Will it never end?

The latest cast-on. It's going to be a modified Shedir. The yarn is one of the nicest ones A.C. Moore has to offer (how I wish I knew where a "real" yarn store was down here!)--a merino/microfiber/cashmere blend (light on the cashmere, of course) which is actually very soft and snuggly. My parents more or less commissioned this one. The mother of one of our old family friends is losing her hair due to chemotherapy, and this is going to be a gift for her.