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).

Giant Granny Square Cardigan

Published: April 28, 2017  ~   0

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!

Giant Granny Square Cardigan © April 2017

Materials:

   3 Skeins Caron Simply Soft

   Size 9 mm (Clover Brand M/N) Crochet Hook

   Darning needle

Abbreviations:

   Ch: Chain               sp(s): Space(s)

   st(s): Stitches           dc: Double Crochet

   Sl st: Slip Stitch        **: Repeat as directed

   rnd: round             rs: Right Side(s)

   ws: Wrong side

Pattern:

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.

Continuing the Celebration with a Free Hat Pattern!

Published: February 24, 2017  ~   0

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!

The pattern can be found here.

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!

It’s Official, T.H.R.I.V.E. Association is a 501(c)(3)!

Published: February 17, 2017  ~   0

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.

Click here for the link to the Chromatic Granny Stripe Cowl pattern.

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!