Cowls Are In, Ellen, and so is Vegas!

Cowls seem to be the one of the latest fashion accessories, and no wonder.  They are so cozy and fashionable! Ellen absolutely loves them. I want to knit some gifts for Christmas this year but need a few gifts that I can do in one night. Enter the long cowl. The feature below, I machine knit and completely finished, last night. It's made with one ball of Knit Picks Aloft  (75% mohair/25% silk) and so light and cozy that when Ellen modelled it, she wanted to keep it on all night. Of course she can! It's cold! I even turned on the fireplace for her tonight. Ellen only went as far as the back fence today because darkness was closing in so quickly. 

The cowl is knit in a long piece, gathered in certain places, then wrapped around the neck two (or three) times depending on how cold you are. Aloft is soooo soft and not the least bit itchy! Tempted to keep this one for myself.  :-)

In the last post I promised more pictures of Vegas so I've included them below also.

They were advertising a Margarita street party and the World's Largest Margarita. There's a few photos of the Venetian hotel, which of course has a Venice theme (including a real gondola in their courtyard). We stayed at New York New York. They have a roller coaster that wraps around the hotel and their very own Statue of Liberty!

I was amazed at all the themes and how accurate they are. Who designs this and creates it? I'd love to meet some of those people. For example, who do you call to order a brass lion that's as big as a house?

Next post - Fremont Street, which some refer to as Old Las Vegas. Very interesting spot!

Viva Las Vegas Ellen!

In the last post I had to say "so long" to Ellen to go on vacation. We went to Las Vegas for the first time, stayed for 6 days and arrived home last night.  Ellen was delighted to see us and wanted to know all about the trip. She's excited we're home and longing to get back to work.

I did bring some yarn and needles with the intention of knitting a garter stitch shawl and while I did get some knitting done, there's still quite a bit left to do. We'll show you that later in the week when I'm a bit more organized.

For the next couple of posts (until I get the chance to finish the collar in the last post and photograph the new shawl) Ellen thought it would be a good idea to show you some of the sights of Las Vegas. Needless to say I was amazed at everything there. I spent the first 2 days looking up! The countless bright lights are dazzling.

Flying over the Colorado Mountains was pretty interesting too. All the peaks had snow! On Air Canada you can choose "maps" on the screen behind the seat in front of you. I noticed at one point that we passed over a mountain named Mount Ellen. Ellen thought that was pretty neat! Apparently there are hundreds (or is it thousands?) of inactive volcanos too.

Yes, there is an Eiffel Tower in Vegas! And, we were told that the MGM Grand is so big that if you stayed in a different room every night, it would take you over thirteen years to sleep in the whole hotel! Ellen wants to start now! :-)

The fountain in front of the Bellagio is magnificent! The night we went to see it there was no wind and when the hugh sprays were sent up, it sounded like an explosion and the water spray particles hung in mid-air for what seemed like a very long time.

There's so much to tell you and show you that it would be too much for one post. Please come back for a visit during the week for more!