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Master Hand Knitting Committee Co-Chairs
Peri Basset has been an avid, self-taught knitter for over 35 years and has loved learning her whole life.
She loves to knit for family, friends, and as many babies as she has the pleasure of meeting. Peri enjoys sharing her love of knitting with others, and connecting with her knitting buddies. Knitting has allowed her to make new friends wherever she goes, connecting over a shared love of the craft in cafes, museums, trains, or libraries, just to name a few. She brings a project along everywhere in the hopes of getting a “few rows in.”
In December 2021, after 6 years of hard work, Peri officially became a certified master hand knitter. The most important thing she took away from this experience is that there is still so much to learn! She is excited to continue to build on the foundation developed through the MHK program and to provide support and encouragement to others pursuing the same goal.
When Peri isn’t knitting, she is spending time with her husband and friends in her hometown of San Jose, CA, taking advantage of the amazing California weather and nature, biking around town, or visiting her three adult daughters spread out across the country.
Cathy Berry has been knitting for as long as she can remember. She learned by watching her mom and grandma knit. Both were always knitting anytime they were sitting down. Cathy is the same way, with a project always going. As a stay-at-home mom, she decided she needed a challenge for herself when her youngest went to first grade so she started the Master Hand Knitter program. It took her about 2 years of “full time” work to complete the program. She has been on the committee since late 2011 and a co-chair since late 2017. One of her favorite parts of reviewing is reading the book reviews and traditional knitting reports and discovering new books to add to her wish list and new traditions to explore. Cathy loves sample knitting and test knitting when she’s not busy knitting her favorite socks, lace, and cabled sweaters. Cathy’s newest challenges are delving deeper into Fair Isle knitting and learning how to use an antique circular sock knitting machine.
Jennifer Kent is a TKGA Certified Master Knitter and Certified Knitting Instructor, teaching a variety of techniques at all levels. She first learned to knit at the age of 6, and made her first blanket and sweater by the age of 7. She loved knitting so much that she studied to be a Knitwear Designer at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. There she learned to design sweater knits for hand flat and power knitting machines. After graduation, she started as a Design Assistant at a small clothing company. She eventually worked her way up to Design Director for the Knitwear Department of a world-renowned clothing brand.
All the while, Jennifer never lost her love of hand knitting, and now creates styles and writes patterns for various knitting publications. She is passionate about creating pieces that are functional and purposeful, and loves sharing her knowledge and passion for hand knitting with others. She is also the owner of Tactile Elements, a bespoke handknit home goods and accessory collection.
When Jennifer is not knitting, she loves to sing, dance, meditate and do yoga. She also loves to cook and spend time with her husband, their 11-year-old daughter, and their dog Bowie. Her Ravelry name is Jennifkent and you can find her on Instagram at @jaekknits or @tactileelements.
Edna Jenkins is a life-long resident of south central Pennsylvania. When she was 10 years old her mother taught her to sew, and at age 14 her cousin taught her to knit. For many years sewing was a primary focus and knitting a secondary interest. Approximately 10 years ago she returned to knitting and the needles have not stopped clicking!
After retiring from her job as a paralegal, she worked part time at her favorite LYS. She began the MHK program in 2016 and completed Level 3 in 2021. Shortly thereafter, she joined the review committee. She is enjoying the continuation of her knitting education through the review committee experiences. Sweaters and shawls are among her favorite projects.
Her husband is a huge supporter of her yarn habit. Her daughter (married) enjoys wearing hand knitted creations and telling her friends that her mom made it!
Joyce Jones learned to knit in an after-school class while in the 5th grade. The project was a pair of garter stitch slippers with a pom-pom on the toe. After that, she decided she could make a blanket using those same needles. So, off she went creating her 5′ strip of 10″ wide stockinette. When it rolled up into a tube, she promptly decided this knitting stuff wasn’t for her. (While downsizing some items in her attic recently, she came across those same size 10 1/2 straight needles in hot pink. Youza!) Crochet was the next best thing because it laid flat. Then it was off to sewing and a myriad of other handcrafts over the years, but the knitting always lingered in her mind. Fast forward 20 years and she had some sheep and a friend that had a spinning wheel. She had to learn how to go from fleece to sweater! A mature friend who could knit without a pattern taught her to knit all over again and knitting became her favorite hobby. Then along came TKGA. Knitting was no longer a hobby, but an obsession! She slowly but steadily worked her way through the Master Hand Knitting program, received her certificate in 2010 and was invited to join the review committee. How exciting to be able to help guide others as they work their way through the program! Transitioning to the position of Co-chair was another honor which took place in 2016. Joyce enjoys meeting other knitters and finds it particularly rewarding when someone experiences an ah-ha moment when struggling with a knitting technique.
Joyce has written articles for Cast On and is a teacher and presenter at TKGA Conferences and guild meetings. She creates videos to support her mini-courses, articles, and techniques featured in her published patterns. She prefers designs that stand the test of time and likes to read about knitting traditions of other lands.
While the needles and submissions are resting, Joyce enjoys spending time with her husband, working with young people at her church, and reading non-fiction.