The Knitting Guild Association As the largest knitting association in the United States, The Knitting Guild Association (TKGA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to knitting and knitters. The mission is to support serious knitters in their efforts to learn the history, perpetuate the traditional techniques, and keep the artisan aspect and high quality standards of the craft alive. It has over 5,000 members in the United States and abroad, and is dedicated to promoting knitting and knitting education. Founded in 1984, TKGA continues to support knitters in their quest to improve their knitting skills and knowledge.
TKGA publishes CAST ON magazine quarterly. Cast On is "The Educational Journal for Knitters" and is filled with valuable lessons and patterns for all levels of knitting. Members can take TKGA correspondence courses by mail. Members also have access to articles and free patterns in a members-only area of the TKGA Web site.
Members can enroll in the Master Hand Knitting Program, an extensive three-level program. Each level includes over 18 to 20 swatches to be knit, questions to answer, patterns to write, book and magazine reviews and papers to research and write. The culminating tasks are the design and knitting of a hat and a sweater, of which one has to be in the Fair Isle style and the other Aran. As of December 2016, there are more than 300 Master Knitters worldwide.