Canela Fuerte means “strong cinnamon”, apparently. The color reminds me more of rust than cinnamon, though. That, combined with the fact that the pattern is named for Provence-- and the further fact that I studied French back in high school (and remember so little) gave this project its name. …In a very long, roundabout fashion. Aren’t you glad I gave you the background? Such useful, helpful information for those who stumble upon these notes! ;oP

I’m working the base with an F hook. Swapped up to size G for the body of the bag.

Took my time on this one. A round or two every so often. It’s a fast-working project, though-- especially the body of the bag.

Alterations:
I think I added an extra repeat in the body, and for the straps, I wanted something long enough to go over my shoulder. I mostly followed rosim’s project notes for that section, though I think I only crocheted 3 rounds of sc before starting the handles-- and added another round or two of sc to the straps. Also, to make a nice, strong, finished edge (and to reinforce the “corners” of the handles), I crocheted a round of reverse single crochet (crab stitch) to all edges-- outside and inside the straps.

I’ve also crocheted a little flower from some of the leftover yarn, for an embellishment. I may add another later on… Or a leaf or two…

Overall, fun, easily customizable pattern!

The yarn is something I picked up from a clearance bin somewhere. (Hobby Lobby?) It was nice enough to crochet with, but it did seem to have a lot of knots in the skein. A little annoying, since it made for extra tails to weave in.