In Fall 2016, TKGA became a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit that was run and directed—top to bottom—by TKGA Master Knitters. Prior to this time, TKGA had been owned and held by a for-profit firm. Finding that producing a glossy-print magazine and running large in-person conferences lost large amounts of money, the for-profit holding firm planned to end TKGA. The choice was to let TKGA go, let the Master Hand Knitter program end, have the whole thing disband…or do the hard work of becoming a sustainable not-for-profit. TKGA’s inaugural Board of Directors (Arenda Holladay, Leslie Gonzalez, Binka Schwan, Christina Hanger, and Mary Beth Jacobs) began the long hours of establishing TKGA as a functioning 501(c)(3) in the summer of 2016, with operations officially beginning that fall. Working together and communicating continuously throughout the day—every day—via email, many of us had not even met each other in person, and some of us still have not met in person! (We were literally COVID-ready since 2016 since virtual was what we always did.) We worked long hours remotely across the continental US, but what prevailed was dedication, understanding, kindness, and genuine goodwill.

It has been five years!

Beginning with nothing, a website was built, the MHK program never skipped a beat, and Cast On never missed a publication date. We transitioned immediately from a print magazine to a fully-virtual magazine, having to find page formats and workflow processes. In five years, we went from having no policies or procedures, no bank account, and no accounting system to reaching a point where we could orchestrate an in-person Masters Day, then a virtual Masters Day, and even in-person knitting retreats. While we still run on almost all-volunteer hours, to ensure longevity our five-year goal had been to get to a point where we could pay for core business functions that had previously all been done on a volunteer basis— and we reached that goal in three years. We have added numerous certifications and courses which all have high excellence as their uniting attribute.

Of course, what is and always has been TKGA’s crowning jewels are Cast On magazine and the Master Hand Knitting program. Cast On went from its first 100% volunteer magazine issue in Winter 2016 to now: a still-quarterly issue that usually has 18 or more patterns, technical articles, and book reviews. The Master Hand Knitting program continues to grow. Comprised 100% of volunteer hours with fees of the program solely covering shipping and handling costs, a team of Master Knitters carefully pores over each submission, often spending double-digit hours on a single submission, with the single goal of preserving knitting through truly excellent knitters.

This is a really short, high-level version of our history in the last five years. At the core of it all is the belief that knitting is a subject worthy of serious study and preservation and that serious knitters can achieve high standards of excellence.

In true TKGA style, the Happy 5th TKGA mitten is a learning mitten. Learning can happen purposefully and sometimes by accident, with both being highly effective. See the Norwegian Mittens Fashion Framework article (link) in this issue for more details.