1. I’ve been working on a herringbone scarf for J and it’s taking me forever!  Who thought fingering weight yarn was a good idea?  Oh wait, that was my idea…

This thing is huge! It’s 34″ wide and my original thought was to make it roughly square.  However, it may not make it to that size.  Because the whole point of a scarf is to have it to wear when the weather is cold,  not next summer.  The yarn is Sweet Georgia’s Cashluxe Fine in Ginger and Bison (I believe).

2. Socks.  I just started a pair of plain socks because patterned socks don’t seem to get done at my house.  Plain ones, you can work on those anywhere.

3. A sweater for me.  We’ve had some colder, fall weather this week and it’s making me want a new sweater.  I’ve come to the realization that the style of sweaters I like to wear are simple and basic.  I like stockinette.  Sure, it’s fun to knit cables and colorwork, but when I don’t know what to wear, I go to the basic sweaters in my closet.  I did some searching around on Ravelry and found Pole, which I put in my favorites in January.  It’s an aran weight sweater, which should be a quick knit.  I’m thinking of maybe using some Quince & Co. Osprey.

So, that’s it for my list for the foreseeable future.  Nothing earth shattering and who knows what will actually get done, but we’ll hope for the best.

First thing’s first, the book I bought is Canning for a New Generation.  The author takes you through the process, step-by-step, and makes it seem easy (including adjustments for altitude).  Then she gives you a whole bunch of great recipes that have less sugar than traditional recipes and she has some recipes for things I never would have thought to try (and some I’m not quite sure what they are).

The local food co-op had peaches for sale – 20 pounds – and I figured I’d start there.  I canned on 3 different days over the Labor Day weekend – one recipe each day – and ended up with what seem to be very respectable results.

The sliced peaches in vanilla syrup were first on the list.  As you can see, I didn’t quite get the “pack fruit tightly in jars” down, so there’s space in the jars from where the peaches shrunk after I cooked them.  However, I think they’ll still taste good (or I hope they do – what I taste-tested was yummy though).  Next up was the peach jam.

The recipe doesn’t use pectin (like SureGel), but instead has you use Granny Smith apples to provide the pectin necessary to thicken the jam.  As far as I can tell, it worked like a dream.  This jam has some nice peach chunks and is sweet, but not so sweet you feel like your teeth are rotting out.  It’s more like eating a fresh peach – a little sweet and a little tart at the same time.

Last on the list was peach cilantro salsa, and of all the things I tried, this one made me the most nervous.  I think because it’s hard to know how hot something is going to be until you actually make it and try it.

This recipe has peaches (obviously), a red bell pepper, onion, lime juice, a serrano chili, cilantro, and just a bit of mint.  It has a little heat, but isn’t hot at all – my sister will be sorely disappointed in that fact because she thinks everything should be so hot your eyelids sweat when you eat it.  The book says that while this is great with chips, it’s also good as a glaze for pork or fish.

All in all, my first canning experience went well.  Next up, sour cherry preserves and a couple of things with 25 pounds of plums that are arriving next week!

Last week, I finally got my business cards.  There’s something about having business cards that makes me feel like things are real!  Silly, I know, but I’ve always loved paper so maybe that’s why it makes such a difference to me.

Being a marketing company, having something unique and classy was important to me.  I love letterpress – it’s a tactile thing, so I splurged and got a fancy letterpressed card.  I designed them to be a less common 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch square and had the edges colored red to match the dot and the lines on the front of the card.  I had them printed at The Mandate Press in Salt Lake City.  They were wonderful to work with and their price was SO much better than I could find anywhere else.  What do you think?

Tomorrow:  quilting talk.  I have pictures of Swoon to share.

What life changes, you ask?  Well, in the last year I’ve gotten divorced, left my job, started a new business, and have a new guy.  I’ve been knitting infrequently and it seems that what I do manage to finish, I somehow also manage to felt in the wash.  After all this time you’d think I’d have a better understanding of how to wash hand knits.  Apparently, I’ve lost my ability to pay attention to what’s going into the washing machine in any particular load.

I’ve been quilting quite a bit and have no less than 4 quilts in progress – it’s ridiculous really.  One started out as a block of the month quilt in 2010 and is still hanging on while I lament the sheer number of flying geese in my future.  Yet another one started as a quilt for my bed, and since the life changes has been reassigned as a gift for my brother and sister-in-law – if I can ever find the time to work on it.  I recently HAD to have Swoon so I’ve been sewing on that all summer.  I also just finished a baby quilt and dropped it off to have it quilted last Monday.  Hopefully I’ll have it back this week so I can bind it, since the baby is arriving via c-section on Thursday!  As you can see, my propensity for waiting until the last minute hasn’t changed one bit!

