I don't even remember where I first saw them, those felted wool acorns. It was sometime last year, somewhere online. Cripes. I don't remember.
What I do remember is the way my breath sucked in so quickly the moment I saw them. And I remember the "Oh, my goodness!! Those are sooo cuuuute!" or some such expression that ran through my mind, delightfully scooping up the image and the idea as it went, then hanging them up tidily in the space in my memory reserved for things never-to-be-forgotten.
I knew that, if I had anything to do with it, the next time fall rolled around, I'd be making felted wool acorns.
Problem was, one needs acorn caps to make felted acorns with. Other problem was, I had no acorn caps. Other, other problem was, oak trees are not native to our part of Wyoming. No acorns. No caps.
So, you can imagine my pure delight when, at a rest stop somewhere in Oregon, while on our giant road trip back from California last summer, I looked around, and there they were - oak trees! I then looked at the ground, and there they were - acorn caps!!
I left with an empty vitamin bottle filled to the brim with them.
On a sunny November day, I gathered children, wool roving (found at the local craft store - 2 oz. each in four colors was plenty to make approximately two dozen acorns), a giant bowl of very warm, very soapy water, and lots of towels for sopping up. Loosely following the instructions found here, we were soon rolling up little felted balls between pruney fingers (those of us who weren't completely absorbed in stirring the soapy water with wooden spoons, that is!)
An over-night dry later, and the balls were ready for a dab of glue and a jaunty little acorn cap! Just the thing for scattering across our Thanksgiving table.
Oooo! I just had an idea: What about a garland made with these little sweeties?!
Okay, I'm marking it down...another trip to California...come back through Oregon...that very same rest stop...have an empty vitamin bottle in car...more wool roving...
So, what would you do with a handful of felted acorns?