Wool Dryer Balls~DIY Tutorial

Now that the cold months are upon us (we're in the northeast) the time for line-drying in the sunshine is over.

I still hang up small things on folding racks like socks, and light weight shirts, but thicker items like jeans and hoodies take absolutely forever to dry so I use the dryer.  Or, when it's time to get those diapers all nice and fluffy again. But on the other hand, we all want to save energy and money right?

Have you heard of wool dryer balls? If you frequent the eco-friendly mommy blogger giveaways, then  you've probably seen them all over the place.

Well, if you're like me and never win any giveaways, or if you've noticed the price-tag on those dryer balls, let me tell you, they are super easy to make!

Here's what you need:

1 skein wool roving
Your hands
Washer/Dryer

I got my wool roving at Michael's in the yarn section on sale for $2.99 a skein (regular price was $5.99) though I'm pretty sure Joann's has them too. It kind of looks like fuzzy yarn.

Here's what you do:

1) Find the loose end of the skein and pull some length out.  Start by wrapping the yarn around and around.
2) Keep wrapping the yarn around, forming a ball. Make sure it's tight!
3) When yarn is all used up or when it's the desired  size, securely tuck the end into your wool ball. (You may want to weave it in and out a few times to make sure its nice and tight.)
4) Wash them on hot, and dry in your machine several times.  This will cause the yarns to tighten up or felt.  I just put them in the laundry whenever I was washing on hot, and whenever I used the dryer...I didn't make a special "laundry day" for them or anything.

Ta da!

 

*I found for the skein that I bought, 1 skein makes 3 balls.  (About baseball size) I've never had any unravel either, though they do get a little pill-y, like the picture above.

You could certainly make them bigger if you wanted, just knot the new yarn on the end and keep on wrapping!

Whenever you use your dryer, toss these in instead of dryer sheets.  They can reduce your drying a lot (for me about 10-15 minutes for 3 balls) by separating your laundry and letting the hot air get in between fabrics.  The wool also acts to soften your fabrics! AND you're saving energy and money! Woot!

These are a great way to green up your laundry system, especially with all those cloth diapers!