As the weather cools off, I need to dust off my spinning wheel and get back into the swing of things there.  I have a lot of lovely fiber to spin (from my good friend Talia at International Fleeces) and I hope I’ll have more time this fall and winter to spend time making yarn (so then I can knit it into clothes that I hopefully don’t felt!).  I also want to try some canning.  I got a great book on canning and have read it cover to cover.  I hope there’s some peach jam, maybe sour cherry jam, and some tomato sauce in my future.  We’ll see how it goes, but the idea of canning has always intrigued me, so why not give it a whirl.

On a professional front, I left the University of Wyoming early this summer and spent the summer getting my new marketing business up and running.  I’m really excited, and also very nervous.  If you’re so inclined, check Marquiss out at www.marquiss.co.  If you know anyone who needs marketing, branding, or writing help, please send them my way!

So, what have you been up to?  What have I missed?

Steph

Jason knocked briefly and opened the door to poke his head inside.

“Hey, I’m home.  How’s your painting going today?” Jason asked.

Elizabeth jolted in surprise and lifted her eyes from her canvas to her impossibly handsome husband.  In the two weeks he’d been home, it was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore how handsome and kind he was.  She jerked her gaze back to the canvas, than lifted it again to meet his eyes.  “It’s going ok.  I’m almost done with this one.  Another day or two and I’ll be ready to show you.”

Jason had avoided looking at her work and wasn’t looking forward to explaining to her that he didn’t understand art.  He figured she’d be upset since it was such a big part of her life.  Maybe he’d get out of having to give his opinion.  Or at least he hoped so.

Elizabeth dropped her brush in a jar filled with turpentine and started rubbing the paint off of her fingers with a rag.  “What time do we have to be at the MetroCourt?”

Jason winced and pulled on his hair, “Carly called me when I was on my way home to remind me that we needed to be there by seven.” Jason was really not looking forward to tonight, but it was for a good cause, so he’d suffer.

Elizabeth grinned at his obvious discomfort, “Carly explained to me that tonight’s fundraiser is to benefit AIDS research, which is especially important to you because of your sister Emily.”

Jason reached up and scratched his chest as he shifted from one foot to the other.  “Emily is HIV positive.  She got HIV from her boyfriend when she was a teenager.  She’s doing really well, given the new drug protocols available, but harasses me to support AIDS research.  She and Carly have been in cahoots for over a year to do this big fundraiser.  I tried really hard to be out of town on business, but even Sonny conspired against me.  There will be tons of people, all trying to out dress, out drink, and out spend each other and it’ll be a horrible evening.  However, I think they’ll raise a lot of money to support AIDS research, which is all I really care about.”

Elizabeth smiled at his long-winded explanation.  Jason rarely said more than five words at a time, so she knew he was really agitated about having to go this event.  “I’d better go shower and get changed – we wouldn’t want to be late and have Carly mad at us before we even get through dinner.”

Elizabeth brushed past Jason and stepped into the hallway, “I picked up your tuxedo from the cleaners this morning.  It’s hanging in your closet.”

Jason turned and stared after her as she shut her bedroom door.  She’d picked up his tuxedo.  She’d had it dry cleaned.  She was being really nice to him and doing things for him on a regular basis.  She bought groceries, did his laundry, and made dinner.  Jason wasn’t sure what to think about all of that, but he had to admit that it was nice to have someone take care of him.

*~*~*~*

As Jason and Elizabeth stepped out of the limo in front of the MetroCourt, Elizabeth reached out to grasp Jason’s hand.  Jason glanced down in surprise and noticed the apprehension on her face.  “Nervous?” he asked.

Elizabeth looked up at him, “Yeah. I hate these society things.”

Jason couldn’t hide his surprise at her announcement. “You do? I thought you loved things like this.”

Elizabeth smiled, but Jason couldn’t help but notice it was a sad smile. “Let me guess, that’s what my mother told you.  She likes to think I enjoy these kinds of things, or she thinks that by saying it, it makes it true.  She’s never really understood me, and as far as I can tell, she doesn’t want to.”

Jason squeezed Elizabeth’s hand and leaned over to whisper in her ear, “You’re in good company because I hate these things too.”

When Carly saw Jason and Elizabeth walk into the lobby of the MetroCourt, the first thing she noticed was that they were holding hands and smiling at each other.  And that they looked perfect together.

“Hello!  Don’t you two look fabulous,” Carly said as she kissed Jason on the cheek and grasped Elizabeth’s other hand.  “Elizabeth, that navy blue dress is stunning.  I think it was a great choice.”

Elizabeth smiled “Thanks Carly.  I’m glad you talked me into it.”

Carly smiled at her new friend and then looked more closely at her best friend. “Jase, I like the tuxedo without the tie – very fashionable.”

Jason couldn’t help but squirm under Carly’s scrutiny.  “Elizabeth said she didn’t think I needed to wear a tie, and you know how much I hate them.”

