Roisin's Blackberry Surprise Cozy Hat

Roisin started Holli Yeoh's hat pattern from p.68 (and also shown on the front cover) in the premier issue of Noro Mag (available at GBOW) and, instead of a hat, Roisin turned it into a tea cozy for Blackberry Festival.  

And here it is...Roisin's Blackberry Tea Cozy, pre-felting.

Of course Roisin did not follow the Holli Yeoh pattern completely.  She had to shape it differently at the top and do less rows, and other things....Roisin commented, "sometimes my fingers just do what my mind sees and when that happens.....it's feels too good to stop! AND...stopping to write it down just won't happen. So....I will make a Blackberry Hat following the same pattern (and sticking to it) - Blackberry Tea Cozy is 'One of a Kind', or a 'Roisin Surprise Cozy'. Lynda's input will be next - she's the felting expert.
The menu is:  Slightly felted, with the feltable yarns squishing up and the non-feltables popping up, to make the berries more bumpy berry-like and the mohair with nylon more visible and fuzzy.  We'll see what turns up on the plate.
And then we get to add some brown stuff to look like branches and twigs.  Can't figure out how to make it prickly." 

Ideas, anyone?