arianneroxa

June 25, 2014: Swap-bot is a great place, I've definitely had fun here over the past few years and met some wonderful people, but I'm at the point now where I need to take a break. I'll keep my links posted so that those who may wish to find me, can.

I'm a nursing student with an undergraduate background in anthropology, gender studies and modern history. I'm passionate about art (of every description, especially photography), writing and spending time in my garden. I live on Whidbey Island, in the beautiful pacific northwest, with my beloved and our furry menagerie.

Knitting is one of my great loves, although I am also somewhat adept at sewing and am learning to crochet amigurumi (which I then stuff with catnip and let my three cats go bonkers on). Currently in my knitting basket: odd creatures (hermit crabs, snails, octopus) designed by Hansi Singh and Stitch Surfer Socks.

I prefer to swap postcards, letters, smaller knit projects, Inchies and ATCs; I am especially drawn to those which are ridiculous and/or unique.

Of course, what intrigues me most is what you find beautiful-- I am not someone who is easily offended or who has conventional taste. I would much rather receive something interesting-- something that you put yourself into, rather than something that anyone could create with templates and stickers.

Irony, a sense of humour and a certain level of inappropriateness will always be welcomed.

a note about the swaps which I host: please feel free to use any of my swap ideas -- past or present. No need to credit me or ask me first.

("Little Purple Riding Hood Coat" which I knit for a friends baby using the design from Sublime #649, The Eighth Little Sublime Hand Knit Book)

• Andrea Gibson, especially Say Yes
• beautiful films which celebrate our planet and the people who inhabit it, such as Baraka and Samsara
• tarot or vintage playing cards. I keep a collection of singles, partial decks and full decks muddled together on a big plate in my house. People seem to take them and leave different ones as they like.
• retro neon signs, especially if they're from motels, diners or the like.
• intersectional feminism
• Theotokos prayer cards (especially Umyagchenie Zlykh Serdets or икона умягчение злых сердец)
• Microfinance projects such as Kiva and Vittana
• abandoned places
• the work of Stephanie Gonot, Young Ju Do, Judith G. Klausner or any person who does amazingly unexpected and inspirational things with the everyday.
• purple or black flowers
• Doctors Without Borders
• images of or information about old psychiatric hospitals, wards and nurses/ staff/ patients (whether the buildings are still in use or long since abandoned)
• postcrossing -- please feel free to click through to see my profile and postcard loves there.
• anatomy, physiology, the human body.
• Cat Bordhi's approach to architectural sock knitting
• anything related to the field of medicine (history, western, holistic, "primitive", homeopathic, spiritual, vintage/ patent remedies, pharmacology etc).
• black and white photographs
• Secret World Animal Rescue
• body positivity
• cemeteries
• art deco gorgeousness
• films and writing which explore ideas of power, privilege, culture, history and society. I'm recently loving Creating Freedom: The Lottery of Birth for the fantastic way in which they explore these topics.
• anything kitschy
• reading (my Goodreads profile lives here )
• anything related to the field of Nursing (either vintage or modern-day).
• "trash films" from the 1930s through 1970s. The more ridiculous, the better!
• The Soi Dog Foundation
• art by Malcolm Tarlofsky, Mark Ryden, Banksy, Ai Weiwei or Yoko Tanaka (or a similar style).
• tribal belly dancers, gypsies, wild women
• orthodox/ catholic prayer cards showing female saints
• postcards, books or articles about people who didn't quite make it in Hollywood-- especially those aspiring actors/ actresses from Hollywoods early years.
• vintage pin-up photography (Victorian era through to the 1970s)
• Images of Goddesses Diana or Brigid
• crows or ravens
• botanical drawings/ images
• housekeeping books/magazines from 1900-60's,
• Anais Nin, Zelda Fitzgerald, Clara Bow-- revolutionary flapper-era women in general.
• maple trees, leafs (I'm Canadian, and the maple leaf is a cozy reminder of my heritage)
• textiles (fabric, fiber, ceramics, etc)
• infographs
• Arabic, Japanese or other interesting script
• old etiquette books
• coffee
• vibrant colours and textures
• retro or silly Valentines
• Japanese advertising
• anything considered controversial or in questionable taste is always welcome!
• the poetry of June Jordan and Andrea Gibson
• badgers

I love stamped and written postcards-- although I am fine if you would rather send them blank and/or in an envelope as well.

