Product Description

Jane Brocket delights in domesticity. Lively, curious and creative, she takes inspiration from her surroundings, from art, literature and nature and, through the gentle arts of knitting, baking and sewing, enhances her family life. From angora cushions to gingerbread houses, from crochet blankets to geometric quilts, she injects her home with colour, beauty and fun. The result is a gorgeous, unusual and inspirational commonplace book, full of wit, whimsy and stunning photographs. Jane’s fresh and thoughtful take on life will make you look at the world with new eyes. Whether you want to emulate her hand-knitted socks and colourful cupcakes or simply share her pleasure in life’s small details, you will delight in the glorious synthesis of craft, style and intellectual pleasures. THE GENTLE ART OF DOMESTICITY is a heavenly feast, celebrating everything that is wonderful about life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43337 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-04
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Review
'A gorgeous visual feast of domestic perfection, packed with ideas for creating your own idyll.' (Eve Magazine )

'The book... packed with jewel-bright pictures of her work, from shimmering iced cupcakes to knitted carrot-coloured tea cosies, is an eccentric delight.' (Evening Standard )

'Good for an interesting read, but even better for cute domestic projects and light-hearted words of wisdom.' (House & Home (Eire) )

Synopsis
Jane Brocket delights in domesticity. Lively, curious and creative, she takes inspiration from her surroundings, from art, literature and nature and, through the gentle arts of knitting, baking and sewing, enhances her family life. From angora cushions to gingerbread houses, from crochet blankets to geometric quilts, she injects her home with colour, beauty and fun. The result is a gorgeous, unusual and inspirational commonplace book, full of wit, whimsy and stunning photographs. Jane's fresh and thoughtful take on life will make you look at the world with new eyes. Whether you want to emulate her hand-knitted socks and colourful cupcakes or simply share her pleasure in life's small details, you will delight in the glorious synthesis of craft, style and intellectual pleasures. THE GENTLE ART OF DOMESTICITY is a heavenly feast, celebrating everything that is wonderful about life.

About the Author
Jane Brocket is the creator of the gorgeously colourful and thoughtful blog www.yarnstorm.blogs.com, which has a huge international following. A Master of Wine and lapsed PhD student, she lives with her husband and three children in Berkshire.

Customer Reviews

A rare treat
Read this book if you want to revel in a world of home comforts, colour and simple pleasures. Jane writes beautifully and articulates what many women feel about being at home and the whole range of domestic activities - but perhaps find it hard to express. If you want a practical craft book, as a couple of these reviewers seem to, there are hundreds you can buy. This is not what Jane Brocket is offering - and thank goodness she isn't.

A gentle read, not a DIY manual

I adored this book. In fact I'm still reading it. This is a lazy sunday afternoon book that you want to indulge yourself. I pick it up and put it down and just flick through the pictures or just read a chapter out of order if I fancy.
It is full of wonderful colouful pictures of snuggly quilts and socks that makes me a) want to go make them and b) snuggle in them whilst reading this book.
A lot of people are disapointed by the lack of instruction in the book but I get bored with instruction and lust after beautiful inspirational pictures and musings. I would save this book from a housefire!!

Blog into book doesn't work
I was looking forward to the book as I had frequently visited the blog and enjoyed the photographs...however when I started the book I realised a blog doesn't translate into a book. While a blog is a diary (of sorts), a book is a much more concrete and lasting evidence of one's literary efforts (that cannot be changed, once commited to print). These two concepts somehow clash in the book, giving us a picture and a commentary on privilege and choice (someone else made that comment but I hope they don't mind me using it here). Domesticity is not an art, it's a job, and if we're lucky or priviledged enough we may make pretty things out of beautiful, expensive yarns and beautiful, expensive fabrics!

The term used in the title is repeated so often through the book, it became very annoying and lost the meaning altogether. I must confess that I didn't finish the book, I looked at the pictures and flicked through the last 70-odd pages, but the book just became more of the same to me - rather simplistic and self-centred. I do appreciate the fact that all literary output IS, in fact, subjective, but there could have been a balance somewhere there; so maybe the title of the book should have been "The gentle art of domesticity according to me".

I , too, knit, crochet, sew, quilt, bake, try my hand at different crafts, as this is what they are. They probably amount to domesticity, but I wouldn't call them art.

The 2 points I give the book are for the photographs - very good for a coffee table type book.