Needlepoint

[Front window, 6:45am, 8/19/08]

When I was in junior high school, needlepoint was in vogue the way knitting is now, at least it was in my circle of friends. I remember bringing to school stiff, netted canvases stretched on small square frames to thread with various colored wool, a focus to relieve the boredom of sitting in class. I think most projects were done with pattern kits, the canvas stitch-painted so you'd know where to stitch with a particular color, like paint-by-numbers. I don't recall finishing anything nor have any traces of these projects remained. Meanwhile, my knitting has been set aside since spring - maybe I'll pick it up again in the fall...

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Towards the end of my visit with my dad the weekend before last, my camera started malfunctioning, working only in bright sunlight and otherwise trying to auto-focus in whatever setting it was in, then giving up and asking to be shut off and on again, whereupon it would do the same noisy auto-focusing and give up again. So when I came home, I immediately starting searching for a replacement. Lorianne and I both bought the same Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ3 camera a couple of years ago, and she has already replaced hers with a newer Lumix. I was happy with my old Lumix (and envying her new model), so I searched for her model and found something very similar, which arrived yesterday on my doorstep. I haven't had much time to play around with it yet, spending much of last night loading software and then clearing out my old hard drive to make room for everything. Mostly I'm happy to have a functioning camera again. All the fancy new stuff is just gravy.

Comments

[marja-leena]

We have a similar Lumix DMC TZ2, and I love its compactness and the zoom. You will love yours! For my better work, I still fall back on our slightly older Canon SLR, a bit heavy for casual snaps. I look forward to seeing your photos; this is interesting through the screen, like needlepoint! I did a few of those in my youth too and have kept one of a well-known castle in Finland - old-fashioned but of sentimental value.

[Jean]

Lumix-envy: yes! Still using my LZ3 with a cracked display screen and a metal bit hanging off the lens trim. But should I get the most basic D-SLR next? Part of me wants to be more of a 'proper' photographer, while part is very lazy.

The 'needle-point' look, especially the second one, is spot-on. I love your eye. Which in the end is much more important than the camera.

[mm]

Goodness, I love these two pictures. Together with your tulip/piano keyboard photo of a month or so ago I sense there is a series here somewhere .....

[Lucy]

That's so effective! I still rather like needlepoint, but it's hard to finish, and doesn't have the same something-from-nothing satisfaction of knitting...

[leslee]

Marja-Leena: Good that you kept one - is it framed or on a pillow? Maybe in creative hands, needlepoint could now turn into something a lot more interesting and modern!

Jean: I'd still use my old camera if it were just the casing that had problems. Alas, the mechanism seems to be broken, though I suppose it could be fixed. Yeah, I sometimes envy the results of those with really nice cameras, but I'm too lazy, too. I hardly spent any time learning all the capabilities of my last point-and-shoot.

MM: Thanks! I thought they were kind of throw-away shots! Glad you like them. :-)

Lucy: Thanks - the "needlepoint" was entirely an afterthought once I saw how it came out on screen. My new camera captured more of the screen than my old one.

[Dave]

Really nice photos!

[Leslee]

Thanks, Dave!

[marja-leena]

My needlepoint is framed. It was one of those kits, not so creative at all and a struggle to finish, I remember. I have a couple of needlepointed pillows that were given to me that I still like but generally the look is too old-fashioned for my style of decor.