As mentioned in an earlier post, I recently took a work trip to Vegas. From where I'm located (PHL), that means I had nearly six hours of in-flight entertainment to scrounge up.

I needed something that didn't require scissors, so my Ho-Ho-Holiday Socks were out (thanks to contrasting heels) and I also wanted something that didn't require too much concentration. There's something about a plane that's distracting to the point where I have a hard time even reading most flights, so I tend to stick to music/podcasts and knitting.

That's when I remembered Trysten over at Dragon Hoard Yarn had published her Changing Staircases pattern for free back in September. I'd scooped it up knowing I'd have to pay for it the next day and figured it's something I'd want to knit up in times like these. Kudos to me for having forethought.

Plus, it gave me a reason to wind up and use the yarn I dyed at the beginning of January. I've been itching for a reason to use it and this was a perfect opportunity.

I haven't gotten much further than the photo, which I took before taking off, but I've found this project to be wonderfully satisfying since returning home. I'm almost positive I'm fighting off a bug I picked up being around thousands of people in Sin City (and I always get sick when I'm on the west coast - or flying, in general), so this has been a really good knit when I don't want to fiddle with tiny needles or think about anything that requires brain power. Work has been busy lately and all I want to do after 5PM is relax.

For what it's worth, my aforementioned trip to Vegas was pretty fab. On top of doing great things for work, I managed to squeeze in some me-time on the last night, where I saw Penn & Teller's show at the Rio - and even met them, too! I'm happy to be back home, though, and in the swing of winter where all I want to do is crawl into bed with a good book and keep warm.

Do I have any dedicated book-readers following my blog? I'm toying around with adding a section for book reviews. I've set a goal to read another 20 books this year (I read 21 last year) and realized I never really say anything about them; I give them star ratings with no explanation and then move on to the next. I want to be more intentional with my reads so I absorb what I'm taking into my brain. Any interest?

In the meantime, I'm:

Reading: Practical Magic
Knitting: Ho-Ho-Holiday Socks
Listening to: First Aid Kit - Ruin