2017 was a great year for T.H.R.I.V.E. Association! We are proud to have participated in many amazing Stand Downs around the Metroplex. Although we had record numbers of veterans, we were still able to ensure that each veteran and/or dependent who came though our line was served and is now the proud wearer of a handmade hat and/or scarf.
These Stand Downs left us with beautiful and moving experiences that we will carry with us for all time. It was a joy to see many of our dear veterans walking around proudly wearing their newly acquired handmade goods, all the while keeping our “handmade with love” tags visible to all. So many of the people that we served were deeply touched by the fact that our items were handcrafted and were grateful that our volunteers took the time and effort to make them. For instance, one of the gentlemen equated his new hat to his treasured grandmother-made blanket, which told us he carried with him in his backpack. These gifts really do enhance their morale and are deeply cherished.
We have many Stand Downs on the horizon this year, so there is still time to make items for our veterans. Please keep sending in your handmade hats, scarves, etc. so that we can continue to support our veterans and their dependents!
We have partnered with the Tarrant County Jail to teach the incarcerated women to knit and crochet. Our goal is to give these wonderful ladies valuable skills which they can take with them through life, while also having them help us in our mission to provide handmade goods for our homeless military veterans and those whom they support. So far, we are off to a fantastic start!
These sweet ladies are really enjoying the class and in only a month of meeting for 2 hours twice a week, they have already made significant progress. In fact, they are already working on their first scarves for our veterans! We are so very proud!
In closing this blog, we’d like to also offer a very special thank you to Captain Lonnie T. Dunham of the Tarrant County Jail for his kindness and his perseverance in helping us (in more ways than we can count) and those under his care. We are truly grateful for all of his amazing support.
We would like to take a moment to say goodbye to a beloved mother, friend, and devoted volunteer, Mrs. Anne Walker. She had been with T.H.R.I.V.E. Association almost from the beginning and had championed our cause at every opportunity. She will be remembered for her warm hugs, perseverance, and her maternal love for all of us. Rest in peace, Mom. We love you.
Mrs. Anne Walker: September 1964- August 2017
This week’s free pattern is a beautiful set, developed by Drops, called “Florence”. Although we admit that this pattern took a bit more concentration, it was very rewarding and well worth the time! The garment is simply stunning! And, despite its appearance, it is incredibly warm.
Please click the link below to get your copy of the pattern:
Also, as a bonus, there are how-to videos on the page to help you with many of the needed techniques!
In closing for this week, we have a few general announcements. As we get closer to the colder months, please make sure to start sending in any donations that you want to receive credit for this year so that we can catalogue them and ensure that they are sent out to upcoming Stand Downs. Further, as many of our volunteers have asked, we are no longer hosting the Friday Night Craft-a-thon at Half Priced Books. (We know that fighting Dallas rush hour traffic on a Friday night can be treacherous!) Please note that we do have many other community crafting events and will continue to develop more, so stay tuned. Also, we are developing a map of all of the Stand Downs that we partner with across the U.S. and its territories. This map will contain several key pieces of information about the demographics of the veterans and their families. Additionally, we do get wish lists from each Stand Down which help us set our goals. Our aim here is to be as transparent as possible to our volunteers and community partners. Also, we hope that these resources will aid our volunteers in knowing what to make and help them decide where they would like their goods to go.
Are you still looking for a project for our homeless military veterans and not quite sure what to make? We have a solution. We took stock of all the items that we currently have and posted our metrics on the T.H.R.I.V.E. Association website’s homepage. If you have not done so already, be sure to check it out! This is going to be our gauge to let our volunteers know what items are still needed. If you already have some items completed, please be sure to send them in as soon as possible so that they can be counted, sized, and labeled. Remember, we will be giving out some awesome prizes to our top three most productive volunteers this year!
So, as our chart on our homepage shows, one of items that we need most right now are scarves and cowls. With that, here is a free pattern for a crocheted cowl, which is certainly one of our favorites – it is the Millbrook Cowl from Lion Brand.
Now that tax season is finally over, we have a new free pattern that is sure to help see our veterans and their loved ones through the upcoming cool weather seasons. These beautiful granny square cardigans are becoming increasingly popular this year – they are easier than they look and are a whole lot of fun to make. We’ve run with the idea and put a T.H.R.I.V.E. Association spin on it.
For this garment, we’re using a more traditional Victorian granny square pattern and then creating a border. Two simple side seams create a very warm sweater. It may seem a little complicated, but trust us, it’ll all make sense as you go through the process. We’ve explained everything step by step and provided diagrams below. So, let’s get started!
