All posts tagged garden

Last year, when I made my Extremely Large Knit Acorn, I tried to think of a way to make it into an Acorn Bird Feeder as well. The concept was easy enough, finding the materials was a bit more difficult. Wire mesh from craft stores was either too flimsy or the holes were too small and most of the hardware cloth from home stores wouldn’t work either.

Then randomly, I had to go get garden watering supplies from an Ace Hardware store and what do you know? The perfect sized wire cloth! (1/4″ metal mesh to be exact) So finally, a year later, here’s the Acorn Bird Feeder tutorial for your viewing pleasure. I’m sure all your neighborhood birds will appreciate it this winter!

Also, for some reason I have a bit of a wood bowl surplus so I thought I’d make it easier for you to make your own Acorn Bird Feeder by offering kits for $25. You’ll receive the 1/4″ metal mesh, a pre-drilled wood bowl, rope and two trimmed nails. Add some metal snips and pliers and you’re ready to go!

Acorn Bird Feeder

Materials:
- 1/4″ metal mesh
- round wood bowl (thrifted)
- sisal rope
- two small nails
- metal snips
- needle nose pliers

Instructions:

1. Gather supplies. Super easy step if you bought my craft kit! If not, like I mentioned above, try Ace Hardware for the metal mesh and a thrift store for the bowl.

2. Trim the metal mesh to a 14″x7″ rectangle. This size may vary depending on the bowl you find. Just gently roll the mesh until it fits in the bowl and trim off excess. Leave one of the sides and the bottom with points open (see above picture.) Trim the other side and top of mesh to have a smooth edge.

3. Fold the points to a 90 degree angle. Roll wire mesh until the ends meet and interlock (1). Use your needle nose pliers to bend open points around smooth edge (2) until opening is secured shut (3) and tube is created.

4. Bend the bottom of the wire mesh (with open points) tube into a square. Make sure that each corner is evenly spaced.

5. Measure and cut a 3″ (12 squares) corner line. With a snip at top, remove line completely.

6. Repeat with three other corners.

7. Using the picture above as a visual guide, cut a rounded triangular piece away from each of the corners.

8. This is what your wire mesh should look like now. Looks like a wire tube with flower petals at the end. Or kinda like a very minimal version of one of those Alien pods the Facehuggers hatch from. Anyway, enough with the random nerd break, onward.

9. Fold two of the facing sides inward and use your needle nose pliers to interconnect the open wire ends. Repeat with the other facing sides.

10. Any open holes can be closed up by intertwining the open wires with your pliers.

11. Tada! Your acorn body is done. Let’s work on getting it hung up now! (Those with kits can jump to step 13)

12. Drill two small holes one opposite sides of the bowl edge. Make sure they’re small enough that the nail heads can’t be pulled through. Drill another larger hole at the top of the bowl for the sisal rope loop. Trim tips of nails slightly.

13. Insert the two ends of the rope in through the top of the bowl and tie a knot. Make sure the knot is large enough that it can’t be pulled out.

14. After filling acorn body with large birdseed (the small stuff will fall through), push in slightly on the top of the mesh while inserting into the bowl. You want to make sure the nails catch and lock into one of the squares.

Now you’re ready to hang it for all your fine feathered friends to enjoy!

Don’t forget you can purchase a T&T kit if you want all the supplies to be delivered to your doorstep!