Chuck

I am in Sacramento, Calif. for several weeks, sans camera. When possible, I will try to post a photo or two along with my usual riveting posts.

Charley in the sun with tea cozy (c) Hannah Six 2010

Today, (since I lack access to new photos) I thought I'd (re)share a favorite photo of this furry little critter.

Charley was a holy terror growing up, but has always been good-natured about the chaos he causes. Now, at about one and a half years, he's grown quite large and is still a bit...um...rambunctious. Mostly, though, he is very affectionate and sweet, snuggling close in bed and waking me with little kisses on my nose and eyelids.

Katja, our nine-year-old Persian, loves him (though she doesn't want us to know that); watching them play is great fun. I think he's saved her from becoming a cranky old lady.

While I'm traveling, my needles will stay busy. I am working on several new designs (a couple will have to remain secret for now). I'll have more information for you by the end of (northern-heisphere) summer.

Until then, make a cup of sweet, milky tea, grab a few cookies (or any other carb-laden treat of your choosing), sit back and enjoy the adorable, fuzzy, handsomeness we call "Chuck."

Chuck

On my way home...

Hello, friends,

I've been away for a while, visiting family on the other side of the continent. Time goes so quickly when you spend it with those you love. It will be hard to say goodbye.

BUT...

I also have the most wonderful husband in the Universe, and cannot wait to be back in his arms, to give him a big hug and kiss. Smooch.

So hold tight and be patient. I promise I'll return to my blogging soon -- and even have some brand new patterns to show you! (There's nothing like travel to clear your creative channels.)

Meanwhile: Happy knitting!


BTW: I was just reminded of this story -- about rescued chickens needing, and getting, sweaters -- please check it out. It's a beautiful thing.

On my way home...

Featured Artist: Bonnie Rollin

Bonnie Rollin (aka: Mom) is a sculptor, poet, painter, and musician living in Sacramento, Calif. Obviously, if someone is that talented, the sky's the limit. She's done more than I could ever list, and everything she's done has been fabulous.


For example, I remember living in a town house in San Mateo Co., Calif., when I was in third grade. At that time, it was just mom, my sister, and me...a very unusual situation in the mid-1960s. Mom worked hard to make ends meet, but she also managed to make time to create gorgeous oil paintings.

A handful of fabulous tomatoes.

I can still see them, on the kitchen counter, leaning against the cupboards while they dried. And whenever I hear Moonlight Sonata, I'm transported back to the upstairs bedroom, where my sister and I often fell asleep to the classical lullabies mom played on the grand piano below (she went to Eastman School of Music before moving to the Bay Area).

The artist in her studio.

Over the years, she continued to explore art in its myriad forms. Then, in the late 90s, she began to work with clay, turning out some fantastic pottery before finding her passion in sculpture. Recently, she's been working on masks like the two pictured here. Her glaze-work is fabulous -- photos hardly do it justice.


Bonnie's work has been displayed in some pretty cool places -- like Sacramento's Crocker Art Gallery -- and is coveted by art collectors and others who appreciate her unique perspective. (The mask in the top photo, for example, was purchased by a prominent Calif. politician.)

I'm so proud of my mom and her many, many talents. Did I mention she can draw incredible sketches and that she has a gorgeous singing voice? From an early age, I've always considered myself fortunate to have had "the cool mom" on the block -- beautiful, independent, courageous, funny, and just a bit bohemian. She's a big part of who I am today, and is the my #1 role model for the way I hope to be/live as I grow older.

Betcha she's going to hate this photo I took after we went to a yarn store!

I'll share more photos and stories about her work as I receive them... That's just one reason I love having this blog: Being able to feature artists (like my mom) from time to time, and share some glimpses of their work with fiber artists (yes, that's you!) and others who may find inspiration here.

Enjoy!

PS. If you'd like more information about Bonnie's work, just leave me a comment with your e-mail address and I'll get back to you.

Featured Artist: Bonnie Rollin

Counting My Blessings (Instead of Sheep & Wool...)

(Photo: SXC)

I'm so excited...My mother is coming from California for a 10-day visit!

My mom is a sculptor (one of her pieces will soon appear in Sacramento's Crocker Art Museum), a published poet, and a musician, to name just a few of her artistic accomplishments. She's not your typical mom, and I like her like that!

We always have fun together and have a lot to talk about. Living so far apart, though, we don't get to see each other as often as we'd like. So this will be a wonderful, rare treat. And we get to spend Mother's Day together :-)

Something else to look forward to: My sister is coming out to D.C. on a business trip (she lives in Washington state) and is planning to spend two or three nights with us. I am looking forward to that so much! We haven't had much sisterly time together since I moved to the East Coast in 1984. Which means having actual days together is a true luxury. Yay!

(I love lilacs.)

I had to make the sad decision to skip the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival this year. With so much going on right now, we need to be careful with our money, and I can't afford to spend much on yarn and spinning fiber. So...I'm sure you understand why I'm opting out of the Festival altogether. I mean, honestly, can I expect to go there and not buy anything? That would be sheer (shear?) torture!

Sure, I'm feeling bummed about it -- that's only natural. I might even have to avoid Ravelry and many of my favorite blogs because of the glut of MDSW excitement/news/announcements/events/fun & games featured everywhere right now. But I feel confident that this is the responsible thing to do.

However...
The silver lining: Chris has that day off, so instead of spending the day digging through the barns while he eats his way through 1,000 different lamb and mutton dishes, we'll get to spend that time together. And I can't think of anything I enjoy more than that!

So I consider myself among the luckiest of women: I actually rate my husband above acres of fibery, yarny goodness ;-)

Counting My Blessings (Instead of Sheep & Wool...)

I'm back!

Alaska Airlines flew us past some monstrous mountains.

That's Mt. Ranier. What a treat for the eyes after living in the oh-so-flat (to a Northern Californian) Mid-Atlantic region for many, many years.

Oh, yeah, and one of their pilots also saved the lives of everyone on the plane when we flew back into D.C. I'll tell you the story soon.

First, I went to Sacramento and spent almost two weeks with my mom and step-dad, who were both feeling better when I left. Then I flew up to Seattle, where I spent a fun (if short) weekend with my sister, her husband, my newphew, and a handful of step-nieces and step-nephews. More on that later, too (including some photos).

And, lest you worry, I did manage to slip in a little yarn shopping and knitting along the way...

I'm back!