Weaving (continued)

The pace of life in their tribe was fairly relaxed. People didn't go hunting or gathering every day, but took turns resting.

Jian Mo spun yarn at home for a while, but felt a little cold, so he took the yarn outside to spin in the clearing.

There was sunshine outside and stones to sit on, and he could look at the snowy mountains, the river, and the forest. It was more comfortable than staying at home.

He put some animal fur in a small basket, took his homemade spindle, and went to the clearing outside.

Some children and little cubs were playing in the clearing. When they saw him, they all crowded around, watching him spin with curiosity.

Gradually, other adults came over to see what was going on, too.

An elderly sub-beastman came over to watch him spin and looked at his little spindle. Smiling, the sub-beastman said, "That little contraption of yours is really good. We twist rope and thread directly by hand."

Jian Mo said, "It's more convenient with a tool."

His little spindle was just a stone. When he spun it, gravity twisted the fibers together into a strand.

The yarn was for his own use anyway, so he didn't need to be too particular. He only needed to keep it as even in thickness as possible.

After watching for a while, the sub-beastmen found stones of their own and helped him spin.

Jian Mo had been going to point out a few things about spinning, but to his surprise, the sub-beastmen picked it up so quickly that they figured it out after fiddling with the spindles for a bit. Their yarn was even more uniform than his.

Seeing his surprised expression, Ye Luo, who knew him fairly well, said, "We twisted all those ropes in the tribe ourselves. Spinning yarn works the same way. It's not hard."

"That's because you know how!" Jian Mo said admiringly. "I didn't know how to spin. I spent all last night thinking before I worked out this method."

Ye Luo asked, "What do you need all this yarn for? Are you twisting it into rope?"

"No," Jian Mo said. "I want to weave it into cloth and make clothes out of it. But I haven't figured out how to weave it yet, so I'm slowly working on that."

Ye Luo raised an eyebrow. "Qing Kuo knows how. He's even shown us some cloth he made before."

Another sub-beastman said, "I'll go get Qing Kuo. He's resting today too."

With that, the sub-beastman got up and ran off to find Qing Kuo. Jian Mo didn't even have time to call the sub-beastman back.

Before long, the tall, long-legged Qing Kuo walked over, holding a small piece of woven cloth. He looked even cooler than a model. "What kind of cloth do you want? This is the only kind I know how to make."

Jian Mo quickly scooted aside to make room for Qing Kuo. "Let me see."

Qing Kuo didn't stand on ceremony. He plopped down in the spot Jian Mo had made for him. "You can have it."

Jian Mo hurriedly thanked him and examined the cloth in his hands.

The cloth was woven very evenly, with fine stitches and a subtle diamond pattern. It looked exceptionally exquisite.

The pattern hadn't been dyed on, either. It had been woven in.

Jian Mo felt it. He had originally planned to weave cloth using warp and weft threads and would have considered it a success if it held together, but Qing Kuo could already weave patterns.

That's amazing!

Qing Kuo looked at him, a little pleased with himself. "Well?"

Jian Mo didn't hesitate. "You're amazing! This cloth is wonderful!"

Qing Kuo was satisfied. "You want cloth like this?"

"Yes, yes, this kind will do." Jian Mo pulled out the yarn he had spun and held it up in front of Qing Kuo. "Can you take a look at the yarn for me? Can you weave cloth with yarn this thick?"

Qing Kuo took the yarn from him and examined it carefully for a while. "It needs to be thinner. Cloth woven from fine yarn is more delicate and smooth. Yarn this thick makes lumpy cloth that's uncomfortable to wear."

Jian Mo asked, "About how thin does it need to be?"

Qing Kuo looked at his spindle, then reached for the ball of fur. After a few simple movements, he twisted it into a strand not much thicker than a hair. "This thick at most. Use a little less fur."

Jian Mo looked at the yarn Qing Kuo had spun, then at what he had spun earlier, and felt keenly how much they differed in skill. "I'll try again."

Jian Mo wasn't particularly deft with his hands. After struggling with it for quite a while, he finally spun a strand of the right thickness.

Qing Kuo shook his head beside him and joined him in spinning. The yarn he spun was fine and strong, with a faint sheen. It was practically a work of art.

The other sub-beastmen spun too. Though their yarn wasn't as good as Qing Kuo's, it was still better than Jian Mo's.

Everyone chatted as they worked.

Qing Kuo casually asked Jian Mo, "Is there something you want to make? If you're cutting out clothes, my family has extra animal hides."

Jian Mo quickly clarified again, "Wu Jiong also said I could use the hides at his house however I wanted. I'm spinning yarn mainly to weave socks, underwear, and other things worn close to the skin. Animal hides don't breathe very well, and they feel a bit stuffy."

Everyone turned to look at his feet in unison. Qing Kuo asked, "What are socks?"

Jian Mo had no choice but to take off the socks he had put on that morning and show them. "They're like this. They absorb sweat and prevent chafing, so they're more comfortable to wear."

Nobody minded that he had worn the socks. After they had been passed around, Qing Kuo said to him, "Your tribe's techniques are really good."

Jian Mo hurriedly put his socks back on and slipped his feet into his shoes. "They're all right."

Qing Kuo stared at his feet. "I can weave socks like these too, but I don't know how to make that stretchy cloth at the end."

Jian Mo immediately said, "That's all right. We can weave that part into ties and fasten them when we wear them."

Once the subject had come up, everyone began discussing it. How long should the socks be, and how should the ties be fastened so they wouldn't fall off?

They got right to work. Qing Kuo and the others immediately snapped off a few branches and began weaving socks with the yarn they had just spun.

Jian Mo hadn't expected everyone to work so efficiently. They spun and wove from morning until afternoon, and each person made a small piece of cloth.

As they wove, everyone checked their work against Jian Mo's feet and made adjustments.

At this rate, they would probably finish that night.

The people who had gone gathering and hunting returned one after another, bringing back a plentiful haul.

Those helping with the weaving went to collect their food first, agreeing to come back and weave the socks after dinner.

Jian Mo felt terribly embarrassed. He went to discuss it with Wu Jiong, and after Wu Jiong agreed, he called out to Qing Kuo and the others, "Why don't you all have dinner at our house tonight? I'll stew some meat for everyone."