Carly smiled, “I think you look very handsome and the tux with no tie is a fabulous compromise.” She glanced at Elizabeth, “Great idea!  You guys go mingle and check out the awesome auction items.  I’ll see you at dinner.”

Jason and Elizabeth looked at each other and headed for the bar.  After securing some liquid courage, they made their way to the ballroom to “mingle.”  Before they could find a safe place to hide, a short blonde woman stepped in front of them, blocking their path.  Elizabeth could feel Jason tense as if bracing for an attack.

“Mrs. Morgan, I’m Lulu Spencer from the Port Charles Herald.  Can you tell me how you feel about being married to Jason Morgan, who is reputed to be the most lethal mob enforcer on the eastern seaboard?”

Before Jason could step in, Elizabeth squeezed his hand and looked directly at Lulu.  “My husband is a coffee importer, as you very well know.  You should be careful what you say because if you aren’t, someone’s going to hit you with a libel suit.  My husband and I are very happy and I couldn’t be more blessed.  I’m married to a wonderful man.”

“Mrs. Morgan, are you aware that Mr. Morgan’s ex-girlfriend, Samantha McCall, has gone on record saying that Mr. Morgan was emotionally abusive during their relationship?” Lulu pushed.

“Ms. Spencer, I could quite frankly care less what Ms. McCall has alleged.  The fact is, Jason Morgan is a kind and generous man.  Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’re here to support a cause very important to both me and my husband.” Elizabeth squeezed Jason’s hand again and pulled him around Lulu towards the auction items.

Jason and Elizabeth stopped in front of an elaborate jewelry display.  While they pretended to look at the millions of dollars in diamonds and precious gems, Jason’s mind was reeling.  Not only was he shocked to hear that Sam had accused him of emotional abuse, but that Elizabeth had felt compelled to defend him to a reporter.  “Elizabeth …”

Elizabeth turned and smiled sharply up at Jason, “Don’t say anything about that dreadful woman.  How dare she accost us at a fundraiser and then say such horrid things about you.”

Jason leaned in and pressed his forehead against Elizabeth’s, “Elizabeth, you don’t need to feel like you have to defend me.  People say awful things about me all the time, and for the most part, they’re true.”

A tingle went through Elizabeth at Jason’s touch, “Jason, I know what you do for a living and I don’t care.  Being an enforcer is just your job – it has nothing to do with the kind of man you are.  Furthermore, I don’t believe for one second that you were emotionally abusive to whoever the heck Sam McCall is.  I only told that disgusting woman the truth.  You are kind and generous and have treated me with respect, which is all I’ve ever hoped for.  I’m very happy to be married to you and I won’t have someone using me to poke at you in the press.  Now, let’s at least pretend we’re having fun so we don’t give her any more fuel for her disgusting article.”

Jason couldn’t help but smile at his tiny spitfire of a wife.  She was so mad on his behalf that he wouldn’t have been surprised to see her stomp her foot.  But he was also touched.  No one but Carly had ever felt the need to defend him, and Elizabeth hadn’t even known him very long.  She had defended him, not because of their long and complex history, but simply because she was stuck in an arranged marriage with him.  And despite what she said, he hadn’t always treated her with respect.  When he’d been in Puerto Rico, he had been anything but respectful.  She had stood up for him anyway.  He vowed that she would never again feel like he was anything less than what she wanted and needed.  Despite this arranged marriage, Elizabeth was making the best of it, and Jason was going to be damned sure to do the same.

Jason had to admit, dinner wasn’t as bad as he’d expected.  Elizabeth kept Carly occupied so she didn’t feel like she had to draw him into conversations he didn’t care about, which meant he got to talk to Sonny and watch Elizabeth.

Elizabeth noticed that Jason had seemed preoccupied throughout dinner, and when Carly left the table to coordinate the live auction she leaned over and asked, “Everything ok?”

“Yeah.  I was actually just thinking about how much I appreciate you being here.  You talked to Carly so I didn’t have to.”

Elizabeth smiled and laughed.  “I’m glad I can help out.”

As the auction began, Elizabeth watched a stunning redhead make her way through the room wearing one of the necklaces that had been on display earlier.  It was a large rectangular emerald surrounded by diamonds on a chain studded with diamonds.  “I don’t see how anyone can wear something that large.  It has to weigh a ton and it’s so big.  I’d be afraid something would happen to a piece that expensive.”

“There are a lot of women who think the larger the piece, the better, and by buying the big pieces is how their husband or boyfriend proves his love.” Sonny added as he sipped his wine and watched the auction.

Half way through the auction Sonny suddenly straightened in his chair and started to pay close attention to the auctioneer.  The redhead was now wearing a dazzling diamond choker.  Elizabeth gave Jason a questioning glance and he just smiled in return.  Elizabeth watched in amazement as Sonny bid determinedly against a tall blonde man a couple of tables away.  Elizabeth continued to watch as the auction ended and the necklace brought the unbelievable price of $250,000.

