At Wick's End (Book 1 in the Candlemaking Mysteries) Read Online Free Page A

rolling would be the best place to
start. Let me collect some materials and we can get started.”
    I followed her to one of the shelves near
the front and saw an array of honeycombed sheets in a variety of
hues, along with wicks, knives, straight edges and cookie cutters.
She chose a packet with sheets of golden-yellow wax a little
narrower than a piece of notebook paper but quite a bit longer. I
picked up a pack myself so I could get a closer look. The wax had a
definite raised imprint throughout. “This is neat. It’s like a
soccer ball.”
    Eve took the packet from my hand and said,
“It’s a hive pattern. We only need one for now,” she added as she
returned mine to the shelf behind her.
    Eve motioned me to one of the workbenches, a
long countertop with overhead lights that illuminated the entire
tabletop. After she removed the wax and wicks from the pack, I
grabbed the sheet and flexed it in my hands. “It’s kind of thick,
isn’t it?”
    Eve shook her head and easily located a seam
I’d missed. She peeled one sheet from the other and handed it to
me. I was expecting it to be sticky for some odd reason, but it
wasn’t at all. The single sheet was really pliable as I made waves
with it, shifting it in my hands. I held it to my nose and caught a
pleasant, faint scent that did indeed remind me of honey.
    I caught Eve smiling at me, something she
quickly stifled the second she saw me notice. “Here’s the wick
we’ll be using,” she said as she handed me a piece of string that
was thicker than kite string but thinner than a shoelace.
    “ It’s pretty long, isn’t
it?” I asked.
    She said, “We can cut it to any length we
need. Now today is rather warm, so we can skip the preheating
process.  Sometimes in winter I like to use a blow-dryer to
make the wax more malleable.”
    “ Blow-dryer. Got it,” I
said as I fiddled with the wax. “What do I do now?”
    “ Lay the sheet out flat,”
she said. “Then trim the wick within three-fourths of an inch
beyond the edge of the wax. No, not that way, go along the width,
not the length.”
    I did as I was told, and she continued. “Now
fold the wax over the wick tightly. Don’t be afraid to use your
thumbnail to clinch it into place along the entire length.
Remember, the tighter the candle is rolled, the better and longer
it will burn.”
    I finished that step, and she reluctantly
nodded after inspecting my work and adding an extra pinch or two.
“Now it’s simply a matter of rolling the candle up tightly till you
get to the end.”
    I did as I was instructed, amazed at how
simple the process was. Until I found that somehow I’d gotten off
course and my candle now had a definite diagonal slant to it.
“Okay, how do I fix this?”
    “ You rolled your candle too
quickly. Unroll it, the wax is very forgiving, and try it again.
Take your time and watch the edges.”
    It was just like unraveling paper towels
from the roll as I started over at the cinched wick. This time I
was more careful with the edges and produced what I thought was a
decent candle.
    “ What do you think?” I
asked as I gave it to Eve.
    “ It’s adequate for a first
try. You’ll get better as you practice. If this were a regular
class, we’d dip the tip and butt of the candle in melted beeswax,
but it’s not necessary right now.” She unrolled the candle, handed
the sheet and wick back to me, and said, “Now let’s try that
again.”
    By the time I’d finished my fourth try, I
was really starting to enjoy the process. “Hey, this is fun,” I
said as I laid the finished candle down.
    Eve said, “I believe you’ve got the hang of
it now. This is the simplest form of candlemaking we teach. Now we
can move on to shaping unique candles with the sheets of wax. Mrs.
Jorgenson will want to be able to do that, I’m sure.”
    Eve was just starting the next lesson when
the door chime announced another customer. “That will have to do
for now,” she said. “We’ve still got a shop