I am delighted to let you know that Stonehedge Fiber Mill will continue to sell their gorgeous 100% USA-Made Merino to Noni! We began our businesses at almost the same time and became connected way back in 2008. Nonibags are best made with this yarn. I am excited about the ways that Stonehedge Fiber Mill is evolving and moving toward hand-dyeing. It's so exciting! More to come as they introduce new future colors and products!

Shepherd's Wool by Stonehedge Fiber Mill is a 3-ply worsted weight yarn made and milled in Michigan by a family-owned and run company. The yarn is fabulously soft, made from fine Merino top. There are 17 saturated solids from which the all the heathers and marls are created for a complete palette of delicious colors.

The yarn is perfect for felting, making it my first choice for felted bags and flowers. Because the colors are so vibrant and alive, Shepherd's Wool worsted and fingering was also my pick for many of the flowers in Noni Flowers - the Shepherd's Wool flowers always look at the peak of floral perfection, rather than garish and overly bright or too muted for flowers at their best.

But it is much more than a great felter: we feel this yarn rivals some top brand Cashmeres, making it wonderful to knit with and a pleasure to wear, even next to bare skin. Once you knit with this yarn, you will find an excuse to make mittens, sweaters, gauntlets, Ella Coats, and hats out of it. You'll find yourself saving even tiny bits so you can make crazy ski beanies out of it. You might not want to knit with anything else . . .

Each 4 oz skein contains 250 yds (228.5m) and knits at about 5 sts/inch on US size 6 - 8 needles.

They were the picture of cool as they strolled hand in hand through the leaf-strewn streets of Brooklyn. He wore a black pea-coat and black jeans, a red cowl, his long-flap red New York bag slung across his body and toward the back so he could hold Claudia's hand. She wore black boots, a flippy skirt, and belted short jacket with a big shawl collar she had innovated by sewing together dozens of removable fur collars she scored in the many thrift and vintage stores tucked away in narrow store-fronts all over the city. Her New York bag, also red, was slung low and worn on her shoulder.

In addition to being an awesome-looking bag in either the short or long flap versions, New York is also practical: it is the ideal choice for books from the library or for that class you are taking, or for your laptop computer, or the music you might be working on, or the brief you need to prepare for tomorrow at the office.

Or maybe it is your everyday purse because you've always preferred slim profile bags and the cabochon or double-capped rivets you've decorated it with allow it to defend itself against some of the best designer bags. The long, removable JUL Prague handle allows for even tall ladies and gents to wear it over the shoulder. Particularly broad-shouldered fellows or women who like their bags really slung low or across the body might want to opt for a long JUL Lisbon handle instead.

Make this bag and you will look New York cool anywhere you go.

Finished Dimensions

12" (30.5cm) across front/back at bag bottom
3" (7.5cm) deep across sides at bottom
14" (35cm) tall

Pattern Difficulty

Intermediate: Requires knowledge of knitting, purling, picking up stitches within the knitted fabric, decreasing, and knitting in the round.

Gauge

Pre-felted gauge: 12 stitches and 16 rounds = 4" (10cm) in St st with a double-strand of worsted weight yarn

Materials

New York Bag Hardware Bag Kit is available for this pattern and includes:

1 JUL Prague leather handle
Pair of Noni handle brackets to attach handle to bag
Noni Amazing Snap
6 Noni 24mm bag feet
Cabochon rivets
11.25 x 13.5 in sheet of stiffener
1 Noni Design Label

Yarn Requirements

Bag with Short Flap: 1000 yds (914m)
Bag with Long Flap: 1250 yds (1143m)

Needles and Other Materials

Size 11 (8mm) 24" (60cm) circular needle
Size 10 (6mm) needles (to work narrow closure tab)
4 stitch markers
1 JUL Prague 30" handle (hr-34)
Tapestry needle
Sewing needle
Nylon beading thread

Pictured Samples

The pictured sample with short flap was made in Stonehedge Fiber Mill Shepherd's Wool in Garnet. The sample with the long flap was made with Shepherd's Wool in Red.

I confess I've always wanted a pair of chaps . . .  I secretly tried on a pair that belonged to a boy I knew and if they had not been too big, I would have wanted to take them on a permanent loan basis. Even as a little girl, I loved the crushed velvet white fringe on the bottom of my scarlet red full cowboy skirt (I know, crazy oxymoron, but there you are) and the matching scarlet cowboy shirt that went with it. I envied the girl in my English Novel class her black leather jacket with the fringe dangling from each arm and across her back. I don't remember the class. Only the jacket. 

If you are, like me, secretly dreaming of blue jeans with fringe decking the outside seams and knitted coats with fringe decorating the sleeves from shoulder to cuff, you will love carrying the Italian Fringe bag.

