HOW MANY KNITTERS ARE IN THE PROGRAM?

As of the postings through the February 2013 issue of Cast On magazine, there are 268 TKGA Master Knitters in hand knitting and 17 in machine knitting. The Master® title, certificate and pin are awarded only to those knitters who have completed all three levels of the TKGA Master Knitting Program. A list of those who have completed the course since the program began in 1987 is posted at http://www.tkga.com/?page=MastersGraduates.

From October 2001 (when The Knitting Guild Association staff began entering program details into a database) to the end of December 2012, 1905 knitters had submitted their Level One, Two or Three workbooks and projects to the Masters Knitting Committee for review. How many of these passed their program level before the end of December 2012? A whopping 1478! The rest are considered "pending" and are highly likely to finish.

Those who have completed part or all of the program include knitters from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Ecuador, England, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden and Thailand. Note that the program is only offered in English and those who participate must be fluent in English.

NUMBER OF STUDENTS COMPLETING EACH LEVEL IN 2012:

55     Masters Hand Knitting Level One

15     Masters Hand Knitting Level Two

17     Masters Hand Knitting Level Three

IF YOU'RE ALREADY ENROLLED IN THE
MASTERS PROGRAM

You can participate in an online Masters Group:

If you're already enrolled in The Knitting Guild Association (TKGA) Master Knitting Program©, you can go to the appropriate Masters Hand Knitting Group or Masters Machine Knitting Group in the site menu and request permission to join. The Group is where you will not only be able to add your voice to the Forum, but you can also find resources you need (dates of the newest version of the program materials, bibliography,where to find the On Your Way to the Masters archive, etc.)

For permission to join the TKGA Master Hand Knitting Group, go to the MASTERS PROGRAM tab and then the sub-tab MASTERS HAND KNITTING GROUP. At the top of the page, click on the Request link and click OK to submit the request. Approval is not immediate, and may take a work day to process (longer if you apply over the weekend). Note that if you are not already enrolled in the Master Hand Knitting Program you will be denied.

For permission to join the TKGA Master Machine Knitting Group, go to the MASTERS PROGRAM tab and then the sub-tab MASTERS MACHINE KNITTING GROUP. At the top of the page, click on the Request link and click OK to submit the request. Approval is not immediate, and may take a work day to process (longer if you apply over the weekend). Note that if you are not already enrolled in the Master Machine Knitting Program you will be denied.

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IF YOU'RE NOT YET ENROLLED 

If you are not enrolled and are ready to test your skills, this may be the program for you.The TKGA Master Knitting Program© is a non-competitive and rewarding achievement program for advanced knitters. Program completion culminates in the presentation of the coveted TKGA Master Knitter® title and pin.
You must successfully complete each Masters Program level before ordering the next higher level.

Choose from three separate TKGA Masters Programs: Hand Knitting, Machine Knitting or Passap Machine Knitting. A pin is awarded upon completion of any of these three programs.

When you are ready to take your hand knitting to the next level, learn more about the Masters Program in Hand Knitting.

The Master Hand Knitting Program was announced in the Fall 1987 issue of Cast On as a way for members of The Knitting Guild Association (TKGA) to have their knitting evaluated using specific criteria and guidelines. It was designed as an educational process, not a competition or contest. While it is an educational program, it is not for new knitters. If you want help learning to knit, please consider enrolling in the Learn to Knit or the Basics, Basics, Basics correspondence courses offered by TKGA.

Although the program has evolved over the years, at its core it hasn’t changed much. Knitters work through three levels, each building on techniques demonstrated in the previous level. Each level is completed independently, and evaluated by the Master Hand Knitting Committee, before the knitter goes to the next level.

This program requires you to research the technique as you work the swatches and projects. This program emphasizes independent and involved learning on the part of the knitter. You may not have some of these skills when you begin the program, but through research and practice you can acquire them. It is not enough to demonstrate that you can perform a technique. To pass a level, you must go beyond basic ability to perform techniques to a mastery of those techniques.

Experienced knitters may require less practice to master a technique while less experienced knitters may need to rework a swatch many times. Both can become Master Knitters. By the time you finish the program you should have a complete mastery of knitting techniques. You will have a knowledge of knitting-related topics such as care of knitwear, the history of knitting, and knitting traditions. You will have experience in design and writing your own patterns and instructions. But more importantly you will have the confidence in your own abilities. Where this confidence takes you is up to you.

While the Master Knitter certificate is not a professional certificate, it does enhance any knitting resume. It verifies, among other things that you:

• Knit very well
• Understand knitting techniques
• Can properly prepare designs for submission
• Can write reasonably well about knitting

Because of your proven knitting expertise, you may find yourself using the Master Knitting title to teach and knit for local shops, guilds and more; write articles or submit patterns for publication; or even work with yarn companies on original designs.

The standards of the program are very high. The swatches and written work are evaluated with very specific criteria. The instructions for each swatch and report state the criteria by which members of the Master Hand Knitting committee evaluate the work.

There is no time limit for participation at any level in the Masters Programs.
But if your instructions are more than a year old, you must order (at no additional cost) the most current instruction version for your level. Your completed lessons must comply with that current version.

The Program is for Individual Work

TKGA Does Not Offer or Sanction "Masters Classes”

Because the TKGA Masters Program is an evaluation of individual skills and knowledge, TKGA does not authorize "TKGA Masters Classes” in shops or guilds, etc. TKGA does not authorize anyone to teach the materials as a course. Each knitter must enroll in the TKGA Masters Program directly through TKGA, do their own research and knitted projects, and turn in their own portfolio. Each portfolio will be reviewed on its own merits by the official TKGA Masters Committee. There is no other way to earn the TKGA Master Knitter title.

Masters Support Groups and Online Groups

There are online groups and small groups who do gather to work on projects together and encourage one another. This can be a good experience as each knitter works hard to learn and do their work individually. Do take care, however, because part of the learning process of the program is to broaden the knitter's expertise and understanding of techniques, including the "why" as well as the "how". Working in a group can inadvertently lower knitting skill expectations to the level of the group and can tend to cause people to parrot common answers that they may or may not actually understand personally. This devalues the learning experience and one's overall qualification for the master title. The TKGA group on Ravelry is very active and is monitored by several of the TKGA Masters Committee members. And you can always ask TKGA@TKGA.com if you have specific questions that need an "official” answer. You can be sure that someone will get back to you shortly with a reply.