‘Emily’ my February blanket: a humble homage to the Brontë sisters.
As you probably knew already, last weekend, I went to my first STYLECRAFT’S BLOGSTARS meeting.
It will take all week for the experience to sink in and I am still in the process to write a blog entry about what I saw , who I met and millions of ideas and exciting new projects, but today I am going to give you an update on my plans for the February blanket.
Stylecraft’s HQ is in Yorkshire in the north east of England, a wonderful rugged landscape well worth a visit if you got the chance.
While I was there for the weekend, I decided to stay an extra day and fulfil a wish that I had wanted for ages.
I went to Haworth to see the Brontë Parsonage.
As with all the things that you put up off for a long time, I had developed some sort of concern that there was a possibility of disappointment. And that my experience wasn’t going to be what I expected. But I m very pleased to say that it was not the case for this visit.
I wanted to see the house in winter, and also I wanted to see it when it wasn’t too crowded because in a very selfish way it was quite an important pilgrimage for me.
I was very fortunate, I arrived there at twilight ,just before closing, beautifully quiet, as the museum had just reopened last week and many are not aware of it.
It was wonderful to be standing in solitude in their very front garden.
You are wondering why a 50 something year old woman is so fascinated by the Brontë sisters?
Well I, have been fascinated by them for most of my life, since I read their novels and poems when I was a teenager, I never saw them as a gloomy trio of unmarried women in a isolated village in the Yorkshire’s moors telling tales of love , despair and sometimes happy endings.
I thought of them as witty , intelligent and also quite troubled women, well ahead of their time, raising topics that are still pertinent today , 200 years later. Drawing attention with their novels on subjects such as; choosing your own path, independence and being true to yourself .
The Brontë sisters have all an extraordinary ability to express their emotions so intensely about, not just love , loss, and passion; but also about rage, madness, and domestic abuse, and the reality of working just with the sole purpose to survive.
What also appeals to me a great deal is the fact that you can be an extraordinary individual without living a life full of epic experiences.
So back to my visit…
I was standing at twilight in the front garden of the parsonage and looking at the colours, the light, the moss on the tombstones, the interiors of the house with their soft dusty blues , greens and purples, the books, paintings, clothes, kitchen utensils and objects of an ordinary life and I felt so content in being there.
To capture in a tangible way how I felt , I m going to dedicate my February blanket to my favourite Brontë sister, Emily, a blanket to remember my visit to Haworth on a beautiful winter afternoon.
I selected the yarn , a mix of tweeds and solid colours , some soft alpaca mix for comfort against the gloomy weather, and a general mood for the blanket.
the tomato looks more like an hot pink in this picture…which is not right but it give you an idea, hopefully in the next few days if it is not raining I will be able to take a better picture.
The pattern is nearly there too; I am still tweaking with it. It is going to be different from what I normally make but hopefully will work . more updates as the week progresses.
Love you all Lucia x
Thank-you, lovely pictures ooh the grays, mood, emotion of the bricks, colors, lighting. “Jane Eyre” “Wuthering Heights” seem more personal seeing Haworth. Looking fwd to your February afghan.
I’m really looking forward to seeing this develop, Lucia!
Beautiful words and photos – you have encouraged me to reread some of their books, which I haven’t read since I left school! I am sure I shall read them with different eyes now. Your blanket colours are lovely, I am looking forward to seeing this grow. ^
hopefully I will be able to post something in the next few days! thank you for your support xx
I love the Brontë sisters novels too, and have visited the parsonage myself a few years ago. Can’t wait to see your blanket. I’m new to your blog, found you via Attic 24 blog post about your trip to Stylecraft Blogstar meeting.
thank you Kay for stopping by, I hope you will enjoy my blog xx
The chances of my returning to UK are slim at this time. I was able to visit last year – my first ever trip across the ocean, and loved all that I saw. Since I traveled there to attend a Yarn Retreat with Dedri Uys, I saw London and we drove together to Lyme Regis. I was thrilled that our driver took the “scenic route” and we traveled down the coast where I was able to observe some of England’s historic sites along the way.
IF ever able to go again, my aim is to visit some of the countryside – like the moors, Yorkshire is certainly on my list – and you’ve only made me want that even more. Thank you for the lovely pictures and the descriptions are so vivid!
Look forward to your blanket progress…and to seeing what you have been designing for this blanket!
thank you , I am getting there..i hope, and I will upload some progress in the next few days x
New to your blog but really enjoyed it. waiting to see the blanket as the wool is lovely
I stumbled not you thru the Stylecraft bloggers, so glad I did. Loved your Jan blanket and looking forward to this one for Feb. happy hooking.
I too am going through a Bronte phase at present, particularly now we have moved back to Yorkshire from Scotland. Haworth is gorgeous and I’m sure you will do it justice with your blanket as you have with your photos, look forward to seeing your progress. I found you via Josie Kittens blog.
thank you Jenny, I m reading Juliet Barker’s ‘the Brontës’at the moment, it is a really interesting portrait of the sisters and their family all seen from another prospective. i find it quite fascinating, you might like it.
glad you find me, thank you for your kinfd words and for stopping by,
lucia x
I’ll never forget when I read Wuthering Heights as a young teenager. I was completely transported to those heather laden moors and pictured Heathcliff strolling over the top with a brooding look. We are, hopefully, visiting the UK later in the year and I’d love to visit the Bronte parsonage.
I also found your blog through Attic 24 and am enjoying it immensely, and am looking forward to seeing your February blanket!
thank you Jenn, I m getting there I posted a couple of images on instagram. 😀
Lovely post. Have you read The Bronte Plot by Katherine Reay? http://amzn.to/2lGJO6Y
Light read, but lots of interesting Bronte tidbits worked into the novel.
no I haven’t but I am going to have a look. thank you Lisa x
Hello Lucia…I can’t WAIT to see how this translates into crochet, it is so exciting following your journey! I also wanted to say that I really loved what you wrote about being “an extraordinary individual without living a life full of epic experiences”, that is very inspirational to think about and grounds me in a way I didn’t know I needed. So just wanted to say thank you for that xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thank you Lucy!
I am in the middle of writing an update on my progress on the blanket. It seems to me I spend a LOT of time fighting with technology but I m sure I will get there one of these days..crochet is soo much easier than writing about it!
I love the Brontes also. To think they and Jane Austin came from the same country and lived very quiet lives, but have touched so many people with their written words. Makes me glad to know one does not have to be a socialite or gad about, but can do what one loves in a quiet manner and still have such a striking influence on millions of people. Perhaps solitude is a good thing after all.
absolutely Kate! or the fact that you don’t need to live an extraordinary life to be an incredible person. I found visiting the parsonage very interesting and it put their books in a different perspective It really made me think seeing where they lived and what they managed to achieve in such short life.and also the fact that all three sisters were so talented! just amazing.