Rigid Heddle with 2 Reeds and cooking!

On the rigid heddle loom right now, are a couple of tea towels using 2/8 cotton.   The sett for a tabby weave with 2/8 cotton should be 18-22 epi.   To get that range with my rigid heddle, I'm using 2 10 dent reeds, for a sett of 20.   This has been an interesting experiment, using double reeds.   The way this particular one is set up, is to use both reeds at the same time, as they are threaded in alternate order.  This is giving me a sett of 20.  However, even with beating with a closed shed, I'm having a hard time getting 20 ppi.   It is a few picks less than that, and not ideal.  I'm hoping it will be fine and just make for a soft tea towel.   This was relatively quick to dress the loom.  It took me a bit of time to get started because there is some definite technique needed to make weaving with 2 reeds on a rigid heddle loom easier.

I made a batch of plum jam.  I usually make it with prune plums which come out in late summer.   When you first start the batch up, the cooking plums have a rather odd yellowish colour.  If you chop them up a bit before starting the jam, the skins will not only release their colour, but start to dissolve into the jam, making it a lovely purple/red colour.   I'm a bit sad that I ended up using pectin for this recipe, because I don't normally do so.   It was however, weirdly 32⁰ C, with a humidex of  over 40 C and we don't have AC.  The kitchen was so uncomfortably warm that I used the pectin to make the jam, rather than risk the plums going to waste.   The result is a lot more jam than I needed and a bit sweeter than I usually get.   It's still yummy though.

 

Hearth cooking again on Sunday past.  I was making gingerbread cookies on the griddle.  Not so much of a success this time as I let the  griddle get too hot.  The cookie dough was also a bit soft, so started to burn before I could flip them.    Live and learn

In the dutch oven, is a loaf of pumpkin bread, from an 1854 recipe.   I wish I'd taken a photo of the bread itself, because it was a beautiful, round braided loaf.  The interior was a pale yellow and it had a lovely taste.   

Next Monday I'm cooking at the Misener House, which has an amazing cook stove.  It has 6 burners, a functional oven and throws lots of heat to keep the little house warm.   I'll be cooking up pumpkin goodies for the staff Thanksgiving potluck on Monday after the village closes.