The dove gray leather fringe is made from Italian leather soft and supple as a horse's nose. Punched at regular intervals, it is easy to apply to the top of your bag with either double-capped rivets or cabochon rivets. The bag closes with an ingenious use of the Amazing snap closure. Clip beautiful USA-made leather handles to the handle brackets on each side of the bag and you can start filling it with all your favorite things. Or use it as the coolest knitting bag around. Simple and fast to knit, the finishing is pretty easy, too. What makes this bag special, and will make some ladies dash across busy streets to ask you about it, is the fabulous hardware and handle and the fabulous leather fringe! 

Click on the Additional Details tab for more information about dimensions, yarn amounts, and materials. Hardware kits available without the fringe as the fringe is no longer available.  

Finished Dimensions

Small Bag

11" (28cm) wide
4" (10cm) deep
14" (36cm) tall

Large Bag

12" (30cm) wide
5" (13cm) deep
16" (41cm) tall

Pattern Difficulty

Intrepid Easy for the knitting and Intrepid Intermediate for the finishing: Requires knowledge of knitting, purling, picking up stitches within the knitted fabric, knitting in the round, and decreasing. Hand-sewing and riveting are required for the finishing process.

Gauge

Pre-felted gauge: 12 stitches and 16 rounds = 4" (10cm) in St st with a double-strand of worsted weight yarn.

Materials

Yarn Requirements

Small Bag: 1000 yds (914m)

Large Bag: 1250 yds (1145m)

Needles and Other Materials

Size 11 (8mm) 24" (60cm) circular needle
4 stitch markers, 1 of a different color
Tapestry needle
Sewing needle
Nylon beading thread
4 seed beads to attach Noni label
Leather punch (optional)

Noni Italian Fringe Bag kit AVAILABLE without the leather fringe
3 ft of premium Italian leather fringe 
Noni Amazing Snap
'A Noni Design' label
Pair of handle brackets to attach handle to bag
Double capped rivets to attach fringe around top of bag
JUL Twin Cities 18" (46cm) handle

Pictured samples

Both of the samples pictured were created using Stonehedge Fiber Mill Shepherd's Wool. The small cover sample was made in Granite. The large sample was made with Storm.

The name evokes endless winds and carved dunes. The ridged construction calls to mind timeless and ancient handmade basketry re-interpreted for the modern trek.

Inspired by the artistic yet everyday carpet bags of nomadic tribes, the richly draped top and Amazing Snap keep all your provisions secure. Best of all, each of the three oversized purses feels organically comfortable against your body and lends an adventurer's flair to all your looks.

Custom handles by JUL and hardware components by Noni complete the bag.

Look at Additional Details below for information about dimensions, gauge, materials, and necessary.

Finished Dimensions

Small Bedouin Bag

10 - 10.5" (25 - 26.25cm) wide across the front/back at bag bottom
5" (12.5cm) deep
16"(40cm) tall from bottom to top opening
34" (86cm) circumference of top opening

Medium Bedouin Bag

13" (33cm) wide across the front/back at bag bottom
8" (20.25cm) deep
21" (53.25cm) tall from bottom to top opening
38" (96.5cm) circumference of top opening

Large Bedouin Bag

14" (35.5cm) wide across the front/back at bag bottom
8" (20.5cm) deep bottom
23" (58.5cm) tall to top opening
46" (116.5cm) circumference of top opening 

Pattern Difficulty

Intrepid beginner to Intermediate: Requires knowledge of knitting and purling, picking up stitches, working in the round on circular needles, and knitting in the stitch several rows below. Some simple hand-sewing also required for finishing.

Gauge

Pre-felted gauge: 12 stitches and 16 rounds = 4" (10cm) in St st with a double-strand of worsted weight yarn.

Materials

Bedouin Hardware Kit is available for this pattern and includes:

1 JUL Budapest 26" (66cm) leather handle with tabs
1 Noni Rivet-in Snap

Yarn Requirements

Small Bedouin: 1500 yds (1375m)
Medium Bedouin: 1750 yds (1600m)
Large Bedouin: 2250 yds (2057m)

Needles and Other Materials

Size 11 (8mm) 24" (60cm) or 32" (80cm) circular needle
Tapestry needle
Sewing needle
Nylon beading thread
Stitch markers
1 - 1 1/2 yards (1 - 1.4m) of lining material (if desired)

Pictured Samples

Pictured felted bags were made with Stonehedge Fiber Mill's Shepherd's Wool. The small bag was made in Lakeshore, medium bag in Great Lakes, and large bag in Blue Spruce.