Scarves Needed for Stand Downs

Published: August 29, 2022  ~   0

Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E Association family! Several Stand Downs that we serve are coming quick fast! We still desperately need scarves to meet the demand for those Stand Downs that are located in colder regions of our great country! If you have donations to turn in, please make arrangements at your earliest convenience so that we can get them blocked and ready to ship. If you live in the DFW area, please contact our office and one of our dedicated staff will help to arrange for a pick up.

If you’d like to donate a hat, scarf, face mask or other handcrafted garment to our cause, please remember that the dear veterans and their dependents prefer dark colors, e.g. blue, black, green, grey, and all-time favorite, camouflage. If you would like to knit, crochet, or sew a garment in a brighter color, red or deep purple are always popular bright colors. We cannot emphasize this important point enough: please do not use sparkly or overly decorative yarns and fabrics. While they have their place, they are simply inappropriate for the veterans and their dependents (including children because of choking hazards).

If you are not a crafter, but would like to help, there are still many ways to support our cause! Please consider donating materials and/or making a monetary donation to help us cover the costs of materials, shipping, and overhead. Please remember you can support our cause by shopping on AmazonSmile. See the “Shop for Our Cause” blog post for additional information.

If you need yarn, or other supplies, please contact us through email at thriveassociation@thrivevets.org or by phone at (469) 427-9654. Please be aware that any communications are recorded. If you have donations and cannot make it to one of our in-person knitting groups, we are still continuing our policy of curbside pickup. Please contact us to schedule a pickup if you are in the DFW area. If you reside outside the DFW area and would like to make an in-kind donation, please contact us to make arrangements. Remember, even one lovingly handcrafted hat or scarf can make a huge difference in the life of an underprivileged veteran or their dependent(s).

Know Your Gauge!

Published: August 22, 2022  ~   0

Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We’ve touched on gauge a bit in the past, but we felt that we wanted to reiterate how truly crucial it is to be knowledgeable of your own personal tension when crafting a garment. We generally ask for most of our finished garments to be sized for an average American adult. Even if you are following your chosen pattern’s suggested cast-on stitches, needles/hooks size, and even the recommended yarn, it is still entirely possible to end up with a garment that is either too loose or too tight/stiff. This is where knowing your personal tension comes into play.

Most of us have a rough idea about our individual crafting tension (i.e. whether we’re tight knitters/crocheters or loose knitters/crocheters). This is a great start, but it doesn’t always paint the full picture. When you look at a pattern for a garment that you would like to make, the designer has a specific denoted gauge that is required to achieve the optimal fit and look of that finished garment. This is actually really important to take note of, and in order for the garment to fit correctly and look like it does on the model, it is good practice to adhere to the designer’s requested gauge.

Thus, it is crucial to knit or crochet a gauge swatch with your chosen needles/hooks and yarn. This is a really good way to gauge (ha ha, pun intended) whether you are crafting true to the pattern designer’s gauge or not. If you find that your tension is too loose or too tight, don’t change yourself – change your tools! If you are too tight, move up a needle/hook size to attain the correct gauge. If you are too loose, move down a needle/hook size.

Stand Down Season is Here!

Published: August 15, 2022  ~   0

Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association Family! Stand Down season is here and several of the Stand Downs that we are partnered with are hosting their events soon! If you have donations to turn in, please make arrangements at your earliest convenience. If you live in the DFW area, please contact our office and one of our dedicated staff will help to arrange for a pick up.

If you’d like to donate a hat, scarf, face mask or other handcrafted garment to our cause, please remember that the dear veterans and their dependents prefer dark colors, e.g. blue, black, green, grey, and all-time favorite, camouflage. If you would like to knit, crochet, or sew a garment in a brighter color, red or deep purple are always popular bright colors. We cannot emphasize this important point enough: please do not use sparkly or overly decorative yarns and fabrics. While they have their place, they are simply inappropriate for the veterans and their dependents (including children because of choking hazards).

If you are not a crafter, but would like to help, there are still many ways to support our cause! Please consider donating materials and/or making a monetary donation to help us cover the costs of materials, shipping, and overhead. Please remember you can support our cause by shopping on AmazonSmile. See the “Shop for Our Cause” blog post for additional information.

If you need yarn, or other supplies, please contact us through email at thriveassociation@thrivevets.org or by phone at (469) 427-9654. Please be aware that any communications are recorded. If you have donations and cannot make it to one of our in-person knitting groups, we are still continuing our policy of curbside pickup. Please contact us to schedule a pickup if you are in the DFW area. If you reside outside the DFW area and would like to make an in-kind donation, please contact us to make arrangements. Remember, even one lovingly handcrafted hat or scarf can make a huge difference in the life of an underprivileged veteran or their dependent(s).

Red Heart Ribbed Knit Beanie

Published: August 8, 2022  ~   0

Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! The Red Heart Ribbed Knit Beanie is a favorite amongst our veterans and this pattern really makes our most popular color, camouflage, shine. Even though it is marked as intermediate, we feel this is a great pattern to practice your knit and purl stitches. If you are looking for a project to donate that will assuredly be a hit with the veterans and their dependents at one of our many upcoming stand downs, please follow the link below to get your free copy of this great pattern!

https://www.yarnspirations.com/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-master-catalog-spinrite/default/dwed08852f/PDF/RHK0416-027569M-1.pdf

Ideal Colors for Donations

Published: August 1, 2022  ~   0

Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! Please keep in mind that any garment that you intend to donate for the veterans and their dependents needs to be in darker colors like blue, black, green, grey, and camouflage. However, there are exceptions that we have found to be quite desired by our vets and their dependents, such as royal purple (as pictured) and deep red. Sports team color combinations are also popular and allow us to use some brighter colors as well!