Sonny smiled in satisfaction, “That should make my lovely bride happy.  And I’m sure she’ll think of an appropriate way to show her thanks.”

The next item in the auction line-up was drastically different from the diamond choker Sonny just purchased.  It was a delicate choker of creamy pearls with small square diamond spacers.  The necklace was gorgeous, but very feminine and much daintier than anything else that had been offered.

Elizabeth watched as a pretty blonde walked around the room displaying the necklace and thought to herself that it was the only thing she’d seen so far that she would even remotely like to wear.  She saw a couple of men at nearby tables bid, and was completely taken aback when Jason raised his finger and entered the bidding.

“Jason, what are you doing?” Elizabeth whispered to him.

Jason leaned over and whispered back, “I’m bidding on a necklace.”

“Yeah, no kidding.  Why?”

“It benefits AIDS research and I thought someone special might like it.”

Elizabeth abruptly sat back in her chair.  It had never occurred to her that even though she and Jason were married that he might have someone special in his life.  As she pondered the implications of Jason buying a necklace for a special lady, she wondered why she was surprised.  They both knew theirs was a marriage of convenience and a business arrangement shouldn’t preclude either of them from having someone.  But she was hurt all the same.  She really liked Jason and a couple of times over the course of the evening she’d felt a spark when they’d held hands and especially when he’d leaned his forehead against hers.  She couldn’t help being attracted to him – he was gorgeous and he’d been really nice to her since he’d gotten home from Puerto Rico.  But if there was someone else in his life, she certainly wasn’t going to stand in his way or ask him for something he wasn’t willing to give.

Jason noticed Elizabeth’s distance, but didn’t think much of it.  He was focused on getting the necklace.  And like anything Jason focused on, he got what he wanted – for the bargain price of $100,000.

The rest of the auction was as uneventful as a group of rich men buying jewelry at inflated prices could be, and before Jason knew it, it was time to collect his necklace and go home.  He would never admit this to Carly, but he’d actually had a pretty good time tonight, and he knew he had Elizabeth to thank for that.

“Elizabeth, is there something wrong?  You’ve been pretty quiet.” Jason asked.

Jason watched Elizabeth swallow and pull her bottom lip in to chew on.  She sighed and fidgeted with the clasp on her evening bag before finally raising her eyes to his.  “Jason, I don’t want you to feel like you have to give up anything or anyone in your life because you had to marry me.  It’s really important to me not to be a burden to you.  I don’t want to ruin your life just because of a business deal between my father and Sonny.”

“Elizabeth, you’re just as much a victim of this business deal as I am.  Who or what do you think I’ve given up because of our marriage?” Jason wasn’t entirely sure what Elizabeth was getting at.

This is where it got sticky, but Elizabeth was determined to be open and honest with Jason during their marriage.  Even if they would never actually be a married couple, maybe they could at least be friends.  “You said you were buying that necklace for someone special, and it hadn’t occurred to me before that that you might have someone special in your life.  I certainly don’t want you to have to give up your girlfriend just because you got stuck with me.”

Jason sat back against the seat in the limo and wondered how someone as sweet and innocent as Elizabeth had come out of the Alcazar family.  “Elizabeth, there’s no one in my life.  Sam was the last serious relationship I had and you heard how that ended.”

“Then who…”

Jason reached across the seat and clasped hands with Elizabeth.  “I bought that necklace for my wife.  The woman who has made it her mission from the day we got married to take care of me, including doing my laundry and dry cleaning my tuxedo.  She’s also defended me to the press and made it so I enjoyed a social event for the first time that I can remember.”

Elizabeth stared at Jason, “What?  Jason, I don’t understand.”

“I don’t know what’s going to happen between us, but I do know that I like you.  You’re sweet and funny and you’ve made my apartment a place I enjoy coming home to.  While we’re married, you’ll be the only special person in my life.” Jason flashed his killer grin, “So get used to it.”

They exited the limo in the secure parking garage and rode up the elevator to their penthouse.  Elizabeth didn’t say anything – all she could think about was that she couldn’t believe her luck.  She’d thought she was marrying a ruthless, hard killer and instead she’d gotten a sweet, remarkable man.

As they stepped into their great room, Jason grabbed Elizabeth’s hand to turn her back towards him.  He reached into his tuxedo pocket and pulled the pearl necklace out.  He draped it around Elizabeth’s neck and clasped the diamond clasp.

“It’s perfect for you – dainty and elegant, just like you.”

Elizabeth brushed her fingers over the cool pearls, “How did you know that this was the only thing at the auction that I liked?”

Jason smiled, “I didn’t – I just knew it reminded me of you.”  Jason let go of her hand and reached up to brush a stray curl behind Elizabeth’s ear.  His hand stayed to cup her jaw and tilt her chin up.

