Ten dollars, four hours, two skeins of yarn and one exasperated mama

Hayley's cast is scratchy. I don't mean itchy for her (which it is), but scratchy on the outside. So when she brushes against someone else, we get scratched.

To me, it's the name of the game. It's not forever, so we put up with it.

Emma, though, is completely frustrated by the constant pain of getting scratched. So is Miranda, Hayley's best friend. (Hi, Miranda!)

So I suggested that I knit a cast cover. They all loved the idea.

After Hayley picked out the yarn (light blue), I got to work. Three hours Sat. night and another hour on Sunday. Good thing I've gotten faster at knitting, right? LOL

Never having done this before and as a not completely experienced as a knitter, I'm just glad it turned out at all. But...

Hayley most likely won't ever wear it.

It's a little big. Not much, not even enough to make it a big deal to most people. But she is a tweenager and starting to become more and more concerned about appearances. (Since she's holding her arm out in front of her in the photo, it looks bigger than it really is.)

Her arm is generally either hanging down or against her front, so the extra width would not even be noticeable. But there's no convincing otherwise. All you parents out there know what I'm talking about.

I can't say I'm frustrated because I half expected this. But I did work hard on it, put aside other work and stayed up late to get it together before she went back to school today, so I am exasperated.

Looking at it from a larger perspective, though, I have to remember that it's really not about the cast cover. It's about me taking the time to make something for Hayley, to make her feel special, to show her my love. You can tell by her smile in the photos that she's pleased to have something from Mom, even though she admitted she probably won't wear it.

Take a look at her smile below. Tell me... is it not worth at very least the ten dollars, four hours, two skeins and one frustrated mama.