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 E-mail: TKGA@TKGA.com Web site: www.TKGA.com Phone: (740) 452-4541 Fax: (740) 452-2552 Mail: 1100-H Brandywine Blvd Zanesville OH USA 43701-7303 TKGA Staff:
Included here are releases of information about The Knitting Guild Association. Scroll down for releases on these topics: ~ About The Knitting Guild Association ~ The World Has Gone Knit Crazy! ~ Survey by The Knitting Guild Association ~ TKGA Conferences and Markets Press releases ABOUT THE KNITTING GUILD ASSOCIATION The Knitting Guild Association (TKGA) is a non-profit organization of approximately 11,000 individual members and 280 affiliated local member clubs/guilds. Membership has increased 17% since late 2001, when Offinger Management Company assumed the reins of the association. The Association is an organization of knitters dedicated to promoting knitting as a worthwhile and enjoyable hobby. Its official publication is Cast On magazine, which is provided quarterly as a member benefit. The magazine is also available in independent retail shops. A list of contact information for The Knitting Guild Association clubs/guilds can be found at http://www.e-offinger.net/tkga/guildsbystate1.cfm. The Association offers its members correspondence courses and a Master Knitter program for expanding their knitting skills. Members have exclusive access to many articles, patterns and helpful information found on the Members-only area of The Knitting Guild Association web site (www.TKGA.com). Knitters are encouraged to participate in charity knitting, especially the Precious Pals(SM) program where they supply stuffed bears with hand-knitted outfits for organizations that assist children in crisis. The Knitting Guild Association annual conferences include classes by popular knitting teachers, and exhibits that feature opportunities to buy from retailer vendors from around the country (www.KnitandCrochetShow.com). Individual membership in The Knitting Guild Association includes a year's subscription to Cast On magazine, discounts on classes at the Knit & Crochet Show, free Show entry, and more. The Knitting Guild Association is managed by Offinger Management Company, one of the nation's leaders in association management (offinger.com). You can contact The Knitting Guild Association at 1100-H Brandywine Blvd, Zanesville OH 43701-7303. Phone: 740-452-4541. Fax: 740-452-2552. E-mail: TKGA@TKGA.com. Web site: www.TKGA.com. The World Has Gone Knit Crazy! On the heels of the new Millennium, a magic dust seems to have fallen across the world, causing sticks and strings to leap into the hands of thousands who have taken up knitting. What else could have sparked a resurgence of this art which has lain dormant since a brief popularity with the back-to-nature flower children of the Sixties and Seventies? Young women, in particular, have taken up knitting with a happy fervor. And men have also joined the fun. According to The Knitting Guild Association (TKGA) in Zanesville, Ohio, here are a few possible answers. The yarns now available to knitters come in a dizzying array of fiber, color and style. There are novelty yarns that the least experienced knitter can whip up into a fashionably “hot” scarf, with nothing more than a simple repeat of row after row of the basic Garter stitch. The novelty yarns are chunky or furry, fuzzy, nubby, glittery, neon and more. Great grandmother would be aghast at the departure from the pastels and earth tones of her day! And now "green" yarns have made their way into the fiber mix and are popular with knitters across the country. Natural fibers include soy, bamboo, hemp and more. With the new yarns have come new designs geared to styles popular with younger knitters. In addition to crop tops, felted bags, cell phone cases and I-pod covers, nearly every knitting fashion magazine features at least one ad for exotic knitted lingerie. The designs take knitters beyond some of the tired fashions found on retail shelves. Knitters are adept at adapting basic patterns to suit their fashion preferences – whether stitching funky shrugs or adding knitted sleeves to otherwise plain denim jackets. As the fad comes full circle, we see the retail chains starting to fill their racks with imported knitted garments. Celebrities are sporting their knitting prowess (Sarah Jessica Parker, Julia Roberts, Dakota Fanning, the Olsen twins and Tyra Banks, to name a few). Characters on television have been spotted knitting: Garcia on "Criminal Minds" and Meredith on "Grey's Anatomy" , for example. Articles on knitting have appeared in most major newspapers, plus magazines like InStyle, Country Living, Country Home, Parents, Teen, First and even Cooking Light. Several schools (like the Waldorf School in Chicago) are capitalizing on the fad and are adding knitting to their selection of art/craft classes. The Helping Hands Foundation (http://www.needleartsmentoring.org) is providing knitting materials and guidelines to encourage schools, after-school programs, inner city organizations and other groups to teach knitting. Local knitting guilds (like those affiliated with TKGA) enjoy teaching people how to knit, inviting them to their meetings, or to their knitting booths at county fairs. Snowboarding Minnesota teens (both boys and girls) have appeared on television (Today Show) to show off their skill in knitting and crocheting their favorite toboggans. Knitting can keep one’s hands and mind profitably engaged, helping to crowd out harmful activities like smoking or over-eating. The repetitive nature of stitching is soothing and therapeutic – a welcome relief from a stressful day at work or at home with the kids. Knitting provides pleasing tactile stimulation that counteracts hours engaged in high-tech computer activities. Interestingly, high-tech, modern communication also helps boost the knitting craze. Not only can knitters register online for conferences or make online yarn purchases, but they can also get immediate online answers to the occasional knitting crisis or how to do a new stitch or technique. Knitters can engage in chat lists or message board forums, like the one at www.TKGA.com, where fellow knitters eagerly share their expertise. Knitting can be social or solitary. Hundreds of knitting clubs and guilds have formed across the country. TKGA has more than 280 affiliated TKGA clubs/guilds posted online (http://www.e-offinger.net/tkga/guildsbystate1.cfm) so any knitter can find a group nearby. Whether knitting alone or together, knitting can serve as an outreach. Projects can be completed and donated to help those less fortunate. Scores of charity organizations accept knitted blankets, chemo caps, preemie baby clothes, or Precious Pals(SM) stuffed (http://www.tkga.com/pals.html). Recent tragic events have increased the call for relief items. Penny Sitler, Executive Director of The Knitting Guild Association, says, “Out of our 11,000 membership, roughly 10% are under the age of 30. The number of men is about 1% at present, but more guys are certainly welcome in guilds and at our annual conferences. Our organization is excited to be able to offer support and quality education for all knitters. It’s easy to find us online – we hope you’ll visit www.TKGA.com and www.KnitandCrochetShow.com.” The Knitting Guild Association is managed by Offinger Management Company, one of the nation's leaders in association management (offinger.com). You can contact The Knitting Guild Association at 1100-H Brandywine Blvd, Zanesville OH 43701-7303. Phone: 740-452-4541. Fax: 740-452-2552. E-mail: TKGA@TKGA.com. Web site: www.TKGA.com. Recent TKGA Member Survey Results An e-mail survey of the The Knitting Guild Association (TKGA) membership was conducted in March 2008. Total number of respondents to the survey was 2,579. (Note that references to Cast On are to the official publication of The Knitting Guild Association, which is a member benefit.)
NOTE: For additional information on the knitting industry (estimated number of knitters, knitting and crochet-related yarn sales, and more), you are invited to visit www.tnna.org and ask about the "2007 State of the Specialty Needle Arts" survey conducted by The National NeedleArts Association (TNNA). UPCOMING CONFERENCES |
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