Elizabeth went up onto her toes and wrapped her arms around Jason’s waist to pull herself closer.  As their lips touched Elizabeth gasped – the electric shock shot through her entire body and left her fingers and toes tingling.  Jason was rocked back in surprise and groaned at the sweet taste of her mouth.  He deepened the kiss and slipped his tongue between Elizabeth’s lips.  The kiss went on as their tongues dueled and they tried to fit their bodies more tightly together.  Eventually they reluctantly pulled apart, both gasping for breath.

After a moment of staring up at him through passion-clouded eyes, Elizabeth took a crucial step back.  She lightly brushed her thumb over Jason’s bottom lip before breaking contact completely.  “Good night, Jason.  Thank you for a truly wonderful evening.”

Jason stepped out of the elevator onto the top floor of Harborview Towers. He glanced to his right towards Sonny’s door, and saw Johnny O’Brien standing guard.  As his gaze traveled to his own door, he was surprised to see Max Giambetti.  Max and Johnny were the two most trusted employees Sonny had – and the most senior, and it was unusual for them to both be in the same location at the same time.

“Max, what are you doing here?” Jason asked as he rubbed his hand over his face and into his hair, trying to rub away the tiredness.

“Mr. C asked that I guard Mrs. Morgan until you got home,” Max replied with a faint smirk.  “You didn’t forget about her did you?”

Jason sighed.  Of course that’s what Max was doing.  Why did he have such a hard time remembering that he was married?  Maybe because he’d only spent about 6 hours with his wife and when he’d left for Puerto Rico, he’d put her completely out of his mind.  Putting people out of his mind was Jason’s greatest talent.  If it wasn’t relevant to the task at hand, Jason didn’t think about it.  It had kept him alive on a number of occasions, but it also contributed to his nickname – The Borg.  Jason wondered if he was going to have to start thinking about her, and how exactly that was going to work. “No, Max. I didn’t forget about her.  How have things been while I’ve been gone?  Have you been running all over town keeping Elizabeth entertained?”

Max slowly rocked back and forth from his toes to his heels and crossed his arms over his chest. “Things have been quiet.  Mrs. Morgan has been to the market a few times and she and Mrs. C went shopping the other day, but otherwise, she’s been home.”

Jason was perplexed.  “What? She’s only been out a handful of times in the last 3 weeks? It’s pretty hard to be a socialite when you stay in all the time.”

“You should know, Jason.” Max chuckled as he poked fun at his friend and boss.  “You aren’t really known for your socializing skills either.  Maybe you and Mrs. Morgan are going to get along better than you think.”

Jason rolled his eyes and moved past Max to open the door to his penthouse and stopped in his tracks.  What had been a sparsely furnished bachelor pad when he left was now a warm and inviting space.  Just inside the door on his right, where his desk had been, was a simple dark wood table with a lamp and a bowl which looked to hold the keys to the Escalade and his Harley.  As he moved further into the great room he saw a dark leather couch, a pair of comfortable looking arm chairs, and more tables and lamps all arranged in a seating area in front of the fireplace.  There was a faded red and gold rug on the floor and what looked to be pictures on the mantle.  Hanging above the mantle was a large picture, or maybe a painting, Jason couldn’t be sure.  The doors to the balcony were open and Jason could see a couple of lounge chairs through one door and what looked to be a small dining table through the other doors.  He was relieved to see his pool table was still on one side of the large space, but now there were bookcases and a rack for his pool cues – all in a deep wood that matched the pool table and contrasted nicely with the light gold paint on the walls.  Jason continued from the great room into the dining room and was surprised to see a large dining room table where before there had been open space and a few boxes he’d never known what to do with.  Arranged in some kind of hutch on one end of the room were what looked to be fragile white dishes and sparkling crystal glasses.  He turned and entered the kitchen and was shocked speechless.  Not only did the room have a small table in the alcove by the balcony, a pot rack hanging over the island, and appliances and canisters on the counter, but it also had his wife frosting a cake!

Jason cleared his throat and leaned against the door jam.  Elizabeth glanced up from the 3-tiered chocolate cake, and jolted slightly when she saw her wayward husband leaning in the doorway.  Jason braced himself for the complaints Carly told him he deserved, but Elizabeth just smiled.  “Jason! Welcome home.  Carly said you’d be home this afternoon.” She paused and pulled her lower lip into her mouth.  Jason watched as she nervously bit her lip as her gaze darted around the room.  “I, um …,” Elizabeth sighed, “I made some changes while you were gone.  I hope that’s ok.  If it isn’t, we can take anything or everything back and get whatever you’d rather have, or we can leave things like they were before.  That is…”

Jason cut her off mid-ramble.  “Elizabeth, you shouldn’t worry.  I think it looks very nice.”

