Prerequisites for Master Hand and Professional Knitter

Prerequisites

Master Knitting Program and Professional Knitting Certification

The expectations of the Master Knitting Program (MKP) and the Professional Knitting Certification (PKC) exceed those of the knitting industry in many cases. This is the reason a knitter who has attained the designation of Master Knitter or Professional Knitter is respected by those working in the industry.

It is assumed that your work will demonstrate competency in the following categories before beginning work on the MKP or PKC. Any work that does not conform to these standards must be reworked.

Achieving even tension in stitch patterns
Accurately measuring knitted fabrics
Blocking
Weaving in yarn tails

Photographs follow of unacceptable and acceptable work. If your work does not meet these standards, you should work to improve it before enrolling in these programs. Cast On has several indexes of technical articles available to members which provide help on solving these problems. TKGA also has correspondence courses geared to preparing participants and students for these programs.

Unacceptable

Tension

The following photographs show swatches with UNACCEPTABLE tension.

Stockinette/Reverse Stockinette

**Stitches vary in size from row-to-row. Corruguated appearance**

Garter and Seed Stitch

**Uneven space between ridges. One side longer**

**Excess space between stitches. “Holey”**

Ribbing

**Stitches in second column of knit stitches overlarge and/or distorted**

Cables

Cast-On and Bind-Off Edges

**Too tight bind off. Overlarge last bind off stitch**

Measurements

Make sure your work represents the measurements listed in instructions/patterns. It will be impossible to achieve the exact measurements at all times but make sure your work is within 0.25″ of the specified measurements.

Blocking

All swatches should be blocked properly. Wet blocking is recommended. The selvedge stitches should be flat. The sides should be the same length. Textured patterns such as ribbing or cables should not be blocked flat. The following photograph shows a swatch with UNACCEPTABLE blocking. Examples of acceptable work follow.

**Bind off edge curls to RS. Selvedges curl to WS**

Weaving in Yarn Tails

All yarn tails should be woven in using a technique appropriate to the stitch pattern. The goal when weaving in yarn tails is that they are not visible on the RS, they stretch with the fabric and do not pucker. The end of the tail should never pull through to the RS. For stockinette stitch, the duplicate stitch is recommended. For items that are seamed, the ends can be placed in the seams. The following photographs show swatches with UNACCEPTABLE tail weaves.

**Yarn tails visible on RS of work. Tails cross the column of stitches rather than follow the path of the yarn**

Split, Dropped and Twisted Stitches

Check your work frequently to make sure there are no split, dropped or twisted stitches. The following photograph shows an example of each.

**The first arrow indicates a split stitch, the second arrow indicates a dropped stitch and the final arrow marks a twisted stitch**

Acceptable Work

Tension, Blocking and Measurements

Keep in mind that perfection in hand knitting is not possible. It is hand knitting, not machine knitting. The following photographs show swatches with acceptable tension which are properly blocked. All swatches were knit with KnitPicks Wool of the Andes Worsted.

Tail Weaves

The following photograph shows recommended methods for weaving in yarn tails. Duplicate stitch is recommended for stockinette stitch. When done properly, it does not distort the fabric, show through to the RS, or pull free. The method shown for ribbing does not impede the stitch pattern’s elasticity or show through to the RS.