Dryer Balls
Supplies:
Wool yarn
Pantyhose
String or embroidery floss
Washer and dryer
Essential oil (optional)
What do you spend on dryer sheets every year? A hundred bucks? More? Save that money and put extra food in the freezer! You’ll never buy dryer sheets again when you learn how to make dryer balls. They fluff, they get rid of static cling, they make the laundry sell fabulous, and they can be used many times.
Have you seen that “As Seen On TV” set of dryer balls? They’re made in a more complicated way but they definitely help you save money on softeners. And, at 20 bucks for the product, and 10 more for shipping, well, you can make many dryer balls for that amount of money.
Wool yarn is used to make the useful dryer balls that keep your laundry as fresh and aromatic as dryer sheets do. One skein makes about four balls of yarn. Go ahead and ball them off of the skein. Start with one of the large balls and make it much smaller. Wrap the yarn around your fingers, slide it off, and then continue to wrap the yarn around the bundle. Tightly wrap, again and again, until the ball becomes the size that you like. A good size to aim for is the size of a golf ball but you can make a ball that’s smaller or much larger.
Make several of the yarn balls – all about the same size – and then get ready to felt them. You can do that by sliding them down into the foot and leg of a pair of pantyhose. First, put in one ball and then tie a piece of string above it. Slide in the next ball and tie a string above it. The string above each ball will keep that ball in place as you launder the pantyhose.
Wash the pantyhose in scalding water and then dry them in a hot dryer. When you take the yarn balls out you’ll notice that they;re smaller and tighter than before. Sprinkle some essential oils onto each ball (lavender is nice; any scent is optional). Put just one ball in to dry a sweater; put in a handful of the balls to dry a whole load of clothing. Not only do the balls dry and scent but they help clothes to dry quicker. You’ll save money over buying dryer sheets and you’ll shear a little bit off of your electric bill, too.
