Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family. We need hats and scarves for the upcoming Stand Down events, so keep sending in your donations. The Brioche stitch makes for a wonderful, stretchy scarf; just make sure to meet 60 inches (152cm) in length and at minimum 6 inches (15cm) in width for all of your donated scarves! If you’re looking for a go-to hat pattern to knit, the Red Heart Ribbed Knit Beanie is a favorite amongst our veterans and it 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 the many upcoming stand downs, please follow the link below to get your free copy of this great pattern!
Memorial Day 2026
Although many of us celebrate Memorial Day with barbecues, parades, etc. it is in fact the most solemn day of the year for Americans. This holiday, originally called “Decoration Day”, was started in 1868, three years after the conclusion of the American Civil War. Its purpose was to honor all of America’s fallen soldiers- regardless of whether they fought on the Union or Confederate side. Eventually, this holiday would be expanded to commemorate every American service member who made the ultimate sacrifice for this great nation that we proudly call “home”. The included photos were taken at the Gettysburg Battlefield in the Gettysburg National Military Park, where our executive staff paid respects to the fallen.
We would like to invite you all to join us in taking time today to reflect on those sacrifices, and to offer a moment of silence for those brave, selfless individuals who gave so much for us all so that we could live in the “the land of the free and the home of the brave.”
The Cast On Revisited
Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family. We thought that we would revisit our old friend the cast on. This can be a pretty tricky area for crafters, so we have some tricks to help. We know that we have addressed these pro tips before, but it never hurts to revisit them for some of our newest family members.
Crafters, have you ever noticed that hats that you’ve made in the past have squeezed, or maybe just felt a little tighter on your head at the cast on row but fit perfectly well everywhere else? Likewise, have you made scarves or other garments where the cast on row is noticeably tighter than the rest of the garment? If you find yourself having tight cast ons, but knit/crochet true to gauge for the rest of the garment, this simple yet highly effective pro tip could be just the ticket!
For tight cast ons, try moving up a needle/crochet hook size for the cast on row. For example, if your chosen garment pattern calls for a size U.S. 8 knitting needle, try using a size U.S. 9 just for the cast on, and then change back to the requested size U.S. 8 knitting needle and continue knitting the rest of the garment. This highly effective technique is the simplest solution to tight cast ons. It keeps the cast on row looking neat and tidy while also providing some much-needed stretch to the garment.
Additional Pro Tip: You can use this same technique for the cast off row if you find that to be a tricky area, too.
Stay tuned for more helpful tips and tricks. And, in the next few weeks we are going to be crafting on location at some of our nation’s most notable historic sites; so you won’t want to miss that!
Happy Belated Mother’s Day
Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We’d like to give a belated shout out to all of the awesome mothers in our community! If you are still looking for a gift for the mom in your life, make a tax-deductible donation to our cause in your mom’s honor. All monetary donations go to supporting our cause to end homelessness among our nation’s homeless military veteran community and their dependents. We ship our lovingly handcrafted gifts to VA Stand Downs all across the United States and shipping rates have increased with the rising cost of fuel, so your monetary donations are vital to furthering our mission!
Mother’s Day
Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! Mother’s Day is coming up this Sunday, May 10. If you’re still looking for a meaningful gift for the mother(s) in your life, please consider making a monetary donation in their name. Making a donation to honor your mother, grandmother, godmother, etc. in turn honors the wonderful mothers in the veteran community that we serve. We always look forward to attending local Stand Downs where we can get a chance to speak directly to our underprivileged veteran community. Through the years, we’ve spoken to many selfless mothers who prioritize getting one of our hand made garments to keep their children warm before they’d even considering asking for something for themselves. We’ve met expectant mothers who are thrilled to receive hand made baby buntings and baby clothing in preparation for the blessed event! We’ve spoken to countless veterans who reminisced about their own mothers who also lovingly knitted, crocheted, or sewed for them in their youth and were deeply appreciative of the personal hand made nature of T.H.R.I.V.E. Association’s gifts. Give a gift that honors all mothers!
