In February, I registered for The Knitting Guild Association’s Master Hand Knitting Level 1 Program. For the past couple of years, I have danced around the possibility of taking this course. I knew that I would learn so much from this program, but I also felt that I was no where near ready to take on this challenge. Until recently, I have been a somewhat sloppy knitter…I had a tendency to cut corners and note mistakes in my project, but then turn a blind eye to it. The result? I often didn’t wear or use the finished piece because the mistake would haunt me every single time I laid eyes on it.

So this year, I made a commitment to spend more time knitting and spinning, to learn more about the craft, to finish my pieces, and to produce better FOs. Plunging into MHK 1, was one way to accomplish these goals.

Thus far, things are going well. The first thing that I learned is that I don’t know nearly as much as I thought I did! Which is great–because it means that I have so much to learn from this program. My swatches are benefiting from the lessons that I am picking up as well; already, I have learned several great new techniques through reading some great books and doing some research online. In addition, I am learning not only what to do to achieve a certain look, but I am learning why we do things a certain way, or why a particular technique may better serve a purpose than another. Perhaps the best lesson of all,I am learning to be more critical of my work so that I can produce the best swatch possible.

If you have considered doing this program, I strongly urge you to jump in–the water is fine and there are a number of great knitters who are either taking this program or have finished to help you along the way. The gals in the TKGA group on Ravelry are a great support network! I still have so much work left to do, so I am going to get back to it!