There are no criteria you must meet to qualify for an extension, and it is not necessary to apply for an extension. When you are ready to submit your work, contact MKRouting@tkga.org to let her know you are ready to submit your work and want to pay the extension fee. That’s it! You must be a current member TKGA member to submit your work.

Expect it to take at least six weeks for Level 1, two months for Level 2 and up three months for Level 3. The reason it takes so long is because more than one person reviews the materials and your submission is mailed between them. Two reviewers see Level 1, three see Level 2 and four see Level 3. The objective is for the reviewers to do a thorough job. Delays can sometimes occur over holidays or if one of the reviewers has a personal situation or a vacation. If you do not hear within a reasonable amount of time, please feel free to inquire at  MKRouting@tkga.org

Many mistakes are the result of simply not reading the instructions carefully. Make sure that:

• Your stitches are not twisted.
• Your tension is even.
• Your tags are in the correct corner of your swatches.
• You performed the requested technique in the specified location.
• You provided the necessary references.

Refer to the Prerequisites Pages for more on the knitting expectations for this program.

Yes, we have many Master Knitters in Canada and Europe.  The cost of the program is the same but there is an adder for the additional postage costs.

The directions specify the acceptable colors for the program. Swatches should use either white, off-white, or pastel. Any pastel should be close to white in color. The projects are more lenient in color choice. All yarns and colors must be approved by the Advising Co Chair.

No, a suitable substitute may be used.

Each person will use a different amount of yarn depending on how many practice swatches are knit and how many must be resubmitted.  Level I will require anywhere from one to three 200-yard skeins of #4 medium.

Yes, but you will have to do a little bit more work. Our program is set up to reflect the industry standard and even though you may work differently, you should be able to adapt what you do to reflect this standard. So if you substitute a k2tog for an ssk, that’s fine. You can note that you are left handed knitter in your cover letter.  The information sheets should be set up to reflect the industry standard. The industry standard has the stitches moving from the left needle to the right.

Level 1: A maximum of two (2) resubmissions is permitted within a 12-month completion period. If the level is not successfully completed within this timeframe, the participant must repurchase Level 1 and begin again using the current instructions.

Only the first resubmission is covered by the purchase price. If a second resubmission is necessary, postage must be covered by the participant.

Level 2: A maximum of three (3) resubmissions is permitted within an 18-month completion period. If the level is not successfully completed within this timeframe, the participant must repurchase Level 2 and begin again using the current instructions.

Only the first resubmission is covered by the purchase price. If a second/third resubmission is necessary, postage must be covered by the participant.

Level 3: A maximum of three (3) resubmissions is permitted within a 24-month completion period. If the level is not successfully completed within this timeframe, the participant must repurchase Level 3 and begin again using the current instructions.

Only the first resubmission is covered by the purchase price. If a second/third resubmission is necessary, postage must be covered by the participant.

Members of the Master Hand Knitting Committee review all submissions. All members of the Masters Hand Knitting Committee are knitters who have completed Level 3 with outstanding work.

You can learn a little bit about our current Committee Co-Chairs here.

Potentially any master knitter could be invited to join the Masters Committee. The vacancies each year are few, however. What makes some candidates stand out?

• They’ve passed Level 3 with outstanding work and a good attitude. Someone who does not do perfect work on the first round but accepts the suggestions and then satisfactorily reworks the swatch(es) or rewrites their written portion may still be considered for the committee. Level 3 work should show that the person has learned from the previous levels, knows how to follow the directions, and put time and effort into their submission. They do not try to just “get by”. People chosen for the committee should have demonstrated that they believe in the program, given evidence that they are able to work well with other committee members, are willing to follow the program directions, and will be willing to examine the submissions as carefully and accurately as possible and provide well-worded reviews.
• They have good communication and computer skills. Committee communication is done by e-mail. Critiques and suggestions by e-mail and in writing are sometimes a special challenge and need more thought and care than face-to-face, verbal communications.
• They have time to devote to the evaluations, which can take many hours. Reviewers receive as many as 2-4 submissions per month to evaluate.
•  They have access to source material to answer questions.
•  They are willing to work for free. Evaluating the submissions is completely volunteer work! A term is generally a two-year commitment.
•  It is also preferred that they be able to accept and send packages by UPS, as well as by USPS (postage for outgoing packages from committee members is reimbursed by the program). This limits us to committee members in the US.