1.) Ch 5. Join in rnd with sl st to first chain to form ring.
2.) Round 1: Ch 3 (this will count as the first dc in the cluster). 2 dc in the in ring. Ch 3. Cluster created. *3 dc in the ring. Ch 3.* 3 times. There will be 4 clusters in total for this rnd. Join with a sl st into top of ch 3. Sl st in next 2 dc and into the ch 3 sp.
3.) Round 2: Ch 3 (again, this counts as the first dc of the round). *(2 dc. Ch 3. 3 dc) in the ch 3 sp of the previous rnd. In next ch 3 sp (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc).* Repeat from * to * 2 more times. At the end of this rnd, there will be 8 clusters total. Join with a sl st to the top of the ch 3. Sl st in the next 2 dc and into the chain 3 sp.
4.) Round 3: Ch 3 (counts as first dc). (2 dc. Chain 3. 3 dc in the ch 3 sp of the previous rnd. *3 dc in between the 2 side clusters. (3 dc. Ch 3. 3 dc).* Repeat from * to * 2 more times. There will be 12 clusters at the end of this rnd. Join with a sl st to the top of the chain 3. Sl st in the next 2 dc and into the ch 3 sp.
5.) Ch 3 (this counts as the first dc of the cluster). (2 dc. Ch 3. 3 dc) in the ch 3 sp (corner) of the previous rnd. [(3 dc in between next cluster) twice. (3 dc. Ch 3. 3 dc.)] 2 additional times. There will e 16 clusters at the end of this rnd. Join with a sl st to the top of the chain 3. Sl st in the next 2 dc and into the ch 3 sp.
6.) Continue in the established pattern until the piece measures 39.5 in on each side.
7.) Now, we’ll add a border. Place a dc in each st. There should be 80 st on each side of the granny square. Fasten off.
Armholes:
8.) Fold the piece in a hotdog fold with rs facing. (See the diagram.) Measure 7 inches from the fold. Place a marker. Use a running stitch to seam the back loops of each of the 25 stitches starting from marker and working your way to the edge. Do not include the corners in this seam. We will come back to those later. Repeat for the other side. Fasten off.
9.) Now, the cardigan is starting to take shape! So,next we‘ll create the beautiful ribbing for the cuffs. There are 30 stitches total for each of the armholes. Starting at the seam of the armhole, join yarn and ch 3 (this one does NOT count as first dc). *1 fpdc in first dc. 1 bpdc in next dc.* Repeat from * to * around. Join with sl st to top of ch 3. Repeat this row 3 more times for 4 total. Fasten off.
Border Ribbing:
10.) With RS facing, join yarn to side seam with a sl st. Chain 3.
11.) Ch 3 (this does not count as a dc). *1 fpdc in first dc. 1 bpdc in next dc.* Repeat around. Join with sl st to top of ch 3. (160 st total.) Repeat this rnd until border ribbing measures 6”. Fasten off.
Disclaimer:
Please remember that T.H.R.I.V.E. Association patterns are copyrighted and are the property of T.H.R.I.V.E. Association. You may not sell them, nor sell finished products made using them. Their use is meant solely for the advancement and fulfillment of T.H.R.I.V.E. Association’s goals of providing for our homeless veterans and for those whom they provide.
This week we’re switching gears again and sharing a wonderful knit pattern – Patons Cozy Striped Kerchief. This weeks’ featured project is a really fun piece with a lot of texture, versatility, and yes, our favorite- color! Plus, it is super warm and is really going to make a fantastic gift for our underprivileged military veterans this Winter. Just follow the link to get your copy of the free pattern:
We know that you’re all excited to try this, but first we’d like to offer a word of caution: we recommend that you do not cut the yarn. As you can see from the pictures below, this pattern changes colors often and if you are one of those knitters that likes to cut rather than carry, that is going to be a lot of ends to weave in. If you need a how-to or a refresher course on how to carry the yarn between color changes, just follow the link below to see Ms. Staci over at Very Pink Knits demonstrate this wonderful technique.
Also, the pattern calls for an M1 (Make 1) on Rows 3, 5, and each subsequent row that asks for you to repeat Row 5. However, this can be a little tricky since there is no specificity in the pattern as to which direction the M1 should be. But have no fear, we’ve done the work for you!
For Row 3: (Knit 2. M1R (Make 1 Right)) twice. Place marker. Knit 1. Place Marker. These markers indicate the center stitch. (M1L (Make 1 Left), K2). There will be 13 stitches after this row.
