Grinning Jack-o’-Lantern

What You’ll Need:

• newspaper
• round balloon
• orange yarn or heavy weight crochet thread
• white glue
• plastic cup
• green paper
• empty spool
• green chenille sticks
• pencil
• scissors
• felt

How to Make It:

1. Cover your work area with newspaper. Inflate a round balloon and tie it closed.

2. If you wish, put on rubber gloves to keep your hands clean. Wind a large amount of orange yarn or heavyweight crochet thread around your hand. Let the end dangle.

3. Squeeze white glue all over the thread on your hand. Rub it in so it covers the thread.

4. In one hand, hold the thread end and the knot of the balloon. With your other (thread-covered) hand, wrap the thread around the balloon, unwinding it from your hand as you go.

5. When you’ve finished, set the thread-covered balloon on a plastic cup. When the glue has dried, pop the balloon and throw away the pieces. A thread pumpkin will be left.

6. To make a stem, glue green paper onto an empty spool. Glue the stem on top of the pumpkin, pressing down a little. For vines, bend green chenille sticks around threads on the pumpkin, then curl the ends around a pencil.

7. Cut facial features from felt. Glue them on the pumpkin.