Crochet Purse - Celtic Cream

Apparently I'm on a purse kick.  This one really really might end up with my aunt. I have high hopes and grand ideals. I'm a bit stalled until I can come up with purse extras. The ideal was to hit the thrift store and find a purse that I could repurpose the attachments, zipper, and perhaps strap from. I started wanting to do something doily related in a square tote. Its evolved to a Celtic themed bag. The front is a square made from Celtic knot motif. Its a free pattern on Ravelry by Suvi.

My square was done with a H hook (5.00mm) and Carron worsted weight yarn in cream(off-white). With the added border seen in my pic it measures just over 13inches square. I have some black material that is rather thick and almost has a sparkly quality to it. I'll use that as backing for the square and perhaps embroider some leaves in back of the knot. The leaves prompted the design for the back which I was going to make a plain stitch but decided to incorporate a pattern for a doily I liked. The pattern, Blue Rose Doily, will direct you to either of two free pattern sites. They require you 'sign in' with an email address. I suggest your junk address. What? You do have a 'free' email account you use for junk right? So this is the pattern right up until you start with the roses. And I'm not sure I'm going to include them. I was thinking when I finalized the bag dimensions I would make a crochet frame and use gold thread, same as the shimmer and embroidery on front of bag, to attach the vine/leaves to, with the same black backing.

The side panels, and bottom, would be single crochet so I could embroider directly onto the stitches and perhaps do a vine and few leaves. I also am considering crocheting the vine & leaves in cream and attaching it with the gold thread. I'm hoping to find gold d rings, zippers, and maybe a gold chain for part of the strap. I suppose even a light tan leather strap would work. Suvi also has a pattern for a rectangular panel, Book of Kells - Small Celtic Cables , that could make interesting side panels, but they might be too...full and detract from the rest of the bag.

If I can't find the right bag parts I'm considering using this Celtic Triangle from Happyberry as an embellishment to hide the strap joins, a button closure, or maybe as center piece for the back panel lattice work.  It would be in gold thread or floss for the bag, this was just a test of the pattern.

Updates as work progresses.