Hey everyone! Have any of you done The Knitting Guild of America’s Master Hand Knitting Program?
If you’ve done it, do you think it was worth it (in terms of time and/or money)? If you decided NOT to do it, why or why not?
“Talk amongst yourselves…”
Oooh. Thanks for asking the question. I’m very interested in the masters program and would love feedback.
We’ve discussed this several times in the forum.
Here’s one of the discussions
http://forum.knittinghelp.com/t/how-do-you-get-to-be-a-master-knitter?t=65403
OK, here’s my take on it. I have a fairly sour taste in my mouth for this program, BUT I think it has to do with the Master Knitters that I have met in my area who have a sort of “snobbery” about them. They are “Master Knitters” and they know how to “do it right” I was at my LYS one day when a couple of them were there and this young lady (college age) came in with a question about making decreases on a sweater she was working on. She was all confused. She asked if someone could help her. Before I could leap across the table and usher her away from them safely, they first started critiquing her knitting skills: the poor consistancy in tension, how she was “knitting wrong” (English instead of German) and her poor choice of fiber (I mean she was knitting with Wool-Ease for goodness sake!) It really made me upset. So instead of showing her how to do the SSK and what “decrease evenly” meant they had her over there trying to learn a whole different way of knitting. She was SO frustrated and probably left more confused than she came in. I always wonder if she ever finished that sweater. (Or came back to the LYS)
NOw I will be honest in saying that I have met a few other Knitting Guild members who were not like this. They just enjoy knitting. And I am considering going to the KG meetings in our area and becoming a member. I know I can learn more, but not sure I want the judgement that comes with the Master Knitter program. I knit because I enjoy it. I don’t want it to become something that seems elitist. Besides my friends at my SnB think I’m a Master Knitter, so that’s good enough for me!
On one of the Knit Picks Pod Casts there is an Interview with Ann Budd. —You can read the pod cast descriptions to find it. I think it’s in the late teens of early 20 episodes. Anyway, Ann Budd did the class and describes the process.
Sorry, I didn’t realize it’d ever been discussed here.
There’s also a TGKA group on Ravelry – they talk about the Master Knitting program quite a bit. 
No problem at ALL, my friend.
You did absolutely nothing wrong. 
I just wanted you to know what we said earlier. 
Yeah it isn’t like we haven’t had the topic, “I want to knit socks” ad naseum. 
We get the same questions periodically and we just start the conversations all over again.