Coiled Braids

Wiggling out from the crumpled kraft paper, I slipped past the screen door runner back into the quiet warmth of the front hall. Resting across the floorboards was the thick jute runner rug, woven from heavy, coiled braids of dried hemp. I crouched on the textured surface to inspect how the ropes locked together. The fiber was coarse and prickled lightly against my palms. Finding a raised loop where two thick strands crossed, I wedged my thumb beneath the cord and tested its give. It didn't yield at all; the heavy weave held fast under my weight, firm and wonderfully solid underfoot.