Wool Dryer Balls

In my search for sustainable living and economic options to save money, I came across wool dryer balls.  Use them in place of dryer sheets or liquid softener to help free your household of chemicals.  Because they last for years and decrease drying time, they will help save money and as the balls bounce around in the dryer, they will also fluff up your towels.  They can be purchased online, but they are actually very east to make.

 

Buy a few reams of all wool yarn.  I usually wait until I see a 50% off coupon to buy the reams.  The reams should NOT state they are machine washable.  You want the yarn to felt so it must be all wool.  I used Patons Classic Wool Roving Yarn to make each of my softball size balls.  You will want 4 to 8 balls for the best results.

 

Find the end of the ream and start making a few short folds in the yarn.  They start to wrap the folds with yard to form a small ball.  Continue to wrap the yarn into a ball until your yarn ball is baseball to softball size.  Use a yarn needle or a crochet hook to pull the end of the yarn through the ball to secure it.

 

Place one ball at a time into the leg of a nylon stocking.  Use a piece of cotton string or cotton yard to tie a not between each ball to keep them in place.  Tie another piece of string at the top of the leg to keep them from popping out.  Wash the balls in hot water in your washing machine and dry them in the dryer.  Do this about 3 times or until the individual yarn strands cannot be moved with your finger.  This is called wool felting.  Take the balls out of the stocking and use in your drying to dry your laundry.

 

Keep the balls in your dryer or place them in a basket to display in your laundry room as they are very pretty!  For some good pictures of the steps, check out DIY Natural.