“Is it too cluttered?  Carly said you really didn’t like clutter, so I tried really hard to keep things simple.  I didn’t want to make any changes without you, but since you were gone so long…” Elizabeth stopped and took a deep breath.  You could always tell when she was nervous because she rambled and could not shut up.  Hopefully Jason hadn’t figured that quirk out yet.

Jason smiled at her and straightened up from the door jam, “No really, it’s nice.  But where’s my desk?”

Elizabeth stood transfixed by his smile.  In the three weeks he’d been gone she’d forgotten how sexy he was when he smiled.  It completely changed his face and made him approachable, rather than intimidating. “I made you an office upstairs – I thought it was more private and you’d be happier out of the great room.  If you give me a minute to finish this cake, I’ll show you.  And I meant what I said – we can change whatever you don’t like.”

“Really, Elizabeth, it’s fine.  I like the changes.  It seems more like a home now.  Thanks for keeping my pool table though.  That would have been a deal breaker.” Jason smiled as Elizabeth finished swirling chocolate icing on the top of the cake and moved the bowl to the sink.

“Did you make that cake?” Jason asked as he watched her clean up.

Elizabeth glanced over her shoulder at Jason, “Yeah.  Carly and Sonny invited us over for dinner and I wanted to bring something.  I’m not a very good cook, but I’m an ok baker, which left dessert.  Chocolate cake is what I do best, so I thought that would be ok.  It is ok, isn’t it?”

Jason smiled, “It looks great.  I’m sure Michael and Morgan will love it.”

Elizabeth wiped her hands on the towel by the sink and turned, “Let’s go upstairs – I made some kinda big changes up there and I want your honest opinion.”

Jason trailed behind Elizabeth as they made their way out of the kitchen and up the stairs to the second floor of the penthouse.  At the top of the stairs on the left was what looked to be an office.  His office.  His desk sat in the middle of the room facing the door.  There was a window facing the street and the park behind the desk and file cabinets and chairs filling up the rest of the space.

“Spinelli and Carly helped me get your office set up.  Spinelli said you needed cabinets for storage and he has a laptop he’s working on building for you – something about your existing computer being an antique – or I think that’s what he said.” Elizabeth smiled as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.  “I got a separate phone line for you so you wouldn’t be bothered by calls on the house line.  If you don’t like the paint or the rug, I’m happy to pick something else out for you.”

Jason slowly wandered around the room.  It was very comfortable and yet efficient at the same time.  It was pretty fancy though, and Jason wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with a real office. “It’s great Elizabeth.  I’ve never had this much space for work – I usually just work where ever I happen to be.” Jason looked at Elizabeth and could see her biting her lip again.  She looked worried.  “It’s great.  I think I’ll really like having a place I can leave papers out without having to worry about who comes over,” Jason said as he thought of Spinelli and his sometimes-girlfriend Maxie.  “Show me the rest,” Jason said, surprised that he was enjoying Elizabeth’s attempts to make his penthouse more livable.

“I left this room as a guest room, but got some new furniture,” Elizabeth said as she walked by the room next to Jason’s office.

Jason looked in and saw a new dark four poster bed with a pretty moss green spread as they continued down the hall.

As they approached his bedroom, Jason got nervous.  He didn’t mind Elizabeth changing things in the apartment, but the thought of her in his bedroom made him very nervous.  They paused in front of the closed door to his room.

“Um, I hadn’t planned on doing anything in your room because, well, it’s your room.  But, Carly had other plans,” Elizabeth said as she laughed nervously and slowly opened the door.

Jason looked into the room and was relieved to see that everything was still where he’d left it.  Or almost everything. “Carly said she helped you buy your bed, but you’d never done anything about night stands or lamps, so we just got you some that match what you already had.  I put the books that were piled up next to your bed on the shelves.”  Elizabeth turned slightly to look at Jason, “Have you been to all of the places you have travel books about?”

Jason glanced at her in surprise, “Not all of them, but most of them. Why?”

Elizabeth turned from looking at the nightstand to look back up at Jason, “I’ve never really been anywhere.  I’ve always wanted to travel, especially to Italy.  They say the light’s better there than anywhere else.  Anyway, we also got you another dresser – one that matches the rest of your furniture.  Otherwise, I left everything the same.  I hope it’s ok.”

Jason’s icy blue eyes met Elizabeth’s darker ones in surprise – at the talk of Italy and the change of topics … again, “It’s great, really.  Thanks for thinking of me.”

“Thank Carly, your room was her idea.” Elizabeth turned and moved back to the door.  “I obviously have the second bedroom on this side of the apartment, where you showed me after we got married.” Elizabeth swallowed quickly and looked away. “I got some new furniture and painted, which I hope is ok.”

As they moved past the door to her room, Jason noticed pale wheat walls, a bright quilt, and a chair next to the French doors.  “I certainly don’t mind.  I told you to make yourself comfortable, and I’m glad you’re doing that.”

