Felted Wool Cornucopia Birthday Hat

In October I was working on some crocheted wool Candy Corn bags. The entire time I was working on them, I was thinking my Mom’s Costume at the Arizona Renaissance Festival.

My Mom wears a Wicker Cornucopia on her head, as a hat, with a carrot dangling off the tip of it, right in front of her nose. It’s actually become her trademark to where another actor tried to wear a Cornucopia and the Management made them stop. I thought it would be great to make her a brown wool cornucopia, complete with wool carrot, and send it for her birthday (January 20th) which is just two weeks before the Faire Opens.


Yesterday I started working on my design. Ripping it out twice before really “getting into a groove”. Today, I wanted to make good progress and hopefully finish it tomorrow. I’ve made progress, but I’ve also realized I’m going to run out of brown… and I only have the one skein.


So. Here are The Options for Mom:

1. Do you want it finished for your birthday, with another color around the brim? If so, what color(s) do you prefer? (I have scraps from the candy corn bags.)
   
2. Do you want me to order some yarn online (same color, but different dye lot, so probably a different shade of brown) and have the hat around beginning of Faire?
3. Do you want me to try to contact some other people who have the EXACT same Dye Lot in their Ravelry Stash, and beg them to sell it to me (which some people will do)? This option could take the longest but be the “most perfect”.
4. Oh yes, I could finish it in another color and then it could be over dyed... or I could even try to dye the white, but with our current temperatures I just don't know how I'd dry the wool without felting it, so, you'd probably have to try and dye it later.
   
5. I guess I could also start all over in a totally new yarn that I’d go out and buy (my least favorite idea).

What do you say, Mom?

PS: How big around would you *like* this to be? I'm not sure about my FELTING skills, but I'll try!

UPDATE: 15 Jan 09: Mom "choose" number 3 and one of the people on Ravelry was more than willing to share from his stash! (I'm still hoping for a third skein, but the second will be wonderful!) I should be completing the transaction and moving along toward finishing the hat soon! YEAH for generous people!!! :D