kscans

Chapter 46 - A Knitter's Tale. A Beeline for Animal Fur

What Yuri called plan B was to spin the animal fur into yarn and make clothes from that yarn. But here, a new problem arose.

"...The woolen winter clothes I remember are things like jerseys and sweaters... they don't really feel like woven fabric..."

Feeling uneasy, Yuri consulted Master `Rural Life Guide` and Teacher `Appraisal`, and it turned out that not only sweaters but also jerseys were classified as "knitwear," not "woven fabric." Unlike woven fabric, which is woven with warp and weft threads, knitwear is made by creating loops with a single thread, which gives it its characteristic elasticity, breathability, and warmth. Apparently, so-called jerseys and cut-and-sew garments were made by cutting and sewing knitted fabric.

"Since my main purpose is to stay warm, I have to make it in a way that suits that purpose... Hah... what a pain..."

He couldn't help but feel weary at the thought of having to start knitting, a new craft, instead of the weaving work he had become somewhat accustomed to. He wished he had learned at least finger knitting in his previous life. Fortunately, `Rural Life Guide` included instructions for both crochet and knitting with needles, so knitting itself was not impossible. In fact, it seemed that knitting itself did exist here in the world of Forea, though it hadn't become widespread enough to be common in ordinary households.

"...Well, in any case, I have to start by spinning the thread."

The monster pelts he had on hand could be broadly divided into bear-type, boar-type, and wolf-type. Among these, the boar-type animal fur was, in a word, bristly and short, and looked very difficult to spin. The results of his [Appraisal] also stated that there were almost no scale-like structures on the surface of the animal fur, which made it difficult for the hairs to intertwine, thus making it difficult to spin. At the opposite extreme was the bear-type animal fur, which had scales, and the winter fur was long and soft, looking very easy to spin. Incidentally, the wolf-type was intermediate between the two. Given this situation, the bear-type monster he had hunted in the fall was chosen as the material, for the reason that it would be a little easier to spin.

It was his first time spinning animal fur, and the fur itself was much shorter than the bast fibers of Mao, a fibrous plant similar to ramie from Earth, so it was incomparably more laborious than Mao. But Yuri, whose skills had improved due to the effects of `Rural Life Guide`, spun the animal fur into thread at a speed unimaginable for a beginner. ...That said, it was inevitable that it would take time.

"As it is, it's too thin and difficult to knit with, so I'll have to ply it together to make a thicker yarn, but..."

Now, he didn't know what thickness that should be.

"First of all... I'm a beginner and I can't do machine knitting, so I can't knit with fine thread like for a jersey. In that case, it would have to be crafting yarn, but..."

Yuri knew what yarn was, but unfortunately, he knew nothing more than that, so he decided to rely on both his teachers, the `Guide` and `Appraisal`. While the former was understandable, his use of [Appraisal] was clearly strange, but Yuri didn't have the luxury of being picky.

At any rate, he managed to spin it into yarn. After this, all that was left was to knit. If he didn't hurry, the sound of winter's footsteps was already audible just around the corner. If he didn't finish his warm clothes as soon as possible, it would affect his work in the winter. At worst, it could be fatal, so Yuri worked on his knitting, literally for his life.

Thanks to his efforts, the sweater he knitted from the Monocorn Bear's fur was completed eleven days after he started spinning the thread, and nine days after the first snow, which fortunately didn't pile up much, nor was it followed by more snow.

"Thank goodness... it's finally done... It feels a little clumsy, but... that's secondary. As long as it's warm, it's more than enough, yes."

Yuri, who had been getting by with a makeshift fur vest and layering until the sweater was finished, was deeply moved.