“Thanks.”  Elizabeth pulled her bottom lip into her mouth and began to chew on it in what Jason now recognized as was her habit when she was nervous.  “Um, the last room on the other side of the hall, I converted that room from a second guest room.”

Elizabeth continued to chew her lip and stand in front of the closed door – she didn’t look to be in any hurry to show Jason what was inside.  After watching her for a few seconds, Jason reached past her and pushed open the door.  Inside the smaller room was what looked to be an easel, some shelves with tubes of paint, and a few jars of brushes.  There were pieces of paper tacked to the wall on his right, and canvases leaning against the wall under the window. There was a comfortable-looking armchair in the corner close to the window with a lamp and a book resting on the little round table next to it.

He turned to look at Elizabeth, who was still hovering just outside the doorway, “Elizabeth?  What is all this?  Are you an artist?”

“Um, well … sort of.  I studied art in college, despite my family’s objections.  I haven’t had a lot of time to paint recently, but I was hoping I could make some time now.  If you’d rather, I can try to find another space for my hobby.”

Jason wasn’t sure why Elizabeth had suddenly gotten so timid, but he could only assume it had something to do with her art.  “We definitely have room, so don’t worry about it.  This is your home, at least for the next couple of years.  Make yourself comfortable, and if that means having space for your art, then I’m all for it.”

As Elizabeth lay in bed and thought back over the day, she couldn’t help but feel hopeful.  Jason had come home after being gone for almost a month and had been accepting, and maybe even a little pleased, at the changes she’d made to the penthouse.  If she was honest with herself, she had been really nervous that he would hate everything and insist she change everything back to the way it had been before they’d gotten married.  The fact that he’d been nice about it made her think they were going to find some common ground and be able to live together comfortably.

Elizabeth looked out the French doors and stared at the stars as she contemplated her future – or her future as it existed for the next two years.  She had to admit to herself that she had no idea how to be a wife, especially to someone like Jason.  He was nothing like her father or Mateo – she could tell that even having spent only a few hours with him.  He was quiet and watchful, but didn’t appear to need to show how powerful or important he was.  She didn’t think he particularly liked her, but he was being nice about welcoming her into his home, if not into his life.  He certainly hadn’t gone out of his way to degrade her or make her feel stupid.

At dinner, he and Sonny had discussed that things in Puerto Rico were stabilized and Jason was anticipating being home for the next few months.  Elizabeth couldn’t help but wonder what it was going to be like having him around all the time.  She’d gotten used to having the apartment to herself and being able to hole up for days at a time without having to talk to anyone.  She really hoped Jason would just work and not expect to actually have family meals and intimate moments – she really didn’t do the touchy-feely family thing.

On the crafting front, I’ve been spinning, have been quilting, and even knitting!

I got my new spinning wheel and I love it. It’s so fun. Talia at International Fleeces has started a weekly spinning group and just going and enjoying the community has been so helpful for improving my spinning skills and is keeping me excited. The first fiber I spun on my new Matchless was the Just Figs fiber from Into the Whirled.

Now that I’ve gotten some good spinning lessons (thanks Talia!), and have spun some fiber, I feel like I have a relatively easy time spinning fiber using the worsted method.  I can get pretty fine singles, but I want to be able to spin whatever I want – not just one thing.  So, I set out to make this fiber into a nice worsted weight yarn.  While I was spinning, it seemed that my singles were pretty uneven, but I plowed on in the hopes that practice would actually make me better.  Go figure, huh.  In the end, plying worked miracles and I ended up with a pretty decent yarn.

I spun the 4 ounces of Falkland into 86 yards of 3-ply worsted weight yarn.  It isn’t perfect, but I’m pretty darned happy with it.  I just need to find a cute little project that doesn’t need much yarn so I can actually knit with it!

To continue my desire to improve my spinning skills, I have been practicing woolen spinning.  I want to be able to spin some gorgeous cashmere/merino fiber into laceweight yarn for a Malagash shawl.  So, to practice my woolen spinning, I decided to spin the BDL/Silk I got from Sweet Georgia’s May fiber club from the fold.

My understanding is that since this is top, rather than roving, the only way to really spin it woolen is to spin it from the fold.  It’s turning out pretty well, and I’m getting better at my woolen technique.  We’ll see how it looks once it’s plied, but so far, so good.

]]> http://unwindknitting.net/?feed=rss2&p=1339 5 http://unwindknitting.net/?p=1330 http://unwindknitting.net/?p=1330#comments Thu, 01 Apr 2010 20:34:25 +0000 admin http://unwindknitting.net/?p=1330 I don’t know about you, but I have a love-hate relationship with brownies. I want to love them, but am so often disappointed by the reality of them. I’ve tried lots of recipes … and I mean lots, and have never found one that really did it for me. Until now.

