pahasiga

In case you are interested, I have a list of things sent/owned on the bottom of my profile.

I'm here mostly to swap ideas (for handmade items), not stuff.

So, for most public and group swaps I sign up hoping to get to try something new, and also that I get some new ideas in exchange. That means, if you are sending to me, don't be afraid to try something new. I'd love to look on an item you made/sent and think "oh wow, what an idea! I would never have thought of it!". If it meets the swap description, no matter how unusual the interpretation, it is a fair game (although, if you are afraid that I may not understand how exactly it meets the swap description, you could add the explanation).

For swaps that require writing something (a note, a letter) it means that, given the content is the same, there's no real difference for me whether the letter is handwritten on pretty paper or printed on plain printer paper. There's no reason to apologize on the second case! Actually, as I'm not a native English speaker, I often find printed text easier to read!

It also means that I am not so extremely fond of receiving extras - I have lots of stuff already (or so I think), and as I said, I am much more interested in the idea behind the swap items than getting more stuff. Extras do not affect how I rate you, anyway.
Also because of all the drama surrounding extras, I don't send any extras myself - I do not want to make my partners feel like they are under pressure to give a heart, and if they won't who knows where I will go and complain about rude people (not that I'd do that, but how would you know?). So - no extras, no pressure on my partners, that's the way I think. ;)

Another thing that my not caring much about stuff means is that I don't really lose any sleep if you send your swap out late or not at all. On the other side, I lose no sleep over rating accordingly, either.

I'd also rather not get angel packages, unless you allow me to angel something for you, too - I feel uncomfortable when receiving but not sending myself (or when receiving too generous packages).

Work: a software company at half-time.

Home: husband and two sons (born March 2002 and March 2004); no pets (unless you count free-range spiders).

I am Estonian, my husband is Latvian, children speak both languages (well, so do we). We live in a village/parish centre 30 km from Riga (the capital of Latvia).

"Paha siga" in Estonian means "bad pig" - from a story of a piglet whining that he cannot burrow as either his snout is mangy or ground is frozen. I was often like that during my second pregnancy and to warn my fellow chatters (you know, trying to find solutions for someone just wanting to whine gets both angry) I changed my nickname to paha_siga on these occasions. Afterwards I stuck to it as it was far more original than previous nick.

This little pig in my avatar I crocheted specially for using as an avatar. I wondered after photographing whether I should find her now another use, for example, as a pincushion (making her therefore a porcupine - in Estonian "thorn-pig") but a friend told me that she looks more like a sad pig than a bad one and it is obvious from her face she knows about my cruel plan to stick needles into her. Now she lives in a tin cake that @dreamerkins made me for a swap and works occasionally as a model for my swap cards. :)

If you find spelling my nickname too difficult, you may just call me piggy. :D

Two crafts I feel most confident in are knitting and crocheting. But I also do now and then a bit of sewing, play around with polymer clay, and actually like to try a bit of everything.

So as to give you an idea, what I do and on what level, here's a list of what I do have and use:

• knitting needles - circular and double-pointed mostly, of 3-4 different sizes, enough for most of my projects, only I cannot run several of the same size at the same time - that's probably only good for me as it makes me to actually finish a project ;) ; I also have some stitch markers thanks to @AmandaLee
• crochet hooks - one for crocheting thread, then another one or two I use for amigurumis, and then a thick one I barely use
• lots of yarn, too! - this year, both my mother and sister have brought me their leftover yarn, hoping I'll find use for it... good thing my mother gave a basket as well!
• I also got some raw yarn... I guess I should do some knit/crochet washing-machine felted thing, or do you have some other idea? I have no spinning tools, but maybe I'll try weaving them?
• a sewing machine (currently out of order), needles and threads and fabric (most of it at least ten years old, that's why I have signed up to a heap of FQ swaps), I also have a bunch of felt
• lots of embroidery threads
• a set of Knifty Knitters (thanks to @luvcatzzz - I wanted them for my grandmother (now deceased), currently my 6YO practices on them; although I prefer needles myself, I think these have their place as well
• various beads, cheap hooks (no real silver stuff etc), wire and such, but no pliers(?) or another tools - I'm not really much into jewelry making as I don't myself use it almost at all - maybe I should make some stitch markers for crocheting, though, as I have none
• Fimo polymer clay, a roller, three cutters, a bead roller, some molds and a varnish (I'm not yet on pasta machine level)
• two children weaving looms [one (newer!) of them rather sucks]
• one children DIY kit with pottery wheel (not tried out yet)
• a bit of stickers and over a dozen paper punches, although I'm not into paper crafts at all (they are mostly for my children) - I admire people who can make wonderful collages, but I just can't myself
• some fabric dye, fabric paints, fabric markers, candle paints, ceramic markers, Hama beads - all these tend to be seasonal hobbies and/or to be done together with children

