Pro Tip: For the All-Important Cast On Row

Published: October 5, 2026  ~   0

Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! Have you ever noticed that hats that you’ve made in the past have squeezed 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 puckers or 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.

Portable Projects

Published: July 13, 2026  ~   0

Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family. Remember that keeping a simple project with you that is easy to pick up and put down is a great way to make use of those little moments of free time, such as when you’re out handling errands, enjoying the outdoors, or even waiting in line. This way, you can benefit from the therapeutic qualities of crafting while also working towards finishing projects that ultimately can go towards helping the underprivileged veteran community that T.H.R.I.V.E. Association serves. Happy crafting and thank you for continuing to send in your wonderfully handmade garments to us in support of our mission!

The Cast On Revisited

Hands knitting beige yarn on wooden needles with yarn basket in background
Published: May 18, 2026  ~   0

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!

Pro Tip for Cast Ons, Part 3

Published: March 31, 2025  ~   0

Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! To continue on with our series of keeping cast on rows loose, we would like to share our third tried-and-true method. So far we have focused on the most basic tricks for making cast on rows looser. But what happens if either moving up a needle/hook size or holding your needles together to cast on still don’t quite give you the results that you want? That’s where this next knitting tip comes into play:

Our third way of making the cast on row looser is to use a stretchy cast on. Through our crafting groups, we’ve found that many knitters continue to exclusively use the cast on that they were initially taught when they were first learning to knit. For instance, it is likely that the long-tail cast on is the one and only cast on that beginner to moderately experienced knitters use. And, while it is a great and very stable cast on, it isn’t necessarily the stretchiest nor the most appropriate in all garments. However, there are other cast ons out there that are more ideal for different projects and patterns!

There are several very stretchy cast ons out there, so find the one that works best for you and your project. We at T.H.R.I.V.E. Association are partial to the German twisted cast on, as it really is one of the stretchiest cast ons that we’ve found. It does take some practice and some concentration to master, but it is worth the effort! 

Remember, there are other stretchy cast ons in case this one doesn’t suit you. This may be time to break out your trusty knit stitch dictionary or Google search “stretchy cast ons” and just experiment with the various stretchy cast ons to find the one that works for you. There is often no one-size-fits-all in crafting, such as with cast ons. Remember, crafting handmade gifts is as much about the journey and honing our knitting skills, as it is the finished garment. Happy crafting! 

Pro Tip for Cast Ons, Part 2

Published: March 24, 2025  ~   0


Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family. Continuing on with our cast on series, here’s a super simple knitting tip that can save you in a pinch:

Say that you’re on the train or at the office and you only have your yarn, your pattern, and the called for needle size for your chosen project – what can you do if you need to make your cast on more stretchy for your project? You can simply hold the two needles together and cast on as usual. This effectively increases your gauge without any added fuss. It’s so simple and very effective. In fact, several of our volunteers have had great success with this technique! Sometimes even the simplest techniques can get us the results that we’re looking for!

Pro Tip for Cast Ons

Published: February 24, 2025  ~   0

Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We are starting a Pro Tip for Cast Ons series to help take your crafting to the next level!

Have you ever noticed that hats that you’ve made in the past have squeezed 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.

Pro Tip: Understanding Yarn Weight

Published: June 10, 2024  ~   0

Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! If yarn weight is not taken into consideration and inappropriate needles/hooks are used, the results of your work may come out looking and feeling either too tightly or loosely weaved. No crafter wants that! So, let’s take a moment to learn about the importance of yarn weight and how it directly affects our crafting projects.

So what is yarn weight? Yarn weight in this case concerns the thickness of the yarn fiber and not the actual weight (heaviness) of it. When working with any particular yarn on a project, its yarn weight directly affects how the weave looks and feels. When paired with different needles/hooks, it can also affect how long a project can take to complete.

The Craft Yarn Council of America created a standard system of symbols and numbers to help identify yarn weights and included recommended needle/hook sizes and expected ranges for gauges. It is important to remember that these are merely suggestions. As such, it is important to create a swatch when working with yarn in a project to properly measure the combination of the expected number of stitches per inch (or cm) and your individual tension plus other variables. That being said, the Craft Yarn Council of America’s numbered system of yarn weights is generally quite useful when knowing what to expect with any particular yarn.

The included chart shows all of the yarn weights and their corresponding categories, recommendations of needle/hook choice, and expected gauge ranges. Here are some small notes concerning the chart:

** The lace weight yarns are usually crafted using larger needles and hooks to create more airy and lacy projects. Because of this, the gauge range expectations are more difficult to determine and you should always follow what gauge your pattern calls for.

*** Please be aware that steel crochet hook numbers are differently sized when compared to regular hook sizing. This means that higher numbers results in smaller hooks, which is the reverse of regular hook sizing.

