3 years back my buddy's golden retriever ended up with a $1,200 emergency surgery bill because of a braided fleece toy with knots. The vet literally pulled out a 4-inch wad of fabric that had twisted up in her intestines. You're right that knots create weak points, but we switched to using a simple overhand stitch on the ends and then burning the edges with a lighter to melt the fibers together - that combo has held up way better than any double stitch I've tried. The real issue is that fleece is garbage for heavy chewers no matter what you do. It stretches way too much and frays into these long strings once they get any purchase on it. Paracord with proper heat-sealed ends is the only DIY material I trust now for dogs that actually chew.

Maybe check if the mix had any additives in it. Some cheap stuff uses finer materials that just don't lock together right. Water to cement ratio matters more than people think. Too much water hiding in the sand can ruin the bond from day one. Could also be a curing issue - cheap bags might not have the right retarders for hot weather. It's a whole chain of problems, not just one thing.

wait you actually got softer growth lines with a brush?? no way thats wild

Heard a podcast where someone said frameworks are just cheat codes for time, and @maxb46 makes a solid point.

Freezing okra is genius. I just buy canned everything and pretend it's fine.