I find it really interesting to hear about personal beliefs and faith. My own beliefs lean towards practicing love (without a specific deity in mind), and I genuinely honour and respect all paths that centre around this. With that said, please feel free to share your thoughts on religion or your own personal journey, but please leave condemnation and brimstone out of the conversation.

I also love quotes and poems-- if you are moved to include one on your post card, I would be thrilled.

• Johnny Farmer-- Death Letter
• Little Dragon-- listen to Twice -- so hauntingly beautiful.
• Anything featuring Lisa Gerrard's voice-- Sanvean
• Bluegrass: check out the soundtrack from The Broken Circle Breakdown
• Death Cab for Cutie
• The Jezabels Endless Summer
• Ani Defranco
• Bat for Lashes Pearl's Dream or All Your Gold
• Mogwai
• Sia Chandelier
• Boards of Canada
• Florence and the Machine-- Cosmic Love
• Tricky
• Imogen Heap-- Hide and Seek
• Bonobo-- Kiara
• Husky Rescue
• Emancipator-- Nevergreen
• Atomica-- Delorian

...the list grows and changes daily.

• Ethnographies (especially those that explore themes of marginalization, power, gender and identity)
• The Sun Magazine
• The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression, by Andrew Solomon
• The Diaries of Anais Nin
• The Loners Manifesto
• Vintage etiquette and housekeeping books/ magazines
• Flow Magazine
• Drop City
• Pretty much anything written by Max Horkheimer, who said that "well-informed cynicism is only another mode of conformity"
• Bitch Magazine

• Rabbitch
• ikea hacker
• Henri & Violette
• Knitty
• The Dogist
• Project 562
• Damn Interesting
• The Viewliner Ltd: A Tour of Americana
• Hyperbole and a Half: Adventures in Depression ...and part two
• Atlas Obscura
• CraftyBitch
• styleheroine

(Photo uncredited, but so inspiring: upcycling useless objects into semi-useless objects is a hobby of mine)

• Danger Mouse, our eight year old black Pug (female). Mouse was a rescue and has had some extensive medical issues; if there's anyone out there who is going through brachycephalic-related (read: snorty little noses) issues with their dog, please feel free to reach out to me! I guarantee that I've been there, seen the specialist, etc.
• Blitz, our eight year old German Shepherd (male), who I lovingly call my "Golden Child" -- he's high-maintenance, but I wouldn't trade him for the world.
• Earl Grey, our grey tabby kitten (male), otherwise known as "The Keeper of the String/Yarn/ Anything Jingly" and Master of the Butt Wiggle.
• Gus (or Asparagus if you want to be formal about it), a four(ish) year old grey calico cat (female), pretty much one of the sweetest and most patient (see "Earl Grey", above) cats which I've known.
• Spare Parts Cat (also known as Monroe), a lovely chatty tortoiseshell kitty of indeterminate age (we're fairly certain that she dates to the Mesozoic at the very least).
• Sideways Mouse, a white mouse who does most everything sideways or backwards due to chronic CNS issues.
• Ernest Henningway, our lovely Egyptian Brahma (Bantam) Hen. She lives in a lovely (and cozy) specially-built coop that we move around the back yard. She has her own "garden" which is planted with dandelion and kale greens and she also has two argyle sweaters which I've knit for her. Here's the pattern for a Chicken Sweater in case you know a hen in need of one. :)

I'm generally always on the hunt for these things, and would love to swap for them:

• Back issues of Flow Magazine
• Washi tape
• Papers, books or posters featuring pills, pharmacology, chemistry, botany, biology, nursing themes, maps, feminism, old Hollywood, diy, etc
• Vintage photographs
• Anne Taintor
• Vintage womens clothing and lingerie sewing patterns (I'm usually an American size 0 to 4, a Canadian size 4 to 6 and a UK size 8...which seems to translate to most "medium" vintage sizes).
• Address labels
• Vintage buttons
• Coins from other countries (any time period)
• Crystals (natural, rather than dyed or "smelt")
• Vintage knitting patterns
• Curious Amigurumi patterns
• Orthodox prayer cards showing female saints; especially St. Agatha (the patron saint of nurses), The Virgin of Guadeloupe or the Virgin Mary.
• Tarot or Playing Cards (especially vintage, from countries outside of North America or otherwise unique)
• Seeds: especially those that might result in any sort of curious black flowers.
• Foreign magazines or newspapers
• Postage stamps

...a recent Anne Taintor postcard I sent to Anna in Russia via Postcrossing