When work interferes with blogging...

We're doing a photo-shoot here this morning, featuring process pictures of steeking and other Fair Isle techniques, so the last few days have been very busy with preparations, which is why there wasn't a blog post yesterday. My friend Nick is taking the pics, and my hands may star. It should be interesting. Maybe I'll take pictures of him taking pictures.

In the meantime, a few updates:

#1. The water is beginning to recede. Not quickly mind you, but the water levels are lower than they were a couple of days ago.

#2. We finished watching the DVRed first season of Men of a Certain Age, and were totally blown away. All three leads, Ray Romano, Scott Bakula, and Andre Braugher, were excellent. The story lines were complex and believable, and the mix of comedy and drama perfect. Ray Romano is surprisingly good in this dramatic role, and Andre Braugher deserves an Emmy. I am very glad that the series has been renewed.

#3. I rented The Other from Blockbuster and watched it while knitting yesterday. It's really dated (and the kids playing the leads were awful actors), but the story is still chilling. There's a small, but interesting appearance by a very young John Ritter in the film.

#4. I also rented The Others and watched it again (I guess I was amused by the similar titles). This one is also quite spooky, and the first time around, I didn't get the twist until about 3/4 through the story.

#5. I'm still about 28 chapters from finishing  the Librivox version of The Mysteries of Udolpho. As always, the story moves at a glacial pace. Once in a while, our beleagured heroine Emily shows a glimmer of intelligence, though a couple of days ago, she did something so monumentally stupid that if I had been reading a physical book, I would have thrown it across the room. I don't quite understand why she's such a Stalker Magnet, but no fewer than 6 men are in love with/obsessed with/want to own/intend to marry/plan to kidnap/are willing to rape her. I rather like the dense, talkative Annette though- she's a much more likable heroine.

#6. While I was in liqueur mode, I put together a couple of quart jars of Blackberry Brandy. This concoction doesn't take as long to steep as Limoncello, but it ought to be really good.

#7. Sock of the day:

These were made from handspun Merino, which should not work as sock yarn, but these have held up very well. My friend Dana dyed the roving, and I spun it fine and 2-plied it to a hard sock yarn with a lot of twist.

You can see by the toes that I should have done that *alternating two balls* thing to avoid such a sudden color change from one skein to the next. On the other hand, no one looks at my toes anyway.

#8. Miley Cyrus on American Idol tonight? As a Mentor???????? Give me a break.