iPhoto Fail and the Lost Limb

Outside of soul nourishment and spiritual fulfillment, there are few things more rewarding than realizing a goal. On April 26th, I finally finish my first knitted Pullover… with the added strip sleeves. I remember the day I started this project and decided that it would require sleeves (Sleeves Required), then subsequently realized that sleeves were my Kryptonite. Oh the drama that ensued (There’s A Light). Now my mission is finally complete.
I was so ecstatic that my idea had finally come into fruition. I love the way the strips sway when I walk. Well… they’re actually loops now. Not only had I finished the garment, but I was actually able to wear it to work on a day when I was greeting clients for a major business pitch. I received raves and even a request to make one for a co-worker. I’ve worn it a few more times since then. I needed to enjoy it as much as possible before the weather got too warm to be traipsing about in 100% Extra Fine Marino Wool. Not the most ideal way to get toasted.

If You Can’t Buy It…

I am very proud of myself and of the way my garment looks on me. I wore it with majestic dignity, not only because I made it, but also because it undoubtedly represents a garment I would actually buy. A piece on which I would spend a substantial sum of my hard earned cash. I didn’t feel as though I was wearing a craft project. Not that there is anything wrong with craft projects. I love them deeply, appreciate them wholeheartedly, and thoroughly enjoy conjuring them up. But when it comes to professional work clothing, I don’t want to look like I made this on my way to work… even though I actually did.

This pullover is the product of months of commuter knitting. Several frogs and semi-frogs later, I had a garment worth wearing in public. It would not have taken months if I had a better handle on seaming, or knew what I was going to do with the sleeves beforehand. They went through several revisions. I just knew that I didn’t want them to be plain. That would not represent the style of knitting I fawn over. The knitwear I obsess over is the kind I want to wear. I’ve grown weary of just drooling over these garments. Taking and posting pictures of them, without the slightest possibility of owning one piece–or at least something similar. So I have made my decision. If I can’t buy it, I’m going to make it.

iPhoto Fail

After completing the piece, my hope was to point, click, and share. The only problem was, I was getting the feeling that Apple was not interested in my photo journaling, and was determined to choke me into buying a new phone. None of the pictures I took of my pullover were worthy of posting. When I first started using my iPhone to take photos, I was totally amazed and impressed with the quality. I began leaving my digital camera at home. With my new iPhone 4s, I felt that I was all set. But as time went by, and backlash from updates ensued, the quality of the photos began to wane. That left me struggling to get at least one good quality photo of my piece out of that phone. All the photos I took looked washed out and lackluster. Being that the pullover was black, most of the photos just looked ashen and pedestrian.  What happened to my iPhone Photo pride? The pride I had when I took these photos:

Holy Name of Jesus Church

Jean Paul Gaultier Mixed Media Crochet Dress

Empire State of Mind

Gone!!! It left with the last update. The nail in the coffin was when, as a reward for doing a whole bunch of Opinion Rewards surveys, I received a free Kindle, and I tried to post a photo of it to Instagram.

I couldn’t for the life of me get an acceptable photo. I just gave up. What were they doing? My photos were grainy, shadowy, and unfocused. My battery was on its last leg, and I kept getting prompts that I didn’t have enough memory to take any more photos. I could easily transfer the photos and delete them from the phone, but the problem with the battery was that I couldn’t just replace it like I did when the one in my G1 failed; with the iPhone, I would actually have to replace the whole phone. Not because I needed a new phone, but just because my battery was crapping out and Apple wasn’t interested in just providing me with a new one. I thought that was just greedy. But since I love taking photos and appreciate the convenience of being able to take really good ones with my phone, with easy access to sharing platforms, I succumbed to the iPhoto Fail, caved in, and bought the iPhone 6. (of course the iPhone 7 is coming out next month) With this new phone, my iPhoto pride has returned.

New York Botanical Garden Sky & Trees

Beautiful Healing Echinacea

Storm King Wood Structure & Horse

And we’re back in business. I’m not a fan of some of the changes to the interface, but my main reason for upgrading was for the photo quality, so I will just grin and bear the Apple backhand on my other treasured features. Apple CEO Tim Cook is determined to continue rolling out the top treats in tech tasties, so I just had to cough up the dough to get served, because that’s how the economics cookie crumbles.
LOL!  Ok, I OD’d.

Lost a Limb Hugging a Tree

I’ve never been good at accepting the concept of economics. Mostly because I believe things should be fair, equal, and on an even playing field. Air and water are constants, and apple trees grow freely from the ground, so apples should not be $0.80 to $1.00 each.  Most would consider that type of thinking naive. I consider it the mark of integrity. But integrity isn’t all that common in the business commerce world. Although I’m not oblivious to the fact that what we are paying for is the choice we made to evolve, I still wish there could be more consideration for the sustainability of life involved in that movement. I remember arguing my economics teacher down to the last molecule of my being, that if a business makes furniture, that business should be mandated to plant trees. The government should make it a law. However, that mentality marked the end of my 4.0 GPA. I was pissed off about how economics worked and lost interest, but that was my fault and it was also quite a childish response. My passion was just words to the outside world. They meant more to me, but all I had to do was stick to the subject of the syllabus, and do the assignment as I knew I was expected to. I didn’t have to try to fight the system. But I’m actually ok with it now. I’m proud that I stuck to being me. Although I suffered an academic loss, the reward was that I developed a better understanding of how important integrity was to me. In standing in protest, I felt that my integrity remained intact and my ideals never lost their value.

I’m still slightly pissed about the death of my 4.0, but that number does not define me. My beliefs and ideals define me. However, I still believe it should be mandatory for furniture makers to plant trees. Plus, I know I can’t cry over losing my 4.0 to my inability to accept that the current state of economics is here to stay. That’s because the next semester, I had Accounting, and my psyche was stunted by the statement, “A debit is a credit, and a credit is a debit”. That insanity would have taken me down anyway. I received a ‘B’, most likely because the correct response to that statement wasn’t,

 WTF???

Therefore, I would still have lost that limb. But at least I can still stand proud knowing that I lost it fighting for my right to hug trees.

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