Early in July, I wrote about my adventures crocheting a purse for my mother; she liked it so well, she refused to use it, so I decided to make her a purse she can use

Ever the intrepid crocheter, I decided to make her another purse that met the following criteria: It had to be washable, hard to lose, easy to find, easy to open, but not so easy to open that stuff could fall out, and it had to be made from materials that were not so dear she wouldn’t use it.

I decided to use the ever versatile Red Heart Super Saver acrylic yarn. Choosing this yarn allowed me to meet two of the six requisite criteria before I even picked up a hook and tried to fashion a design.

Among self-proclaimed yarn snobs, acrylic yarn is much derided, but for those who itch at the thought of wool, whose budgets have shrunk with the economic downturn, or who live a life that does not allow for dry clean only, acrylic can be a life saver.

So, yarn stash in one hand, my trusty E-hook in the other, I started making the same squares I had used in my yoga blanket.

Once I had amassed a sufficient number of them, I began trying different arrangements, and eventually settled on a mini-messenger style bag.

The advantages were that it could be worn across the body, it required no aggravating closures, and I would be able to crochet a strap rather than having to drive to four or five craft stores in a fruitless attempt to find suitable handles.

Here is the result:

I am happy to report that not only does my mother like the bag, she uses it.