DROPS Florence Hat & Neck Warmer

Published: October 16, 2017 ~ 0

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:

https://www.garnstudio.com/pattern.php?id=5284&cid=17

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.

Ready for the Stand Down!

Published: November 14, 2016 ~ 0

Thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers and donors for making this a very successful year so far! We certainly met our goal thanks to everyone’s hard work! But, we’re not done yet! Not by a mile. In fact, we’re just getting started! We’re going to get a head start on next year- starting this Friday. So with that, we’ll be meeting this Friday as usual for our Craft-a-thon!

Half Price Books at 5803 Northwest Hwy, Dallas, TX 75231 on 11/18/16 from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm

Check out our event on Facebook or reply in the comment section below if you’d like to come craft with our T.H.R.I.V.E. volunteers. We look forward to seeing everyone out there!

A Reminder to Send In Your Donations

Published: October 27, 2016 ~ 0

As a gentle reminder, the Homeless Veteran’s Stand Down is just around the corner. So, we are starting to get our donations ready for distribution to the veterans. For our wonderful volunteers, please continue to send in your completed items so that they can be counted, and so that we can make sure to get your receipts to you in a timely manner. If you would still like to make a donation this season, there is still time! (Yes, we love in-kind donations.) And, don’t worry if you don’t know how to craft; We’ll be happy to teach you, just come to one of our Craft-a-thons!

We’ll be meeting this coming Friday at Half Price Books for our Friday Night Craft-a-thon:

Half Price Books at 5803 Northwest Hwy, Dallas, TX 75231 on 10/28/16 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

The Violetta Cowl

Published: October 13, 2016 ~ 0

Firstly, we’d like to thank our donors for contributing several skeins of yarn to our cause! We couldn’t continue our work without your support. We are also grateful to all of our volunteers for their compassion, hard work, and dedication. A very special thanks goes out to those who come out to our Craft-a-thons as well!

Next up this week is an awesome new project that is a sure keep our brave veterans warm during the long, chilly Fall and Winter months. Yes, it is very warm and soft! This glamorous cowl was made using Lion Brand’s Violetta Cowl pattern number #L40511 – it is available as a free download on their website. (The link is provided below.) It is a perfect beginner level project, and is a fantastic way to practice your stitches!

The Violetta Cowl pattern is available here:

http://www.lionbrand.com/knitting-pattern-violetta-cowl.html

As usual, we will have a Friday night Craft-a-thon this Friday, October 14 at 6:00 p.m. We will be meeting at Half Price Books.

Half Price Books at 5803 Northwest Hwy, Dallas, TX 75231 on 10/14/16 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Come out and join us; even if it is to sit and chat for a few minutes!

A Colorwork Hat Pattern for Both Him and Her

Published: October 6, 2016 ~ 0

And now for one of our favorite hat patterns! This weeks free pattern is from Yarnspirations. It is a perfect intermediate level project. It knits up quite quickly, and provides a perfect opportunity for any knitter to practice his/her colorwork skills! This pattern provides options for both him and her, and so is ideal for anyone! So, with that, on to the links! The pattern can be found here:

http://www.yarnspirations.com/patterns/a-good-ribbing-his-hers-hats.html

and, alternatively, on our Ravelry page here:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/a-good-ribbing—his–hers-hats

As always, T.H.R.I.V.E. Association will be meeting for our Friday Night Craft-a-thon at 6:00 pm at Half Price Books! We look forward to seeing you there! As usual, please convo us to let us know you’re coming so that we can make arrangements.

Half Price Books at 5803 Northwest Hwy, Dallas, TX 75231 on 10/07/16 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Happy crafting!

The “Smitty” Hat Pattern

Published: September 28, 2016 ~ 0

It’s time for another free hat pattern! This one is called the “Smitty”. The pattern is available free of charge on Ravelry here:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/smitty

The “Smitty” knits up quite quickly and is perfect for anyone! A few notes – following the pattern as written, we found that it does require a little over one skein of yarn. We used Lion Brand Thick and Quick for this project. Also, so that the hat would have a tighter closure, we decided to continue the decrease rounds until we had 30 stitches left.