Ways to Donate
Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E Association family. Keep those beautifully handcrafted donations coming! We need more hats, scarves, mittens, and lap blankets for the vulnerable community that we serve. If you can, please make a monetary donation to support our cause. All donations are tax-deductible and every cent goes towards furthering our mission to end homelessness among our nations’ veterans and their dependents. You can also donate yarn to our cause. Some skeins of yarn, such as Lion Brand Pound of Love (one of our favorites), can be used to make up to 6 double-thick adult hats and go a long way to accomplish our mission. Our veterans and their dependents prefer darker colors, like blues, blacks, greens, grays, reds, royal purple, and camouflage.
Send Your Donations to our PO Box
Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E Association family. Please continue sending in your beautifully handcrafted hats, scarves, etc., as we are going back to Anchorage, Alaska very soon! And just to reiterate, (besides USPS) you can also send your donations to our PO Box through UPS and FedEx.
Yes, you absolutely can send donations via UPS and FedEx to our P.O. Box. Thanks to a helpful USPS service called Street Addressing, we’re able to receive both postal mail and packages from private carriers like UPS and FedEx.
How Does It Work, you ask? It’s easy, here’s how:
Instead of writing just “P.O. Box 1583,” you’ll format the address like this:
T.H.R.I.V.E. Association C/O Victoria Walker
900 E Fayette Street #1583
Baltimore, MD 21233
The key is using the physical street address of the post office, followed by our box number preceded by a “#” (not “P.O. Box”).
This tells the driver to deliver it to the post office building, and USPS will place the package safely in our box or hold it for us to pick up.
Why This Is Awesome for our Amazing Donors:
- More shipping options: Use your favorite carrier or choose the most affordable one.
- Fewer returned packages: No more “undeliverable” errors from online forms that reject P.O. Boxes.
- Smoother donations: Especially helpful if you’re mailing bulk items or larger donations.
As always, we are beyond grateful for your kindness, generosity, and support. Every package, every donation, every gesture — it all makes a huge difference in helping us accomplish our mission to end veteran homelessness.
Crafting Therapy for Tax Day
Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family. We realize that this week is quite stressful for those still filing their taxes. That’s understandable! Please remember that any donations that you made to T.H.R.I.V.E. Association last year are tax-deductible and to include those in your deductions. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and need a break, remember that crafting is good therapy and we have lots of Stand Downs coming up this year that all need your handcrafted garments. Good luck and happy crafting!
Crafting for T.H.R.I.V.E. & Tax Stress Relief
Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! Individual tax returns are due in a little over a week and stress levels are undoubtedly high. Knitting, crocheting, and sewing are wonderful outlets to decompress and calm our frazzled nerves during these taxing times. With that in mind, you can also help us in our mission by donating a handcrafted gift to T.H.R.I.V.E. for our veterans and their dependents in need on their road to recovery!
If you’d like to donate a hat, scarf, mittens, 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 potential 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.
If you have donations within Baltimore or the DMV area, please contact us to schedule a pickup. If you reside outside of the Baltimore, MD or the DMV area and would like to make an in-kind donation, you can send your donations to us at:
Care of: Victoria Walker at T.H.R.I.V.E. Association
900 E Fayette St #1583
Baltimore, MD 21233
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us. Remember, even one lovingly handcrafted hat or scarf can make a huge difference in the life of an underprivileged veteran or their dependent(s).
Attention Faithful Crafters!
Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family. Our long time partners and dear friends at the Anchorage, AK VA are in need of hats and scarves. We’re going back to Alaska soon for the annual event held there and we’ll be bringing donated garments to distribute to their homeless veteran community on their road to recovery. Our goal is to bring 200 warm hats and scarves to this event and we need your help! We can personally attest to the cold weather there in Alaska, even the cold nights in the summer. So please start sending in your lovingly handcrafted hats and scarves to us here at T.H.R.I.V.E. HQ as soon as you can to benefit the wonderful veteran community in this beautiful state!
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