For Row 5 and each subsequent row that asks for you to repeat Row 5: Knit 2. M1R. Knit to center stitch. M1R. Knit center stitch. M1L. Knit to last 2 stitches, M1L, Knit 2.
Again, here is a video tutorial from our friends over at Very Pink Knits on how to do these specific increases.
We have a goal this year of reaching 400 handmade items to distribute. Please keep sending in your completed, wet-blocked goods so that they can be counted. Remember, we’re going to be handing out some awesome prizes this year to our most productive volunteers.
If you live in the Metroplex and would like to come to one of our events, but don’t have a ride, please let us know. We may be able to provide you with a day pass for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART).
Hello again! So to get things started for this week’s blog post, we’d like to extend a special thanks to everyone who has been sharing our posts, as well as a thanks to our crafters! Also, we’d like to extend a warm welcome to our new crafters! Thank you all for your dedication.
In keeping with the theme of crocheted goods, we’ve got another awesome free pattern that is perfect for any skill level! This is Red Heart’s Oversized Glam Cowl! To find the pattern, please follow the link(s) below. As usual, the pattern will also be available on our Ravelry page.
Now, we would like to take a moment here to say that we did take a bit of artistic license with the pattern. We substituted the Red Heart Boutique Glam yarn that the pattern calls for with an alternative soft medium weight yarn. Despite this minor adjustment, the cowl came out beautifully! It is thick, luxurious, and, as the title suggests, very glamorous. It is also a very versatile item and will be amazing for the Fall and Winter months to come!
This week, as promised, we present to you a fantastic granny square hat pattern, compliments of Yarnspirations. It is unique, colorful, and at first glance perhaps intimidating, but we promise that it is wonderfully easy to complete. The Bernat Granny Stripes Hat is worked in multiple colors, so it is an excellent opportunity to practice your color work!
Additionally, there is a free corresponding video tutorial on the pattern’s page to aid you. The video even goes into how to alter the pattern if the hat is too big, or how to account for looser crocheting. We encourage our crafters to download the pattern and crochet along with the video!
As a side note to our crafters, if you find a pattern that you like, please feel free to make as many as you want. There is no requirement to make each donated item different. Who knows, we may have many veterans who want or need the same item.
* Footnote: although this week’s pattern calls for five colors, we decided to make a hat that would match with last week’s cowl which was two colors. These patterns are flexible, so be creative!
Hey, fellow crafters and supporters! Yes, you read the headline right: after lots of hard work, T.H.R.I.V.E. Association is now a federally recognized nonprofit organization! This status is retroactive, so remember to include your contributions on your taxes this year.
To celebrate our good news, we will be posting more free patterns over the next few weeks. Our last couple of free patterns were knit, so we’ll be switching gears and posting some crochet patterns. This week’s free crochet pattern is for all the granny square lovers out there. This pattern, compliments of Knit Picks, is called the Chromatic Granny Stripe Cowl.
It is a simple and elegant piece that worked up in just a couple of evenings! It is very soft and versatile which makes it a perfect gift for those in need. We will be posting a matching hat in a later blog, so stay with us!
As the Winter months were particularly harsh in many of the areas that we serve, T.H.R.I.V.E. Association is hoping to be able to provide a scarf/cowl for every hat that we hand out this year. So, please feel free to make as many as you’d like. Trust us, we can never have too many! Don’t forget to send us your finished wet-blocked projects so that they can be counted and you can receive tax credit!
If you are interested in learning to craft for our homeless military veterans and those whom they support, please come out and join us for our Friday Night Craft-a-thon if you are in the DFW area. We look forward to seeing you! If you can’t make it, or don’t live in the Metroplex – no problem! Instead, you can check out our friends at Very Pink Knits and KnittingHelp.com.Both offer fantastic free tutorials and have amazing teachers!
As we enjoy the comforts of hearth and home this holiday season (many of us also surrounded by loved ones), please keep our Nation’s underprivileged ex-service men and women in your thoughts- especially those who reside in the states most affected by this year’s Winter weather.
T.H.R.I.V.E. Association is expanding to meet the needs of our homeless veterans across the country. With this, we’re aiming for at least 500 items this year to be distributed fairly among the Homeless Veterans’ Stand Downs that we have partnered with. Due to increased demand for our handmade goods, T.H.R.I.V.E. Association is working on holding additional crafting sessions during the week so please stay tuned for more details. In the interim, please continue to check our weekly blog for more free patterns and come craft with us at our Craft-a-thons, which will resume this Friday. Also, please remember that it is not too late to make an end-of-the-year donation; we still need yarn, your skills, and your time!
