There’s Candy to Eat and Ways to Help

Published: April 11, 2022  ~   0

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!

Published: April 4, 2022  ~   0

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!

Published: April 1, 2022  ~   0

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!

Questions and Answers Part 3 – Dye Lots

Published: March 26, 2022  ~   0

Good morning, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! This week, we would like to continue our “Question and Answer” series. We have been getting some great questions from our amazing crafters and we would like to take a moment to try and answer some of them. 

      Have you ever wondered why two balls, hanks, skeins, etc. of yarn that are from the same company have the same color name on their yarn sleeve, but look like completely different colors? It is actually very common; you’re not seeing things. Believe us, we run into it all the time. The example photo shows the variance that occurs within the same brand’s colorway.

      The reason has to do with the “dye lot” of the yarn. Most of the time, there is going to be some variance even within the same colors, especially from different dye lots! Generally, no two dye lots are ever the same. And, that’s okay. We are knowledgable crafters; we can account for that. If you are starting a project that requires more than one ball, hank, skein, etc., try to get all of the required yarn from the same dye lot number. Some yarns will not have a dye lot number and will simply state “no dye lot.” In this case, trust your eyes. They are really pretty reliable. If you need a reminder about where to find the dye lot number on the yarn label, please follow the link below to check out our blog on “Demystifying Yarn Labels” https://thrivevets.org/index.php/2021/10/18/demystifying-yarn-labels/.

Help Our Cause

Published: March 19, 2022  ~   0

Happy Saturday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! If you don’t do the whole needle-arts thing, you can still support our cause of helping our Nation’s underprivileged veterans and their dependents through making a monetary donation. Even the smallest donation is significant! Visit our web shop at https://thrivevets.square.site where you can make a monetary donation in return for gifts such as a silicone wristband or a stress football. If you found that you needed more green in your wardrobe this year, we have some awesome green wearables! There are also some amazingly beautiful, hand-crafted garments created by our talented and dedicated staff that are available as well. Any monetary support that you can provide will help us in covering the costs of materials, shipping, and overhead.

Another way that you can help T.H.R.I.V.E. Association is through Amazon Smile, where any purchases that you make through Amazon will automatically donate a small percentage to us with no additional cost to you. If you are an Amazon shopper, but haven’t yet signed up for Amazon’s Smile program, please go to https://smile.amazon.com and follow the sign-up process there. You can find and choose T.H.R.I.V.E. by searching for “thrive association” in the choose your own charitable organization search bar. We are 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…”

Alachua County Stand Down

Published: March 11, 2022  ~   0

Happy Friday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! T.H.R.I.V.E. Association was able to gift our lovingly hand-crafted goods to our partners at the Alachua County Veterans Center Stand Down in Gainesville, Florida. We were able to provide 21 blankets, 100 hats, 18 slippers, and 120 masks to our veterans and their dependents. We would like to express our deepest thanks to our partners at the Alachua County Veterans Center as well as to all of our donors who made this possible.

Adult Mental Health First Aid

Published: March 4, 2022  ~   0

Happy Friday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to our community partners at the North Texas Behavioral Health Authority for graciously providing the much needed Adult Mental Health First Aid training course. We are so grateful for having the opportunity to attend. We would also like to thank our instructor, Mr. Josh Munkeby, who was very knowledgable about the course material and willing to share his experience as well as best practices. As an Organization with lived experience in helping individuals experiencing mental health crises, we know first-hand that it is very difficult to know what to do when these delicate situations arise. They are sometimes terrifying and can catch anyone off guard. However, we strive to be better prepared so that we are more able to serve both our community and stakeholders.

Florida Stand Down

Published: February 19, 2022  ~   0

Happy Saturday, T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We have a large Stand Down right around the corner with our longtime partner VA in Alachua county, Florida! If you have any lovingly handcrafted goods that you would like to be included in this shipment of gifts to our Nation’s homeless military veterans and their dependents, please reach out to us to as soon as possible to arrange a pick up. We will be sending the goods out this upcoming week!

If you would 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. 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).

Knit Slippers

Published: February 11, 2022  ~   0

Happy Friday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We’d like to thank you for all for your generous donations thus far! Please remember that there are still many Stand Downs coming up, so please keep sending in your hand crafted gifts so that we can continue to serve those who so admirably served our great nation.

We showcased a crochet slipper pattern a few weeks ago, but we haven’t forgotten about our knitters who also want to join in! As we said before, we get requests throughout the year from V.A.s for slippers/socks. They are most notably meant for veterans who suffer from nerve damage. Our Chief Officer can personally attest to the painful nature of this condition. There are many great and easy free patterns available compliments of our friends at Yarnspirations and Lion Brand. Today, we would like to share a wonderful free pattern, “Slippers for Him”, compliments of our friends at Yarnspirations. This is a great pattern for first-time slipper crafters, as it keeps the complexity to a minimum and also weaves up before you know it!

You can get your free copy of the pattern here: https://www.yarnspirations.com/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-master-catalog-spinrite/default/dw3403a8c2/PDF/RHK0427-021149M.pdf

Pro Tip: Making a swatch before tackling any knitting project is always important in order to figure out your gauge, and these slippers are no different! ”Slippers for Him” fit snugly to the wearer’s feet, so you will need to ensure that you have the proper gauge to make sure that they are sized correctly.

Pro Tip: If you are unfamiliar with SSK (Slip, Slip, Knit) and M1 (Make 1), or haven’t used them in a while and need a refresher, these Youtube videos will help you get up to speed:

SSK (Slip, Slip, Knit) Video Tutorial: https://youtube.com/watch?v=m-tqv1wrhM4

M1 (Make 1) Video Tutorial: https://youtube.com/watch?v=E31Il_LeKs4

If you would 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. 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 Traditional Granny Throw

Published: February 4, 2022  ~   0

Happy Friday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We have one of the bigger Stand Downs that we partner with coming up very soon; so please keep sending in your donations. This particular Stand Down is in a location that does get cold so your donations mean just that much more. Your lovingly hand crafted goods are deeply treasured and appreciated by those that receive them and even a lovingly handcrafted hat, scarf, etc. helps make a huge difference in the life of the veteran wearing it. Please also keep in mind that even though Spring and Summer are approaching, we still have lots of Stand Downs coming up, so we still need your support so that we can continue to serve those who so admirably served our great nation.

Recently, we received a request for a crochet blanket pattern from one of our dear friends and longtime donors, as we have been asking for these items. We do sometimes get requests throughout the year from V.A.s that we partner with for blankets- mostly wheelchair/lap blankets. There are many great and easy free patterns available compliments of our friends at Yarnspirations and Lion Brand. Today, we would like to share a wonderful free pattern, Red Heart Traditional Granny Throw, compliments of our friends at Yarnspirations. This is one of our favorite styles of blankets! It is really very simple, yet surprisingly popular among both crafters and our veteran community. 

You can get your free copy of the pattern here: 

https://www.yarnspirations.com/red-heart-traditional-granny-throw/RHC0502-022086M.html

Pro Tip: Make sure to keep your tension consistent to ensure that all of your squares are the same size. Also, this make the joining process easier. 

Pro Tip: You can substitute the requested colors in the pattern to colors of your choice if you would like. Please just make sure that the yarns that you choose for your substitutions are the same weight as those called for in the pattern.  

If you would 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. 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).