a little help, please?*

*scroll down to end, if you will

I've tried (largely unsuccessfully in public quarters) to stay out of the Brocket domestic/domesticity debate, but I have to applaud Wazz for her incredibly lucid review of both the furor and the book. I have yet to read The Gentle Art of Domesticity; in fact, initially I was a bit turned off by the idea of it. But, as Wazz, I got caught up in the maelstrom that it seemed to create and felt obliged, as a crafty feminist who can argue the systematic rebuke to women's rights by patriarchy in its current form and whip up homemade bread in equal measure, to defend her. I felt someone somewhere had missed the point that feminism is about choice, inclusion and education, that the sort of exclusivity and elitism that the Women's Hour presenters seems to be sneeringly presenting just about as counterproductive as the exclusivity and elitism that bred contention in the Seventies.

But what do I know? I haven't read the book.

To this end I'm a bit torn. Until I've read the book I won't know whether or not I want to support Brocket and her version of the gentle arts; yet, I'm going to be hard-pressed to do so unless I buy the book (it's not in any library I've looked in on). An awkward predicament.

I feel a bit contradictory to now turn around and declare Wazz's site bloody brilliant and her abilities in the whimsical quaintly arty farty a force to be reckoned with, but I'm in that kind of mood and I think it helps elaborate where Wazz is coming from with regard to her review. Even if you don't like hand-mades and delectable wares, her account of the Whitworth wallpaper exhibition is fascinating and well worth the visit.

I've yet to post anything about the Knitting and Stitching Show and this is almost entirely due to three things:

1. I didn't have time to transfer my pictures from my camera to my computer over the weekend;

2. although I uploaded a bunch of pictures to Flickr Monday morning so I could create the post from my my work computer and although my work computer will save them to its designated Pictures File, my work computer seem reluctant to let me upload said saved pictures to Typepad. It's also strangely reluctant to let me view my blog at all, which makes things even more difficult;

3. my only other spare time at home has been taken up with eating, sleeping and attempting to maintain my relationships outside of the internet. Also, Matthew had a gig on Tuesday which scarpered any plans to do it then, but I could hardly complain about that -- the gig was fantastic! Plus, I had the added bonus of getting to hang out with Medusa all night, which was lovely.

In any case, I'm going to attempt to post a picture now, but if someone could perhaps leave me a comment to say whether or not its visible on their computers I'd be most grateful. (And if you can see it, what you're looking at are Dee's feet, somewhat pooped, on Saturday in the lobby of the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexander Palace.)

Comments

[Sharon]

I'll quite happily admit that I read yarnstorm on a very superficial basis. I love the beauty she finds in everyday normality... ok, so it's 'normalilty' as defined by my life, but the ethos of her blog is one we can all possibly identify with. The simple pleasures in life. I'm really not up on all this bourgeois nonsense; I don't think she's ever pretended to be something she's not. She's worked hard to achieve this 'privileged' lifestyle that keeps getting referred to - she certainly wasn't born into it from what I can gather. She's educated and she has an eviable work/life balance, which I would argue is an enrichment that both you and I are aiming towards. But then what would I know? :)

I hope the kitties are ok.

xx

[Robynn]

Well surely we don't have to support Jane in particular just because we support the fibre arts in general? Just as I wouldn't automatically support anyone who called herself a feminist without actually reading her book first... but I *would* argue vehemently with anyone who attacked that book for being a feminist book, rather than on more reasoned and specific grounds.

Does that sentence even make sense? I honestly can't' tell.

[alice]

I loved the domestic in drag review. I stopped reading yarnstorm (and have been avoiding the book) because, despite the lovely pictures, I was constantly annoyed by the celebration of upper-middle class-ness. Not only did she ignore how privileged she was, yarnstorm seems to celebrate this privilege as if it is something we should try to attain. Its like when Nigella said at Xmas - "if you only have the one oven".

It's class that gets my goat on this, not sexism.

[glittrgirl]

I can see the piccy in both my Google Reader and in Firefox on a mac....

[dee]

Shoes and Yarn - my favourite things :D

[Arianne]

Oh, and I can see your photo.

[Arianne]

You can borrow my copy. I'm a fan of Jane's blog, and even with my feminist tendencies I figure I can support a fellow crafter. Her message is so not "Let's all put on aprons and undergo retrogressive identity rediscoveries in order to perpetuate the patriarchy". It's more "These things are beautiful and I enjoy them." As well as "Just because we're feminists doesn't mean we can't wear aprons if we want to." And you know what, I'm all for a world where women can wear aprons if they bloody feel like it without the fear that someone will tell them they're a betrayal and disgrace to the sisterhood.

So, you know...whatever. :) Seriously though, I'm going to the signing this weekend so you can borrow my copy. (You can pick it up when you collect your sewing machine you pre-occupied student type! *shakes fist*)

[Laura]

Yep - I can see it! Was this taken whilst we were stuffing our lunch?