Oct
20
2008

RC Part 70 – The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket

The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket was my favouritist book over the weekend.
Jane Brocket writes a craft blog called Yarnstorm. It is a truly beautiful and inspirational blog, full of the things she creates; cakes, knitting, patchwork and embroidery, but also photographs of nature, flowers and day-to-day life. I find her use of colour and texture truly inspirational and this book was kind of her reflections about life and the importance of the “domestic” in her life. She comments on this by saying

”There is a world of difference between domesticity and domestication. This book is about domesticity and the pleasures and joys of the gentle domestic arts of knitting, crochet, baking, stitching, quilting, gardening and homemaking. It is emphatically not about the repetitive, endless rounds of cleaning, washing, ironing, shopping and house maintenance that come with domestication. Domesticity rises above the bossiness of cleaning products and media exhortations to keep our houses pristine and hygienic, and focuses instead on creativity within the domestic space.

Domesticity gives us the opportunity to express ourselves, and the gentle arts are the most satisfying and achievable means of doing so. Domesticity frees our minds and hands and eyes to enjoy often neglected and undervalued skills, textiles, colour, textures, patterns and comforts, all of which can bring pleasure to both the domestic artist and those around her.”

DSCN4301I love being creative and I find huge pleasure in both the process of making things, and seeing the end result. This books gave me the opportunity to consider lots of different crafts I wouldn’t normally consider. Also, it encouraged me to get on with doing the things I most want to do, to photograph the things I find beautiful and satisfying, and to carry on trying new things.

I have to say that there is actually quite a funny photo that could go with this blog entry, if The Mister gets around to sending it to me. The fact that I was reading this book seemed to amuse him, maybe it was the thought of me being domestic… for some reason he seems to equate that idea with me being in the kitchen baking all sorts of nice things for him to eat. Or maybe he just equates it with me being a subservient woman. Yeah, right!!!

Written by Anna Williams in: Uncategorized | Tags: ,

2 Comments »

  • This book’s just fantastic for inspiration isn’t it! I got a copy for Christmas last year and keep going back to it again and again. Glad you enjoyed it!

    Comment | October 21, 2008
  • birdie

    Also, her flapjack recipe is the best I’ve ever used.

    Comment | October 21, 2008

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