Braided rug repairs

My little homemade denim braided rug needed some repairs to the lacing that holds the braids together...again.  It sits right between the back door and the most popular hot-air register in the house, so it gets some hard wear.

The original lacing was just acrylic yarn, which I wouldn't have recommended for anyone else to use, as it is not particularly durable.

The last time I repaired the rug, I used a linen yarn, almost like string. That wore out, too--and much more quickly than I would have expected.

This time, I was in a hurry, and used acrylic yarn again. It occurred to me that the acrylic yarn has some elasticity that the linen yarn does not, and that may be helping the lacing last longer than it otherwise would--it can take a certain amount of strain before the fibers begin to be damaged.

The repairs themselves were straightforward:  unlace enough to be able to tie on a new piece of lacing, use a big yarn needle (tapestry needle) to lace the braids together, and then tie the lacing at the other end, trying to hide the knots. I find it best to do the repairs from the center of the rug outward--as the rug was originally made.

With the lacing repaired as needed, a braided rug can last a very long time.