knittymarie

Teacher by day, crafty goddess by night.

I live and work in Ulsan, South Korea.

I'm addicted to crafting, postcards, and murder mysteries.

I am more than the sum of my parts. I am nuanced. I contain multitudes.

I've been married to my spouse for 13 years and we're an amazing team. (For example, I write the mail, he makes sure it gets to to the post office!). He supports me in all my ridiculous endeavors. And I love watching him in all his creativity which takes different forms than mine but creates a complimentary contrast. We are a house of art. We're starting to get into photography together and if I am well enough, we're going to take film photos this summer!

#MakeArtEveryDay

#ItsOkToMakeBadArt

I love to cook. 17 years overseas has made me adept at cooking almost everything from scratch. I cook a wide range of different foods and almost nothing is too weird for me to try at least once.

I'm covered in tattoos and will only stop when I run out of space.

I have no time for bigotry. I am pro-Palestine. Trans rights are human rights. Black Lives Matter. I am queer. Mask up. You get the picture.

I am not interested in receiving Christian things. I have a lot of religious trauma and that's just not where I'm at right now. If that's your thing, you do you. Please respect my boundaries.

Mail is a fickle mistress! I've had mail take 6mo to arrive to the US and just got a postcard that took a trip to Mongolia before arriving here. That said, if it's been longer than 6ish weeks please contact me and I'll happily re-send. Korea has a pretty reliable postal system and shouldn't take too long to arrive to you.

I send metered mail most of the time. I know stamps are amazing and I adore receiving stamped mail but Korea has a complicated system of weight and zones. I never want my mail to arrive postage due so all my mail is sent from the post office (usually by my super husband), weighed, and stickered appropriately. I never mind receiving metered mail either.

Knitting and fibre craft will always be my first love but I do so many different crafts.

I have recently really gotten into paper craft in a big way. I never thought I was very good at it so I never did it. But I started keeping a journal and decorating it and it's evolved into an art of its own. I guess it's kind of like junk journalling but I never set out to make that style of journal, it evolved organically.

I love getting stickers, stamps, cutouts, and other ephemera in swaps. I'm addicted to washi tape and love swapping washi sample.

I also have gotten into collage which I use to make my own note cards and post cards. Adjacent to this, I've started doing a little rubber stamping.

I am huge into colouring, especially mandalas. I find it extremely relaxing. Additionally, I love to draw zentangles.

As I mentioned, I knit. I also spin (drop spindle and wheel. I have a Merlin Tree Hitchhiker). I enjoy sewing but don't do it nearly as much as I'd like.

I love detective fiction. I generally read to escape. The Sue Grafton Alphabet series is one of my favorites.

Agatha Christie is an all-time favorite and I grew up on Nancy Drew.

I don't read as much as I used to but I'm trying to get back into it.

Like books, my preferred genre is crime drama and true crime.

Right now I'm working my way through Father Brown, Poirot, and Miss Fisher's.

I watch True Crime to fall asleep.

I'm a Canadian who grew up in New Brunswick but I've travelled all across the country. I've also lived in Ontario and Alberta.

In the US I've lived in Maine and Maryland.

Outside of North America I've lived in Korea, China, and Indonesia.

Besides all those countries I've travelled to: Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and the Dominican Republic.

It's time for me to admit with all the tea swaps I find myself joining, that I both drink and swap tea. People have mentioned coming to my page looking for what kind of tea I like. I hadn't put a section in because, truly, I'm not picky. If something doesn't appeal to me, I'll often pass it on. But I know having some guidelines is helpful.

You'll never go wrong sending me herbal tea. I have yet to meet an herbal tea that I don't like. I love chai. I'm starting to like black tea and am finding those interesting to try. I drink a fair amount of rooibos and really enjoy receiving flavoured versions. Green tea and I don't get along as well but if that's what you have to send, don't be shy. If I'm not in the mood, I'll pass it on to someone whose profile says they love it.