These brownies are so good I just had to share. As you can see, they’re very dense and moist – not cake-like at all, which is what I like in a brownie. If I wanted chocolate cake, I’d make cake. I want the texture to be dense, but moist and not so heavy that you feel like you can’t chew the darned thing! I adapted the recipe from the Cheyenne Frontier Days Daddy of ‘em All Cookbook.

World-Famous Brownies

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup cold water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine butter, cold water, oil, and cocoa in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil. Combine flour and sugar in a bowl and combine with chocolate mixture after it comes to a boil. Mix well. Add baking soda, salt, vanilla, buttermilk, and eggs. Pour into greased 9×13 pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until it tests done (mine took 35 minutes). While brownies are baking, make glaze.

World-famous Brownie Glaze

• 1/2 cup butter
• 6 tbsp espresso or strong coffee
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 pound powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional – I omitted them)

Combine butter, coffee, and cocoa in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil slowly for 1-2 minutes, remove from heat. Pour chocolate mixture into a bowl of a stand mixer (you can use a hand mixer too) and add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix well until glaze is very smooth. Add nuts if you are using them. Pour over warm brownies right after you remove them from the oven. Let cool completely in the pan before you cut them (or the glaze won’t be set up). Enjoy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a cup of coffee.

After that I’m not sure exactly what happened, but I started seeing a lot of talk on blogs about spinning and fiber and how much people were enjoying their spinning. Then one day I was looking at dealers on Schacht‘s website and saw that there’s a new dealer right here in Laramie. In a hazy series of events, I advertised my Lendrum for sale on Ravelry and called Talia at International Fleeces about a Schacht Matchless. And as they say, it was all down hill from there. It turns out that Talia had been trying to get a spinning club started so we agreed to get together the following week and she would bring a Matchless and a Ladybug for me to try.

I sat down with Talia and spun on the Matchless in double drive, then in Scotch tension, then I spun on the Ladybug in Scotch tension. When I sat down, it was kind of like being a newbie all over again – almost like I’d never spun before. The difference was that it came back to me fairly quickly and with Talia’s instructions on drafting and mechanics, I feel like I improved a lot that first night. After a couple of hours of spinning, it was very clear to me that I loved the Matchless and loved spinning in double drive (which is something I’d never done because I couldn’t set my Lendrum up like that)!

The second week was even better than the first. Talia again loaned me her Matchless until mine arrives and I spun some lovely blue-faced leicester from Sweet Georgia.

As you can see, it’s a little uneven – some is underspun, some overspun, but I made yarn! And I enjoyed it. I consider that fantastic progress in my spinning adventures. Talia let me keep her Matchless and take it home with me, so I’ve been spinning like crazy.

I bought 12 ounces of Jacob Humbug from International Fleeces and proceeded to spin that all up between the second and third week of our club (which is still nameless)

I plied the Jacob as a 3-ply – my first attempt at that – and while it’s still uneven with over- and under-spun (and plied) areas, it’s better than the first yarn. Don’t you think? I even practiced a little Navajo-plying on what was left on one bobbin! I guess I need to remember to do that penny thing with the pictures. I’m new to taking pictures of this yarn stuff, so sorry for the omission.  The Jacob is an aran weight, I’d guess.  I guess I should also figure out the wraps per inch. That might be useful information, huh.

Last week at spinning club, Talia helped me figure out how to spin the Falkland from the JulieSpins fiber club (unclub?). I’m shooting for a sport weight 3-ply and with her help I did a practice skein and am on my way. I love having someone help me figure things like that out the first time. It makes all the difference because I actually feel like I’m learning, and not just spinning my wheels (hah).

I took that picture Saturday morning before I spent a whole lot of time yesterday spinning.  I’m almost done with the first 3rd of the fiber (I have 10 oz total, so each bobbin should have a little over 3 oz) and the first bobbin is about 3/4 full. I know my singles aren’t completely even, but they’re pretty darned good for me!

I’ve been trying to spin a little bit every day and I’ve found that if I can get up and get ready in the morning (rather than screwing around) I have 15-30 minutes to spin and that really makes a difference.  I sometimes spin in the evening too, especially if we’re watching (i.e. listening to) something on tv, but even if that doesn’t happen, I got some spinning in for the day. I’m so glad that I decided to stick with spinning (thanks girls!), and for me, selling my Lendrum and deciding on a Matchless has been very motivational. And I am so grateful that I found Talia and that she’s willing to take the time to work with me – a good teacher really does make all the difference.

I’ve posted everything on Flickr and in my stash on Ravelry.  There are a few things that are really cheap and the rest of the stuff is free if you pay the shipping.  I just want it to go to a good home (and be out of my craft room)!  Let me know if you’re interested in anything and we’ll get it on its way to you.

Have a great weekend!