The following is a sampling of classes offered by Nora. However, unique workshops ranging from a few hours to several days, whether in one weekend or over several, can be created for your local yarn store, knitting guild, or small hand-work community. Zoom classes make it possible for Nora to travel to you, wherever you are, for a private lesson, an intimate class, a short demo, or an intensive workshop. For more information, please write to: nora at nonipatterns.com

Pick a Nonibag, Any Nonibag

This class is a must for the woman who has one or more unfinished knitted or felted bags in her closet, or who wants to take her handmade bags to the next level. Students who bring completed knitted and/or felted bags can leave with attention getting bags that will elicit the question, "Where did you get that?!"

In this class, students pick one or many Noni bags to make using Noni patterns. Nora encourages students to make the bag(s) that scare(s) them, so as to take maximum advantage of the techniques provided as part of the class. Students choose their own project(s), get started, finish knitting, and at times even felt (if there is no on-site washer in the shop) all before the class even begins. During this one- or two-day workshop, students will learn a variety of finishing techniques for producing a professional-quality end product. We will review the fundamentals of felting and blocking (in some cases, students have left class to go home and re-felt or, if able, we felted together as a group) and then move on to finishing techniques: students will learn how to structure a bag, chose an apply a variety of closures, including magnetic snaps of various sorts, buttons, flaps, and zippers. We will chose and apply a variety of handle designs using different techniques including fabric or leather tabs, riveting, and hand-sewing. Students will be introduced to a variety of bag feet and how to apply them. We will discuss, design, and create personal embellishments in order to create truly one-of-a-kind bags.

Students who take this class report increased creativity and confidence, and often make many more bags after the class is over.

Happy Stripes: Exploring Color & Color Work Through Vertical and Horizontal Striping

If you have ever felt trepidation about putting more than one color together on your own for a sweater or other project, this is a fun, hands-on, no-pressure class is the perfect context to explore why some color combinations that dazzle and pop while others fall flat. After a lecture/demo of basic color theory and an overview of simple knitted color-work techniques, students will be encouraged to explore their creativity through testing many possible color combinations using simple horizontal and vertical color work techniques. While students may bring their own yarn for the class project, 1700 yds worth of small balls of yarn will be provided as part of the class allowing each student to challenge his/her color comfort by choosing colors that he/she might not otherwise.

Extraordinary Knitted and Felted Flowers

Decorate your holiday table with knitted flowers of lasting beauty. Combine multiple flowers to embellish felted or fabric pillows with exquisite bouquets of your own creation! Or decorate the top of a gift box in a way that is as beautiful as the gift itself . . .

In this class, students will not only learn to make beautiful knitted flowers to felt (or not) and use as embellishments for bags, gifts, garments, shoes, afghans and more, but will be encouraged to explore their own creative impulses in combining different flowers together for unique results. Nora presents several basic methods for making flowers and offers an overview of and approach for several of her flower patterns. Students will learn how to change the size of the flowers by changing the knitted gauge. Students will begin with the camellia flower, learn how to knit a petal, and then moving on to make a series of petals, and finally learn how to assemble the finished flower for a beautiful finished result, felted or unfelted.