. . . Solas

Many thanks for your migraine banishing vibes, friends – I woke up to a bright, sunshine-y morning, felt a wee bit better, and was able to head out with Tom to take some photos. I should say, in all honesty, that the headache part of the migraine is not really the problem for me: the issue is that, since my stroke the headache phase is invariably followed by awful neurological fatigue – the kind of crushing lethargy and weakness that is not improved by sleep or rest. Basically, after a migraine headache, everything that was affected by my stroke – my balance, basic physical abilities, energy levels, proprioception etc – become much more impaired, and the whole thing is also horribly unpredictable, lasting anything from two days to two weeks. In this instance, it’s been more than a week since the fatigue started, but I can at last feel it beginning to lift, which is a good thing because sometimes I really am afraid it’s never going to end: that I will be “stuck like that” and never be able to get out. In such dark moments, I remind myself that I only have half a brain, and that under such circumstances, it is frankly unsurprising that a headache takes quite a bit of getting over.

Those of you with MS and other neurological conditions will know just how crap this stuff can be. I don’t talk about it much, but honestly, since my stroke (which was, in fact, fifteen years ago this month), the fatigue I routinely suffer after a migraine – or at other times of general ill-health or exertion – remains unquestionably the worst thing I have had to deal with in all of those fifteen years. Yes, I would say neurological fatigue is worse than depression – but that dealing with both of these things simultaneously (as I have done, on several occasions) is what marks the real nadir. I would spare anyone that experience.

Anyway, here I am – still weirdly knackered, but happily not depressed – and definitely feeling the benefit of getting outside in the fresh air and morning sunshine.

Yesterday’s pullover was Dorchas (darkness) and today’s is Solas (light).

You’ll know, I imagine, that the “traditional” báinín sweaters we so admire today arose partly out of canny marketing: it’s much easier to see the textural appeal of an Aran gansey when photographed in a paler shade than in navy or dark brown.

For me, the chocolate-y appeal of Choffer is unquestionable, and I love the pullover I knitted for Kate C, which you saw yesterday. But I did think that some of you might appreciate seeing the lacy structure in a lighter shade – so I knitted up a second sample, in Riach.

The fact that I followed Dorchas with Solas in swift succession suggests not what a speedy knitter I am (I am not) but rather that this is a sweater which is genuinely enjoyable to knit, and which, because of its gauge, works up quickly too. I would, in fact, be very happy to make a third!

For me, this is the ideal winter coastal sweater: robust, high-necked, and interestingly textured, with a nod to traditional maritime woollen garments. And yes, I know those yarnovers mean that there are holes in it, but this is a weighty and roomy sweater too: I’m wearing two layers here underneath my Solas, and do not feel the wind.

I’ve also knitted up two samples – a dorchas and a solas – of the accessory in the Making Light collection which accompanies this design. Can you guess what it will be?

I’ll be back tomorrow to show it to you. Meanwhile, I intend to conserve my energy this afternoon, read a book, and knit a little.

Whatever you are up to, enjoy the rest of your Saturday!