ailuutt

I like doing so many things that I'm often a bit lost in this urban life where everyone should have specialize on something. I like writing, the origin of words and languages, food, crafts, herbs, gardening and children. I'm a graduate student researching ancient Japan, working simultaneously on a degree in early education.

I absolutely adore whales and know a lot about them. My dream is to go whale-watching and take part in a whale festival.

I live in Helsinki, south of Finland, with a husband and a very old (and quite eccentric) cat lady. My family has a summer cottage in the countryside not far away. The garden there is full of butterflies and dragonflies, birds singing and looking for food, and it's my favorite place in the world.

I very much like mornings, especially bright mornings and blue sky. I also love green tea and translucent things, like steam and glass and delicate paper. I like tactile things and surfaces that are pleasant to touch, as well as how the air feels on my cheeks. My favorite season is either autumn or winter.

Whales: humpback whale, narwhal, cachalot, beluga, blue whale Monkeys: lion tamarin, Japanese macaque, squirrel monkeys, spider monkeys, bear baboons Moles: common European mole, star-nosed mole Miscellaneous: tapir, octopus, starfish, cat, crocodile, owls, butterflies

Earthly colors rather than light or bright. Sunflower yellow, forest green, berry porridge pink, spring sky blue, aubergine. Snow white and champaign.

Arabian Nights, C.S. Lewis's Narnia, Tove Jansson's Moomins, Tanizaki Jun'ichiro's Makioka Sisters, Astrid Lindgren, Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy, Dazai Osamu, Alexander McCall Smith's No 1 Ladies' Detectice Agency

Tea swaps: I prefer green tea, but I also like white tea, maté, rooibos and herbal infusions. My favorites sent to me have been Tazo teas. I don't drink black tea, but it won't go to waste either, as my husband will drink it. Please do not send fruit infusions.

Granny square: Any pattern is fine, also the less traditional ones. If possible, I would like you to use all natural materials, like wool, linen or cotton.

Christmas ornaments: I'm not Christian, so I would prefer either something from the pagan tradition, something winter themed or just something kind of abstract.

Sweets: I love chocolate. Especially dark chocolate. And fudge. And liquorice. Ginger, citrus. I prefer things not too sweet.

Other wishes: - anything with whales - yarn, natural materials - things to eat - felt pens, face paints - quality paper - beautiful buttons, stuffed toys' eyes - pins, hooks - things with peppermint or eucalyptus

I'm vegetarian and avoid almost all animal products. I'm also mostly glutenfree. I love walnuts, Brazil nuts, pecans and pistachios, as well as dried fruits and berries. My favorite drink is jasmine tea and my favorite snack is banana. I love herbs, both as spice and as infusion. My favorite herb is fennel. I love coconut.

I like colorful crafts of natural materials. Earthly colors, not too light or bright. I like linen a lot, but wool must be my favourite material. Although merino, alpaca and all fine wools are nice, I especially enjoy plain, quaint wool that looks like it was from backyard sheep. I esteem herbal and fungi dye.