Hunting season has opened

Hunting season has opened and The Dad is on his second hunt of the year.

Our Dad is a bow hunter and keeps us in an annual supply of free-range, low-fat, organic venison. He hunts either from a hide (sits high up in a tree or in a shelter for hours in the freezing cold, or walk-and-stalk, where you literally stalk the target with your bow in hand gilly-suit on and looking like something out of Star Trek.  

We like to go with a couple of times during the season, and that means a weekend in the bush, huge campfire, testosterone and adrenaline levels of the boys up against the roof.

And it's very cold early in the morning, and evenings around the fire.

Of course we need new warm beanies!

I sussed out various yarns with variegated patterns, or combinations of yarns, until I found this one, in a camouflage patter.  How lucky!, I thought.

But it was horrible to hook with.    Have you EVER tried tried crocheting with this?  I couldn't see the stitches and holes!

It did't survive beyond the second round. 

Tried on location, wasn't good.

Out of desperation, I texted a friend, early on this Sunday morning.  The lovely Marlene of One of a Kind Yarns didn't even think twice about my plea for "maybe, if she has time, someday, to try and dye a camou pattern for me...) 

Dyed and done that very same afternoon!

Yeeeha!  I got it the next day and tried it out immediately.  This was Marlene's first go at camou, so she did a charcoal batch and the olive-rust-charcoal one.

Her DK wool is a thing of beauty, it works up like Rowan DK, and I love, love, love it.    

Put my nr 5 Prym to work

I used a basic beanie pattern, starting with 4 ch, closing the circle, 12 DC, then increasing until it was wide enough, added a cm or so in extra length to cover the ears against the cold, and learnt to do crab stitch to finish this one's edge:

I might crab stitch every second thing from now on

(And here Blogger starts buggering me around. Again)

(Why, why WHY does it rotate my pics?  I've tried every possible option in Picasa and Picture Viewer but it ends up...on the side.  Or upside down.)

BUGGER.

So Dad gets the charcoal beanie, as it's less visible to animals that the green-rust-charcoal and he would want to use it on the actual hunt.

Dad's blackish beanie

The boys play around the fire mostly, and pretend they're on the hunt.  One got the crab stitch edge, the other just a few rows of SC:

For the boys

As for me?

I will look pretty by the fire, with condensed milk-sweetened rooibos tea, reading or hooking away, wearing my upside down girly beanie (Rowan handspun Merino, if I remember correctly)

I've since decided to frogg the last 3/4 rows, didn't like the cloche effect on this one.  

Mom's rainbowish beanie

They're ready and waiting.  

Yes, the ears will be warm!