Dark chocolate or anything covered with dark chocolate (except coffee beans, as I don't like coffee).

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

• 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!

I give out hearts for effort, not simply for extras if there's no thought behind them. More quality than quantity. Just so you know. :-)

Flakers
I haven't had to add a flaker section until now, but apparently I've been flaked on by yriako (deleted user) in the Crazy About Knitting swap. :-(