OK, so what I do not have? I don't have liquid polymer clay that would go with Fimo, but I suspect such a thing just does not exist. I do not have a punch for making inchies, but I'm not sure I really need it (see the paragraph about paper crafts).
Most probably I don't even know what I'm missing... Can you suggest something?

Pretty colours:

black, white, red, blue, yellow, green, terracota, grey, silver, beige

Ugly colours:

pink, orange, purple, golden, dark brown, muddy colours

That's just my personal opinion and doesn't include things that are in their natural colour - I'd rather have pink than green pigs, thank you. ;) If you make an ATC trying to convince me that pink and brown is actually a pretty combination (shudders), it's fine! On the other side, pink ear rings or orange hair scrunchies don't have as big chance to get used as blue or red ones, as I just don't have clothes they would go with.

Favourite ways to do things

• Stuffies - crochet for smaller, knitting for bigger things
• ATCs - embroidery by hand on felt, sometimes cross-stitch (but my, it takes sooooo much time!); also polymer clay (I have zero talent when it comes to collages)
• postcards - photography

And then I love now and then to just try something I have never done before! :)

Holidays

I don't celebrate Halloween and some other days that may seem important for you - not that I'd mind if you include me in greetings, but they just don't cause any emotion in me. I better list what I do celebrate: Shrove Tuesday, Easter, Mother Day, Midsummer Day, Christmas and New Year. Of Easter and Christmas, we celebrate the non-religious versions.
I also wish I had balls to celebrate St Martin Day and St Catherine Day, two old traditions that are already almost forgotten in Latvia, although not yet in Estonia.

Just random

• Love math! Especially logic and discrete math, also algebra and number theory, not so much fond of continuous math (all that delta-epsilon language...) I got stuck in my master thesis, I just hate writing that. But I got to give lectures in University of Tartu and have checked tests for students in Latvia's university. Also, when still living in Estonia, I took part of olympiads, at first as contestant, later as an organizer. Missing it a lot. :(
• Of course I also love math-related puzzles! I visit Killer Sudoku Online daily and Jigsaw Sudoku now and then when I need a little time out. I love nonograms and all other type of logic puzzles, too, I just don't know a place to get them daily.
• Another site that I visit almost daily is Gocomics.com, where I follow some 60 comics (none of political ones, though).

Extras "thrown in" "for hearts".

Cute things with no other use than just putting on a shelf and looking at - my son has asthma, being allergic to dust mites (also cats and dogs), so we have no place to display difficult-to-dust things.

I almost don't use cosmetics and jewelry - just bath stuff and earrings at the best (and soap, toothpaste, no-smell deodorants - in case you wondered...).

I'm way too bad in papercrafts to use ephemera and similar stuff.

My husband finds food coming through mail from unknown persons to be open to suspect, so it would be better not to send me edibles.

Swaps sent to Europe take usually 1-2 weeks, to USA 3-6 weeks, the rest of world 2-3 weeks.

Stuff (still) in mail:

• Oct 5 - My Life Is Average Postcard Swap ( @Houndstooth ) -> USA
• Nov 4 - Koda's stuff, a kitten -> USA

Note: Latvia uses "DD.MM.YYYY" date format, so postmark "11.10." is October 11th, not November 10th.

I need to send (non-formal swaps):

nothing!

I am waiting for (non-formal swaps):

nothing!

(Now, I have promised to send nothing but Christmas cards up to the end of year 2009. .)