Sometimes we don't realize how the smallest human connections can mean so much.
We've lived in our house in Royal Oak for 12 years now and we've always had the same mail carrier. Her name is Julie. Six days a week Julie would come bearing the fruits of the U.S. Postal Service -- sometimes good mail (magazine, personal letters & cards), sometimes bad mail (bills & junk mail). But there she was every day trudging along her route on my street no matter the weather.
When it was 95 degrees, I'd offer her some water. In the freezing temps, I'd offer her coffee or hot chocolate.
Over the years we shared our families goings on -- jobs found, jobs lost, her parents illness, my mother-in-laws passing.
Even Rupert, our dog, got attached to her. Rupert likes to lay on top of an arm chair in the bay window facing our yard. In the summer, she would pass by the window and say, "Hey, Rup!" She's the only stranger, actually, who he wouldn't bark insanely at. We always knew if Julie was on vacation or off sick because Rupert would go crazy barking. If I happened to be around when Julie came by, I'd let Rupert out the front so they could visit for a minute before she continued on her route.
The other day I was out shoveling snow when Julie came by and she gave me the bad news... well, bad news for us, good news for her. The post office finally reduced her route after 10 years of delivering mail and our route was one that she cut. Starting in February we'll have a new carrier. I'm sure he/she will be just fine, but we're going to miss Julie.
So I decided I wanted to make her a going away present -- a cowl to keep her warm on her new route.
After researching patterns on
Ravelry, I settled upon Kelly's
Cowl’d and Frosty Morning. It's a simple pattern that I know I can knit up in a couple of days in front of the telly, and it matches the Tahki Yarns Bunny
Print yarn that I was gifted this summer.
I hope she likes it... I'll let you know.
I'm not a wimp and not THAT out of shape, but this pattern calls for a ton of Yarn Overs and I'm using my arms in knitting in a whole new way. And slowly, but surely, my body cried "Ouch!"
When it comes to knitting I do it in the English style which means I'm a "thrower" and my right hand and arm do all the work! As the aches came on I've tried silly ways to modify my style, propping up pillows under both my arms and anything else you can think of, but it's just been getting worse and worse.
So I cast on two nights ago and after a brief hiccup, I knitted a good five inches last night. The pattern calls for repeats that are really easy to remember and after a few rows I was off and running!
The scarf looks a little unkempt, but I'm convinced that after I wash it and block it, it will really open up! 
