Blackjam

Well the yarn makes a very dense fabric. Silk is very durable so the bag wears like iron. It makes such a great bag that it's worth the effort. It's sorta like a granny square just find a pattern that is making something round and make the gauge fit. Look you hobo bag or draw string bag that should be a good start.

Jam

Well it's a bit of a pain. The yarn keeps on twisting on you. I have knit with it and its even worse then. I would stand up and let the piece fall and unwind it a bit. Kinda like you do with a tangled up phone cord. It's a bit slow going but worth it.
As for a pattern I just sort of made a hobo bag (I had a old pattern) with some improvations. I also do bead crochet so I strung the beads on a separate cord c-lon but any will do. i did it in rounds once I stopped increasing I did 2 rows of half double crochet and one row with the bead on the cord held together in single crochet. I stopped when I got to the size I wanted. I didn't know how I was going to finish it till I saw the handle at a store.

Good luck

Jenn AKA Jam