Bag Tapestry Crochet – Strong Shoulder Strap how to

Mochila Wayuu bags do well with strong, preferably non-stretch shoulder straps. Here we look at a crochet alternative method of making shoulder straps. (The traditional Mochila bags have woven straps.)

Reminder:
The real Mochila Wayuu bags are crocheted bags, handmade by native tribe Wayuu. They come from the the northern peninsula of South America.

Here, please note that I am only talking about Mochila Wayuu lookalike bags. For ease, henceforth, I shall refer to them only as MW bags whenever possible.

How to make Shoulder Straps for crochet bags

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Thermal Stitch, how to - Strong Crochet Strap

I made up a name for this very useful stitch.  I call it  “strap single crochet stitch” or “ssc stitch” or “strap sc stitch” - because I first made it up when trying to find a way to make a strong, sturdy, (almost) non-stretch, smooth edged strap.

Addendum: 10 May 2018 Thanks to the readers who left me comments, I now know that I was not the first to create it (as I suspected) and this stitch has a proper name: namely Thermal Stitch or Siberian Stitch. Thank you Cheryl, Brigitta, May!

How to Make Strong Crochet Strap with Thermal Stitch

I have been making some crochet bags lately.  They are sturdy and strong.  And I wanted to make a crochet strap that would complement the whole feel of the bags.  I wanted some strong crochet straps that would not stretch nor look sloppy.  But none of the crochet stitches I knew could produce what I wanted. So I had to come up with something new (to me) ... and it worked beautifully!