A Pro Tip for the First Stand Downs of 2024

Published: January 22, 2024  ~   0

Happy Monday dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We’ve got the first Stand Downs of 2024 right around the corner! We are hard at work collecting donations for these Stand Downs and also have our heads down crafting goods of our own at our HQ! If you are interested in crafting gifts for T.H.R.I.V.E. Association, please take the following to heart:

When you donate your handcrafted gifts to T.H.R.I.V.E. Association for us to disseminate at VA Stand Downs, the veterans and their dependents are ultimately the ones who chose what they will accept from our booth. Please understand that we are not trying to be persnickety or impose arbitrary rules. Over the years, we have witnessed numerous instances at Stand Downs where veterans would rather leave empty handed (in freezing temperatures no less) than accept garments that they deemed were undignified. This is always so heartbreaking! Therefore, it is essential to always keep the recipient of every handcrafted gift in mind.

As crafters, it is sometimes tempting to use flashy colored yarns/textiles, color work, and fancy stitches in our crafted goods. However, these qualities are by and large not desired by the community that we serve. These proud individuals tend to prefer darker colors and straight-to-the-point garments. We want to provide them with what they need. If you have your heart set on practicing your color work, then sports team colors are always a fan favorite. However, the vast majority want either straight camouflage or solid blacks, blues, greens, grays, dark reds, and royal purples. Happy crafting!

Cast On Q & A

Published: June 26, 2023  ~   0

Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! One question that our staff frequently get asked is how many stitches would need to be cast on for a scarf (garter, rib, etc.) that would meet T.H.R.I.V.E. Association’s scarf dimension requirements (6 in. x 60 in. [15 cm. x 152 cm.]) Unfortunately there is no hard number, as something like this is heavily reliant on the individual crafter’s tension, their chosen knitting needles/crochet hook size, and the chosen pattern.

The most important part of the success of any handcrafted garment is the individual crafter. You might choose a pattern for a garment that you are absolutely in love with, put in the hours of hard work, use the same yarn and the same size needles/crochet hooks, etc. that the pattern calls for, but still end up not having a garment that is the correct size or feel (i.e. the weave is too loose, or it is so tight that it stands up on it’s own). This is largely due to variations in crafter tension and a failure to account for those variations in your project. The pattern is going to be the same for each crafter that uses it, but the results won’t necessarily be the same unless you know your tension BEFORE you start and account for that difference. The only way to do this is to make a gauge swatch using the same tools/materials/etc. that you will be using for your chosen handcrafted garment. That swatch is your guide to figure out whether or not you are knitting/crocheting to gauge or if you need to change your crafting tool size to obtain the requisite gauge.

So, to return to the original question of how many stitches are needed for a 6 in. x 60 in. (15 cm. x 152 cm.) scarf, let’s approach this bit by bit. Choose your yarn and look at the label. Most modern yarn labels have a recommended gauge using a certain needle/hook size and number of stitches. In the photo above, the Red Heart Camouflage yarn suggests that knitting a stockinette swatch that is 17 stitches across for 25 rows when using a Size 8 US needle results in a 4 in. x 4 in. swatch. Once you have made a stockinette swatch using those numbers with this yarn, you can now adjust as needed. If your swatch measures smaller than the recommendation, then go up a needle size. If your swatch is larger, go down a needle size. The same is true when crocheting.

In summation, there is no hard and fast answer to this question. There are multiple variables to take into account. In the case of using the yarn and stockinette swatch from our example, to find how many stitches are required for a width of 6 inches (which is the minimum width requirement for all scarves donated to T.H.R.I.V.E. Association), we would divide 17 by 4 to find out how many stitches are in each inch. Once we have that answer, we would then multiply that number by 6. In other words:

17 / 4 = 4.25

4.25 x 6 = 25.5

Thus, if you were knitting a stockinette scarf you would cast on about 25-26 stitches with size 8 US needles if your stockinette swatch was knit true to gauge. It is important to emphasize that the main variable is the crafter.

Note: Another variable that needs to be considered is the stitch that you choose to use for the scarf that you want to donate. For example, a rib scarf will need more stitches to be cast on as it will stretch. This is why a gauge swatch using your chosen materials, needle size/crochet hook size, and pattern will ultimately lead you to getting the best results.  

A Tip for Tidy Edges

Published: May 1, 2023  ~   0

Happy Monday/May Day, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We’ve noticed that some of the donated scarves that we have received have uneven edges due to accidental increases. But have no fear, we’ve got a very simple and effective tip that will give any knit scarf that you apply it to some wonderfully clean edges!

To accomplish this, simply add two additional stitches to whatever scarf pattern you are using. These two additional stitches are your “edge stitches” and are NOT part of the pattern; they are simply there to give you clean edges. So if your chosen pattern instructs you to cast on 30 stitches, you would cast on 32. At the beginning of every round, you slip the first stitch purl-wise instead of working it and then continue working in pattern as instructed. When you get to the last stitch of the row, knit the last stitch. It is important to note that the first of the two edge stitches (the one at the beginning of the row), is always slipped purl-wise and the second edge stitch (at the end of the row) is always knit. That’s it, no more uneven edges! Sometimes some of the simplest techniques net you the most consistent results! Happy crafting!