In the beginning of 2014 I made a promise to myself to use the crafting supplies I already own or bless someone else with them by donating to our local thrift store.
I have saved this wool yarn for over a decade!
My intentions were to make traditional Swedish felted socks and mittens.
With the realization that my family rarely needs or uses these items, I had to find a project for the handful of skeins sitting in my shelf. Over the past six months I have been slowly replacing and integrating natural, organic and chemical-free foods and cleaning solutions. So, the first idea that came to kind was to make wool dryer balls, like these:
They will hopefully replace our 'need' for dryer sheets by not only softening the clothing's fibers but also help reduce the drying time by up to 25%!
I started by unwinding the skeins and promptly rewinding them tightly into round balls.
Once I had three prepared I placed them into a salvaged pair of pantyhose. Luckily, even though I haven't had a need to wear a pair since before my oldest was born, I had an unopened pairs in my dresser!
I tied the pantyhose on itself in between each ball, so the balls wouldn't felt to each other. Now, off the the washing machine.
I threw them in and washed them twice with a few drops of detergent and hot water. Then, into the dryer on the hottest setting.
They started off as the size of softballs and came out more like baseballs. A few snips to get them out of the pantyhose and they are ready to use.
