Hi
I just want to start by saying what a great forum this is I have really learned alot...thanks

Question 1: I'm currently taking wilton course 1 and I'm really enjoying it but they told us that course 2 doesn't start until July but course 3 start the week after this one ends ( I don't really understand that but...) Our instructor told us we do not have to take the courses in order but in order to take course 3 we needed to know how to make royal icing (which I do not) something that is learned in course 2.
So do I take course 3 or do I wait until course 2 comes available but I would have to wait until September because my children are home from school July and August.

Question 2: To make royal icing....I don't have a stand mixer and really can't afford to buy one right now can I make royal icing for my wilton courses using my regular hand mixer?

Please help!!!!

your instructor should go over making royal in course 3, she may not make it but she will tell you all about it. its in the book so if she 'misses' it ask about it. yes you can make one batch of royal at a time with a hand mixer, although mixing for 7-10 mins which it requires is a long time with a hand mixer.

If the teacher will let you take them out of order and it works to your advantage to do so, then do it.

I made RI with a hand mixer once. It was a little harder because it takes about 10 minutes and your arm gets tired. I would just recommend that the mixer not be old (I was at my mom's house using her hand held because she doesn't have a stand mixer and it blew her mixer out completely).

This is my favorite RI recipe! Good luckwith everything!
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-1983-Antonia74-Royal-Icing.html

If you're going to use a hand mixer for a long time, prop it up on a stack of cookbooks the right height for your bowl, so that your arm doesn't get tired

I'm a WMI. You can take any course after Course 1. You don't have to take them in order, which is why they called the Fondant and Gum Paste Course that rather than Course 4.

Royal icing isn't hard to make, though it is easy to get it a too thick or too thin, but the instructor should be able to help with that. You can do it with a hand mixer like the others said. You do only want to do one recipe at a time. And you want to keep an eye on your mixer. If it feels hot or starts to smoke, give it a break.

As far as why the schedule may be set up that way... As WMIs are are required to offer atleast two courses a month, Course 1 and another course. Some WMIs can only teach two classes a month (depending on their schedules or the store shcedules), if this is the case then they often offer the other courses every other month.

Yeah, I totally took course I, III and then II. I liked my instructor and that was the schedule of when she was teaching. You can totally take any course after course I. Not having worked with royal icing before did not slow me down at all in course III. It is covered during the first day of course III. And actually course III was more useful than II in my opinion.

I took mine out of order and had no issues at all. My WMI is great

Wilton is supposedly going to change the name of the courses (which is why they didn't make fondant and gumpaste course 4) When they do the switch, there won't be any numbers, so folks won't think they have to take them in "order"!