Sleep is for Sissies

While I'm waiting to make sure Mom isn't going to get up again, so I can hopefully finish her sweater, I bring to you my niece's scarf. That I was able to finish before dinnertime sitting here with Mom and Dad. The hat, well, hopefully she won't come over before 4pm tomorrow, so I can get that done before leaving on Monday.

This scarf is proof-positive that I love the kid...it's in her high school colors of purple and yellow. They were my high school rivals back in the day. *sigh*...if only they'd kept my high school opened...this is like a U of Michigan fan (that would be me....) knitting in OSU colors, or a UCLA fan, (me again...) knitting in USC colors. True love for my niece I tell you..true love!

Here's a close up of the scarf. It's on a rocking chair that is quite old. I wanted to 'pose' it in the picture as it's leaving Mom and Dad's house soon for a new life at my brother's. What's so special? Well, it was our 'toddler' rocking chair when we were little. But, not just ours. It had also been not only ours, but our Dad's and his Dad's toddler rocking chair as well. Don't you wish everything today was made as well and last over 100 years like this has? No, my niece didn't get to use it much growing up (she's 14 now..) because of it's age. So, brother thought it best to wait until she was older for it.

One last look at the scarf on Grandpa's window rocking chair.
Here's the particulars:

Flaunt Your Colors Scarf pattern (<---over there)

Lion Brand Wool Ease, worsted weight

Purple, 3 skeins

Buttercup, 2 skeins

(US) 8 (5.0mm) needles

73" x 7" finished size

took me far too long to knit, between everything else. But is a perfect 'cover' knit in front of Mom while trying to get her sweater done.

Now, speaking of the sweater....

While they were at the mall today, I got the other sleeve finished, faux seamed the 2nd side and started picking up stitches for the neckband/button band area.

Another good reason to get the skills of continental knitting down. It's so much easier to pick up stitches that way!

Up the front...

across the back....

When I started it with a fresh strand of yarn, I made a slip knot on the end and have it clipped to the bottom ribbing of the sweater. Last thing I have time for on this marathon knitting quest would be to have the yarn come loose and pull out all 172 stitches at 2am. That would not be good.

Here's what the sweater looked like before starting to pick up the stitches. Now that I THINK Mom is sound asleep, for heaven knows how long before her midnight trips to the bathroom...I'm going to try and teach myself how to count once again. Evidently, I've forgotten how to count past 20. I went up the right front and across the back just fine, but can't figure out how I came up with 2 extra stitches on the left front. I'm trying to mirror the pick ups stitches on both sides, by counting in the same rows. They came home from the mall when I was nearly finished. I begged Dad all day long to take her to dinner. But nope, she wanted soup for dinner tonight and wasn't going to budge. I tell you, helping your very independently minded parents some times, is enough to make you nuts! Church is in the morning, and her birthday dinner is at 4pm and I still need to make her cake. At this point, all I can say, is that sleep is for sissies.

However...

Tuesday, I'm sleeping in!