Orange you glad I posted these pictures?

Orange you glad I posted these pictures?

Anybody out there remember the knock-knock joke about the bananas and the orange? "Knock, knock!"

"Who's there?"

"Banana."

"Banana who?"

"Knock, knock!"

"Who's there?"

"Banana."

"Banana who?"

"Knock, knock!"

(repeat as much as your five-year-old heart desires, or until the person you're talking to walks away in annoyance)

"Who's there?"

"Orange."

"Orange who?"

"Orange you glad I didn't say banana?"

Orange you glad I posted these pictures?

All this is to set the stage for a thoroughly orange post, featuring the start of a new orange warp and a big batch of marmalade from this recipe found on Design*Sponge.

With the grey warp finally off the loom, I can move on to an orange palette and a new twill weave structure - pebble weave.

Orange you glad I posted these pictures?

Here's what the loom looks like with nothing on it. There are few things scarier to me than a naked loom - it's like a visit from the Ghost of Christmas Future, but featuring procrastination, stagnation, and guilt in place of a very sad Cratchit family. Warping is not exactly my favorite thing, and I tend to put it off.

 Orange you glad I posted these pictures?

In order to get the loom dressed as quickly as possible, I wind spools for my next project before I finish my current project so I'm ready to go. When one warp comes off, the first section of the new warp goes on the very same day. The beam is now all wound on and ready to be threaded.

Orange you glad I posted these pictures?

The other orange thing happening is marmalade. I found sweet kumquats at a local fruit market and bought three pounds. I spent more than three hours yesterday slicing and de-seeding them to make this marmalade. I'm substituting ginger for the vanilla and I'll let you know how that goes. I'm also altering the recipe to use as freezer jam, so I'm playing fast and loose with some of my jars.

Orange you glad I posted these pictures?

A few notes on freezer jam: Since freezer jam lives in your freezer (as the name would imply), it's a great way to re-use commercial jars or other containers you have lying around the house. Sterilize the jars and lids the same way you would for regular canning and follow your recipe's directions for how much headspace to leave when you fill the jars. Put waxed paper over the tops and put on the lid (you don't actually want a seal) and pop 'em in the freezer once they've cooled to room temperature.

Freezer jam is great for gifts. I find my jam jars never come home again, and I'm usually happy to have my stash of recycled jars move on. Plus, your gift recipient is unlikely to put their new jar of jam in their pantry for weeks and weeks - they're going to go home directly, immediately make toast, crack open that jam, and sing your praises. At least that's what they do in *my* reality.

Orange you glad I posted these pictures?

In any case, my morning yogurt just got a lot more interesting.