Happy Memorial Day, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! Today we honor those brave men and women who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to this great nation.
Stress Balls Galore!
Happy Monday dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We have our ever popular stress footballs in stock. Please make sure to check out our webshop at https://thrivevets.square.site to get yours. All proceeds go to support out awesome cause!
Always Swatch Before You Start
Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! Okay, so our title for this week’s blog post is a bit cheeky, but it’s still great advice. Seriously! We cannot overemphasize the importance of swatching. Knowing your personal tension with your chosen needles, hooks, etc. is crucial for any project.
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 tension 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 tension.
Now, even if you are using the suggested yarn, needles/hooks size, and have a good idea of your overall tension, it is still crucial to knit/crochet a swatch using your chosen needles/hooks. This is because even if the tools that you are using are the same size as those suggested in the pattern, not all needles/hooks (at least in our experience) are actually the same size. There is generally some slight variation between the various manufacturers and the materials used may potentially play a part in that. The photos in this post are an example of the variance between two swatches that were made using two different brands’ U.S. size 8 needles. Despite being knit with the same needle size, yarn, stitches/rounds, tension, and knitter the two swatches are noticeably different in completed size! These U.S. size 8’s are just that different from each other! This is admittedly a bit confusing, and sometimes frustrating. But, it’s workable if you go in eyes wide-open. Remember, even some seemingly slight variation (even if it is just a millimeter) between the needles/hooks of the same size can have a big impact overall. So, it is always good to make a swatch before tackling a project to get the best results!
A Call for Scarves
Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! As the weather gets warmer and warmer, it’s easy to forget that garments like scarves are still needed to provide to our wonderful veterans and their dependents. With this in mind, we are in need of scarves. If you need inspiration, please feel free to browse our previous blog posts, as there are lots of great patterns to try!
If you’d like to donate a scarf to our cause, please remember to make sure that it is at least 60 inches (152.4 cm) in length so that the wearer can wrap it around themselves comfortably. Also, 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 a scarf in a brighter color, red is always a popular bright color. We cannot emphasize this important point enough: please do not use sparkly or overly decorative yarns. While they have their place, they are simply inappropriate for the veterans and their dependents (including children because of choking hazards).
If you’re 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).
We Care
Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! In last week’s blog we emphasized the importance of self-care and offered our services of a non-judgmental ear to those experiencing a mental health crisis. We wanted to stress that this invitation isn’t exclusive to the wonderful veterans whom we serve, the invitation also extends to the family members of our veterans and also to our phenomenal volunteers and donors. We know these are tough times, but we will get through them together!
If you would 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).
Self-Care is Care
Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! During the past few months we have experienced rising numbers of our ever-growing family dealing with mental health crises. We know that times are hard and sometimes it seems like you just can’t catch your breath or a break. We get it.
Please make sure to take time to practice good self-care – even if it is a few minutes of meditation a day. Also, just to put it out there, crafting is great self-care! However, if you find things getting on top of you, just know that we are here for you! Please feel free to reach out to one of highly trained staff members. Our phone lines are open 24/7. We are here to offer a non-judgmental ear. Trust us, there is no shame in asking for help – especially when it comes to your health.
Tax Day
Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We know that today is an especially trying day- as are all Tax Days, so we are here to hopefully make your day a bit brighter. Just an F.Y.I. if you made a monetary donation to us in 2021, or if you are looking to maximize your deductions for 2022 (or future years for that matter), remember that all monetary donations to T.H.R.I.V.E. Association are tax deductible! So you get the awesome feeling of knowing that you helped our Nation’s underprivileged military veterans and their dependents, while also getting a tax deduction. Pretty sweet, right?
There’s Candy to Eat and Ways to Help
Happy Monday, T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! Remember that while you are shopping for jelly beans, chocolates, or other treats that power your amazing crafting, you can support our cause through AmazonSmile, where any purchases that you make will automatically donate a small percentage to us with no additional cost to you. If you’re an Amazon shopper but haven’t yet signed up for Amazon’s Smile program, head on over to https://smile.amazon.com/ and follow the sign-up process there. You can find our charity by searching for “thrive association” in the list of charitable organizations. We’re listed as “Thrive,” located in Dallas, TX with the description that starts with “In remembrance and appreciation of the sacrifice that our military veterans have made for their country…”
If you’d like to donate a hat, scarf, blanket, 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. As detailed above, AmazonSmile is also an additional way that you can help us in our cause to support our underprivileged veterans and their dependent(s).
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).
The Ultimate Knitter’s and Crocheter’s Tip! Wait for it…The Humble Stitch Marker!
Happy Monday dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We hope that you have all had a great weekend and we are so excited to be back with you! As promised, we have so much awesomeness to share! So, let’s get going!
Yes, you did read the title correctly. We are not pulling your leg here. We have unveiled the world’s greatest knitting/crocheting tip. Honestly, it really is the greatest knitting tip that we found ourselves giving out all the time to new knitters and crocheters- “use a stitch marker”. We know, most of you out there are probably like “well yeah, duh!”, or “really, that’s it?” But truthfully, we run into this all the time! Several of the crafters that we work with don’t realize the glory of these amazing little tools. The humble stitch marker takes the guess work out of your crafting! It lets you know when you are at the beginning of a round, helps you count rounds, helps you know where you are in your pattern, we could go on forever. This is not to throw shade on anyone, it is simply a tip to make your crafting lives so much easier and your work way more consistent. (Additionally, it does show mercy to your knitting/crocheting instructor)
Truth be told, you don’t have to buy the phenomenal handmade bejeweled stitch markers that you have been eying for months. Those aren’t bad by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, many of us use them in our personal knitting, and they make an already fun job just that much more exciting! But, putting that to one side, you can totally use something that we all have- scrap yarn. Honestly, no one will judge you for upcycling your scraps like this. Alternatively, if that doesn’t appeal to you, that’s cool. You could also use a ring, or even a safety pin or paper clip. It all accomplishes the same thing- knowing where you are in your work.
Mondays, No Fooling!
Happy Friday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family. The rumors are true and we’re not fooling around, despite it being April 1st! We are moving our weekly blog post to Mondays rather than our usual Fridays. We have had quite a few requests from volunteers and donors who would like to be able to read our blogs earlier in the week so that they can try out some of our awesome tips and tricks on their current projects, get inspiration for new projects to donate, or simply to make plans to give other much needed donations.
We always aim to please our phenomenal community! So after some deliberation at T.H.R.I.V.E. Association HQ, we decided that Mondays would be the best day. After all, what is better than getting a new knitting/crochet/sewing pattern, useful pro tip, seeing a happy veteran, etc. to get our amazing crafters and donors through the Monday Blues?
Stay tuned. We have tons of good stuff coming your way!
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