It'll get a lot of use. It's well-made, so it'll last a long time. It's super-practical. If you carry it you can put everything in one bag, so you don't have to worry about maybe leaving a bag somewhere if you're carrying two bags. Plus, if you're carrying two bags you'll probably end up paying as much to replace them. I don't know how much you usually pay for your bags, but to get a good handbag, for instance, you're probably going to pay at least $100, plus you'd still have to get a computer bag. they probably cost more than that (I don't know, because I don't have a laptop). So you'll end up paying more. This bag will save you money. So you need to have it!

I dunno. It looks sort of weird folded up like that. And not really small enough to function as a useful purse. I think your gaping maw bag is much cuter, to be honest.

well, a common excuse that i use is, that with being self-employed and all, you can write it off! it's really a business expense, you know! :) you'll get a tax break! yeah!

Yes. It's a very practical (and cute) tax write off.

get it. if you use it, then it's a good purchase. clearly mr. crochet doesn't understand the importance of a good bag. it can make the difference between a good day and a bad one. a successful trip and one that makes you want to poke someone in the eye with a knitting needle.

hey -- it's not like it's a $700 coach bag (which i'm coveting but i refuse to pay that much for a handbag)

If you use it, it is not out of line with anything from Levenger or any other well-made bag line. I'd like to see it in person and try lugging it around for a bit before I spent that kind of money though.

Yeah -- the one drawback is not seeing one in person. It's less expensive than most Levenger bags, and is way more useful for my type of needs... Hm.

The maw! The thing about the maw is that if I cram my laptop into it, it won't hold anything else. And the thing about this new bag is that it can do everything (so one might think). And I do like the look of it, but I see how the maw might be cuter. I've had problems travelling with the maw, since if it's full, it doesn't close at the top.

(FYI: I have a bag I call The Gaping Maw. Carol was with me when I bought it... 2 years ago? It has a red interior, and for everyday use it's absolutely enormous. It's been through two TNNA shows with me, and manages not to kill my shoulders when stuffed full of all sorts of fun stuff. I believe the new bag is bigger, and it zips at the top, which is a bonus. The maw only has a magnetic snap.)

I'm working on my taxes this morning! I love this excuse!

He totally doesn't get the good bag thing. But I can't slight him that. He did build us a window (and a window SILL, which for some reason strikes me as a feat of ingenuity, though he argues it's "easy").

I could monetize it for him. "Honey, look at it this way. If the bag costs, say, $250 Canadian, including shipping, and I feel so great and confident when I carry it that I get more freelance gigs than I would without it, then it could potentially pay for itself in a matter of days." Right? Of course right.

Definately a birthday present.....but then again, I'm a bag/purse-aholic.....I would have somehow got it long time ago if I wanted it that bad!!!

On a related note, I broke down and bought a Lexie Barnes bag.

I dunno, Kim -- in my personal and highly subjective opinion, I don't like the looks of that bag. But if you do, then by all means buy it! I have a fantastic inCase bag for my laptop, all padded and lovely (http://www.goincase.com) with just enough space for typical purse stuff (wallet, etc) but no way in heck would it fit yarn, etc. too. So my bag woes have not yet been perfectly solved either... I'm thinking one of these days I'm going to make The Perfect Bag with everything I need and yet I never get around to it...

(Sorry...rambling. Need coffee!)

Bags are so... love-hate! The thing that makes this bag so perfect-seeming is that it can BOTH be my computer bag AND my purse. Aaargh! I've never seen anything else like it. Harumph.

The justification that mr. crochetme may get (being a guy who can't possibly get the never ending search for the perfect bag) is that this will save you from buying 6 other bags at $50 each you won't like and will replace (again and again).

So even if you don't do your job better and get more work (which you totally will), this bag is actually SAVING you money.

Molly, that's a very, very good point.

Get the bag! You have an $85 wallet and $45 business card holder, so the price of this VERY LARGE bag is proportionately ecomomical if viewed per square inch or centimeter! That logic may work with Mr. Crochet.

The logic may work, mom, except for that the wallet and bus. card holder were gifts from you!

Well. daughter of mine, you are missing the corollary...since the wallet and business card holder - both of which you sorely needed - were gifts of about $130., the bag that completes the ensemble now only costs you a net of $60.!!! (Surviving 35+ years of marriage has forced me to learn to justify my very rare splurges in ways that defy logic and therefore cannot really lead to a rational argument.)

Fabulous. I never stop learning from you, mom.

Well, now you can say, "But my mom said I could!" Haha.