Tuesday's Tip

Dryer Balls:

Several months back I heard about making wool dryer balls. And like most things that I hear about that are touted as doing wondering things and saving money, I just had to look into it a little bit more. After reading about their benefits, I decided that I needed to give them a whirl. What I read was that when placed in the dryer among the wet laundry the dryer balls help to lift and separate the clothes reducing static and drying time as well as leaving the clothes soft and fluffy. Technically the dryer balls work by improving the circulation of heat and air through the wet items.

I've made several and I've officially decided that I do like them. What I've noticed is that things don't get as tangled in the dryer. Maybe it's just our laundry, but it always seems that a drawstring or one of the legs of leggings will get all twisted around other articles of clothing causing something to get all distorted. I've not had this happen once in the month that I've been using my dryer balls. What I also notice is that everything appears to be fluffier. My dryer balls now have a permanent residence in the bottom of my dryer.



To make the balls, you begin to wind the 100% wool yarn just like you would if you were winding a yarn ball. Start by winding around your fingers:



After about 10 times around your fingers you pull it off and change the direction of your winding and start winding around the middle:



Again after about 10 times around that direction you change directions and this time you'll start to see a ball form:



Keep winding and changing your direction to keep the ball uniform. You'll want to wind until your ball is approximately 3-4" in diameter.



You then need to cut your yarn from the skein and finish off your ball. I used a rug hook with an eye on one end to thread my tail back into the middle of the ball. You can also use a crochet hook to pull your tail into the ball.




Now you are going to want to felt the balls. Simply place in an old pair of pantyhose, make a knot around each ball, wash with a load of laundry on a warm to hot setting, and then dry with your load of laundry.



After your balls are felted you'll want to again wrap some more wool yarn around them to increase their size to a 3-4 inch diameter. When you start wrapping your yarn around the the felted ball, just lay you yarn on the top of the ball and begin wrapping, there is no need to secure the yarn that you start with, only secure your tail at the end. Felt a second time and enjoy your new dryer balls!