I've been transported to the orc continent.

Chapter 233 Weaving

Bai Ling tried it out, and to his surprise, the silk thread was very strong and very soft, making it very suitable for use as a divider on a loom grate.

Cut the wood to size, then use a plane to make suitable strips with protruding parts on both sides. Next, wrap the silk thread around the two strips of the same size, and separate the silk threads with six strands of silk thread twisted together in between.

A simplified version of a comb is now complete.

Once the comb was made, the brush was not difficult to make. The shuttle was made of wood, and Bai Ling could make it according to the dimensions on the drawing. The other parts were not too difficult either; they could all be made according to the dimensions.

Bai Ling assembled the loom, while Yue was in charge of spinning the thread. Bai Ling spun all the silk flakes into thread. After peeling and removing the flesh from a basket of fruit, there wasn't much silk flakes left, so naturally, not much thread could be spun.

Moreover, the amount of thread spun from this silk is less than that from cotton. It seems we still need to continue searching for cotton. Cotton is the most widely used natural textile material on Earth, and its advantages are definitely unmatched by other natural fabrics.

The loom was assembled, and Bai Ling was ready to weave.

The loom was placed in the side room, which was the room where silkworms were planned to be raised next year. Knowing that Bai Ling had come up with something new, the whole family gathered around to see it. Everyone knew that there was a big machine in the side room, but no one could guess what it was used for.

Bai Ling didn't explain further, but instead assigned tasks to her family.

Weaving is not a simple task. First, you have to thread silk threads onto a comb, which takes a lot of time, so Bai Ling asked her family for help.

After threading the silk, Bai Ling hung up two combs, gently combed the silk with a comb, then took the crescent-shaped shuttle and put the spindle into the shuttle.

Next came the weaving. Bai Ling sat down on the stool, stepped on the pedal with his right foot, and a comb fell down. He threw the shuttle in his right hand through the silk thread and then caught it steadily with his left hand.

Pull the baffle forward, step on the pedal with your left foot, and then throw the shuttle from left to right. The shuttle passes steadily through the two layers of silk threads and returns to Bai Ling's right hand.

Pull the baffle forward again, then press the pedal with your right foot...

Bai Ling kept repeating the same actions, while his family members gathered around him, watching him toss the shuttle back and forth, the silk threads moving back and forth, but for the time being, they couldn't see what use it was.

With too little thread, Bai Ling wove a piece of cloth about half an arm's length. She then cut the woven cloth with scissors and held it in her hand for a while to feel its texture.

This fabric is quite soft, even softer than the old-fashioned handmade coarse cloth that Bai Ling had come into contact with. It is off-white in color and is a square piece, which is better than Bai Ling had imagined.

Bai Ling handed the cloth in her hand to Cang, who was closest to her: "Father, take a look at this cloth."

Cang carefully took the cloth, first gently holding it in his hand to feel it, then raising it high and examining it closely under his eyes, finally rubbing it in his palm as if to feel its softness and delicacy.

Cang handed the piece of cloth to Feng beside him: "Feng, look at this, it's very good." Cang didn't know how to describe the feeling of touching the cloth, so he could only say, "If you make clothes out of it, you can imagine how comfortable they would be."

*

This piece of cloth was passed around among everyone, and everyone loved it and praised it highly. They couldn't even imagine what clothes would be made from such a soft and light cloth.

How comfortable it must be to wear!

Yue asked, "Ling, is the silk you're talking about as soft, delicate, light, and breathable as this cloth?"

The beastmen had never seen silk before and could only piece together its beauty and preciousness from Bai Ling's words. Now that they had seen the cloth, their imaginations had a concrete object to compare it to. Perhaps silk was just such a beautiful and soft thing.

Bai Ling gently shook her head and said amidst the puzzled looks of her family, "Silk is softer, more delicate, smoother, and lighter than cloth. Silk is also more beautiful and more comfortable than cloth."

Although Bai Ling had not yet woven silk from silkworm cocoons, he knew that silk must be smoother and more delicate than cloth.

Bai Ling said that silk was even smoother and more delicate than cloth, and the beastmen's eyes widened. Yue took the cloth from Bai Ling's hand and looked at it through the window.

The light shone through the fabric, casting a halo around the small piece. The fabric was already soft and delicate enough, so how beautiful must the silk, which was even thinner and smoother than the fabric, be!

Yue tried his best to imagine that, in his imagination, silk was perhaps like the clouds in the sky—light, soft, and possessing a flowing, dreamlike beauty.

*

The weather was already very cold, and the snow outside was thick. It was the coldest time of the year. Bai Ling brought some wood home and made the tools for raising silkworms.

The silkworm trays and frames all need to be made. Bai Ling wants to raise more silkworms next year, as many as she can, so that she can produce enough silk.

After seeing the cloth woven by Bai Ling, the family members longed for silk even more. The cloth was already amazing and pleasing enough for them, but the beastmen, who had never even seen silk, were already in love with it. When Bai Ling said he was going to make tools for raising silkworms, the family members immediately came to help.

Making the silkworm frame is also very simple. Bai Ling cuts the wood according to the blueprints, drills holes in the wood, and then assembles it.

The assembly work was handed over to Chen and Yue, and the rest of the people helped weave the silkworm trays.

The finished silkworm trays and frames were placed in a side room, together with the loom.

The carpentry team is currently working on silk reeling machines and spinning wheels. When it's time to raise silkworms next year, Bai Ling alone definitely won't be able to handle it all. They'll need the help of other beastmen to make these tools in advance so that things won't be so hectic next year.

The carpenters' group is now the busiest and most populous group in the tribe. Since the carpenters' house can't accommodate all the orcs, some of them simply go to the council room next to the carpenters' group to work, staying with the orcs who are spinning yarn and knitting sweaters. They chat and laugh while working, and sometimes Bai Ling can hear their laughter even before he enters the council room.

*

Snowflakes began to fall again. Bai Ling and Yue walked out of the council chamber, and the other orcs also came out in twos and threes, smiling and saying goodbye to each other, as they were all heading home.

Bai Ling and Yue did not go home immediately, but instead headed out of the tribe.

It was the coldest time of the year, and heavy snow was falling. Even the most playful young orcs didn't come out to have fun.