To the Library and Market Bag

I'm a huge fan of market bags and (apparently given the number I've now got) a collector of tote bags. I've developed a real hate for plastic bags and I find that carrying a tote bag with a market bag stashed inside seems to meet most of needs as I run around town. That said, most of the market bags I see are really plain. Very functional and wonderful, but a bit boring. The number one most important thing about a bag like this is it's functionality. It has to be up to hard everyday use.

Taking this into account, I considered this my design challenge! How to make a market and book bag that would look unique and follow with my Modest Ambition aesthetic while being really tough. I choose to start with acrylic yarn because it has lots of body and is very starchy - and I have a surplus. I crocheted with two strands at a time, crocheting through, then wrapping around, each time I connected. The shape is a long rectangle with the straps woven through the long sides the 1/3 of the short side before connecting them together. At that joint, the yarns are tied together before being crocheted over then wrapped in a long chain. I experimented with the strap quite a bit before coming to a satisfactory solution. After wrapping the strap I stitched back through it with yarn to make it extra secure. It's very cushy. 

I really enjoyed making this bag and I've started a second one with the same colors, but different orders with the strips.  

Here's what's in the bag in the photos and what I'm currently reading: Richard Florida's Who's Your City, Naomi Novik's Victory of Eagles (just finished it), Peter Brinckerhoff's Mission-Based Marketing (reading for work), and Christopher Paolini's Eldest (just borrowed it from my sister).