Hi! Let me introduce myself. I’m Heather, and I’m an ‘almost’ Master Knitter. I say ‘almost’ because I’ve only completed one of the three levels required (I’m working on the second right now) so I’m not a Master Knitter yet. ’What’s a Master Knitter?’, you ask. Read on and you shall find out!
I’m hoping to make this a monthly column – where I and other guild members going through the Master Knitter program share our experiences, tips and tricks, and anything else interesting or amusing about our journey.
For today’s post I will simply explain what the Master Knitter program is. The Master Knitter program is a three-step/level program offered through The Knitting Guild Association (TKGA). It’s more of an evaluative program as opposed to a correspondence course. There are three levels, which get progressively more detailed and advanced. Each level requires that you complete several swatches illustrating different techniques, answer several questions, write one or more reports on various subjects, and knit one or more particular projects. There is no time limit for completing a level. When you are done you mail your portfolio in to TKGA and they send it to one or more Master Knitter committee members for judging/critiquing. If everything is up to par then you pass and can move on to the next level. If not (which is the more common occurrence - very few first submissions pass with no re-dos needed), then your portfolio is mailed back to you and you get to fix the things that need fixing. You can fix it, and mail it back in, as many times as required until you pass. The committee members are very helpful and provide excellent constructive criticism. Once you pass level three, you are officially a Master Knitter and are awarded a pin.
That’s the Master Knitter program in a nutshell. It’s a rewarding program because you learn so much about knitting while working through it. I know, you could learn on your own without going through the program, but for those of us who like a challenge and a goal it’s a wonderful motivator.
Look for a post next month where I’ll share some tips on fixing your knitting’s tension problems. Yes, you could send your knitting to a spa, but then it’d get wet and you really don’t want that unless you’re ready to block it. See you next month!
~Heather