Make sure to sign up for Ravelry.com and join our Ravelry group here to find more patterns vetted by T.H.R.I.V.E. Association:

http://www.ravelry.com/groups/thrive-dba-thrive-association

Again, we will be hosting our Friday Night Craft-a-thon this Friday, September 30th at Half Price Books. Be sure to come out and join us if you can!

Half Price Books at 5803 Northwest Hwy, Dallas, TX 75231 on 09/30/16 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Hats Off to Free Hat Patterns!

Published: September 14, 2016 ~ 0

It’s time for a free pattern! The hat showcased below was made using the following pattern:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/erichs-af-knockoff-hat

(There is also a link to the pattern available on T.H.R.I.V.E. Association’s Ravelry page here.)

It is perfect for any skill level and can be easily resized by adding or subtracting from the called for cast on stitches. The pattern is very easy to follow and knits up very quickly! We made this particular hat by using Lion Brand’s Thick and Quick with size 15 circular needles. We altered the cast on stitches to 44 rather than 40 to better fit a large adult man.

For this week’s Craft-a-thon, we will be meeting again this Friday night at Half Priced Books located at this address:

Half Price Books at 5803 Northwest Hwy, Dallas, TX 75231

Friday Craft-a-thon at Half Price Books

Published: September 7, 2016 ~ 0

Firstly, just a quick line of thanks to Michael’s for hosting our last Craft-a-thon. We had a fantastic night with lots of fun and treats! One of our newest volunteers even learned how to crochet her first hat! Way to go! This week we will be meeting at Half Price Books to continue with our tradition of a Friday Night Craft-a-thon. The address is:

Half Price Books at 5803 Northwest Hwy, Dallas, TX 75231

Stay tuned, as we’ll be posting some sewing patterns in the near future. As usual, to ensure that our veterans receive the highest quality goods, our staff are the first to test each pattern before we endorse them. Again, we are hoping to have enough mittens, hats, and scarves to hand out to each individual that comes through our line.

Join Us This Friday for a Craft-A-Thon at Michaels

Published: August 31, 2016 ~ 0

Come join us for a fun-filled night of crafting for our brave underprivileged veterans. Again, we will be at:

Michaels Craft Store at Old Town Shopping Center, 5500 Greenville Ave Ste 700, Dallas, TX 75206 on Friday, Sept. 2nd from 5 pm – 7 pm

Please convo us here or call 214-998-2770 to let us know that you’re coming and don’t be afraid to bring a friend. Also, please remember to share this invitation! Delicious snacks will be provided for all attendees! We will have free patterns and lessons to suit any skill level. It’s gonna be fun, so we look forward to having a full house!

Through Rain, Sleet, and Snow, We Craft!

Published: August 24, 2016 ~ 0

Last Friday, T.H.R.I.V.E. Association met at the Starbucks on Greenville Avenue. Despite the stormy weather, we had a fantastically productive meeting and even got to meet a couple of wonderful members of the community!

As usual, we’re hosting our weekly Craft-a-thon this Friday night. Be sure to bring a skein of yarn, crochet hook, knitting needles, or needle and thread and come craft with us. We will be at Starbucks at Casa Linda from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Friday August 26, located at this address:

Starbucks at Casa Linda Plaza, 9440 Garland Rd #110-112, Dallas, TX 75218

If you’d like to come out and craft with us, contact us by clicking here or call (214) 998-2770 to let us know that you’d like to attend.

Also, on September 2, we will be at Michael’s in the Old Town Shopping Center, 5500 Greenville Ave Ste 700, Dallas, TX 75206 from 5 pm – 7 pm; So mark your calendars for a fun-filled night with T.H.R.I.V.E. Association!

We look forward to seeing the T.H.R.I.V.E. family this and each following Friday. As always, we are thrilled to meet our community members! So don’t be shy; come on out and craft for our brave veterans!