deadknots

Hi.

I'm a native New Yorker. I grew up in Manhattan's Chinatown and am currently living in Brooklyn. I'm a fledgling writer, a voracious reader, and a notebook enthusiast. For most of my life I was a stationery, sticker, and postcard lover, but now I feel more like a hoarder than a collector; I would love to de-stash slowly with the help of swap-bot.

I'm a longtime casual letter-writer and appreciate few things as much as something personal mixed up with the usual mailbox junk. I've just recently wandered into this little but lively corner of the Internet and I'm quite intrigued.

I read a lot and I (try to) read widely. A few of my favorite authors: W.G. Sebald; Kazuo Ishiguro; Anne Fadiman; Jorges Luis Borges; Italo Calvino; Georges Perec; Nicholson Baker; Paul Auster; Virginia Woolf; Haruki Murakami; Jesse Ball; Luc Sante; Angela Carter.

I love Wes Anderson, Michel Gondry and Woody Allen movies. I tend to like movies that are surreal or follow dream-logic; Stay (2005) and The Limits of Control (2009) are good examples. (Everything by Michel Gondry seems to fit that description!)

I'm a lazy but compulsive crafter. Some details:

I can't remember a time when I didn't know how to knit, but I rarely stick with my projects! I enjoy knitting but abhor finishing.

I have a love-hate relationship with crochet. I have every intention of mastering it, but I seem to forget how to execute the various stitches from one day to the next.

I really enjoy cross stitch. I mostly design my own (fairly simple) patterns. I'm currently working on tonal geometric designs.

I've dabbled in needlepoint, but with very mixed results. I also hope to try my hand at weaving very soon.

I do some origami too, and have tried paper filigree/quilling. Let's just say I prefer origami.

I have an unfortunately wide array of skin allergies, so cannot swap/accept jewelry, skincare products, and yarns.

Teas: I like all types of tea (white, green, black, oolong), including blends like Earl Grey and chai (the spicier the better!). I'm also a fan of rooibos.

I prefer citrusy and spicy herbal teas (lemons and gingers) and have a preference against very sweet herbal teas/infusions (things that taste like sweet food) and anything with a pronounced licorice flavor.

Chocolate: I pretty much love it all except white chocolate. I'm not a fan of fruits and syrups with my chocolate.

Paper, Stationery, &c.: I love giraffes and giraffe-y things; Yoshitomo Nara; letterpressed items; clean (perhaps minimalist) designs; patterns; the color gray; origami-ready paper; washi tape; stickers, esp. those for decorating planners.

I prefer less embellished items. I don't really like things that are overly-cute/kawaii (though I do have kawaii items for swaps).

I love personal correspondence. A personal note about your life or your day is always appreciated.