Friday, March 16, 2012

Wool Dryer Balls

Have you heard about these?  They're starting to be all the rage.  Word is that you can stop using fabric softener altogether, and just throw a few wool balls in the dryer.  They're supposed to help fluff your clothes, reduce drying time, and prevent static.  They're especially popular among the cloth diapering crowds (which I'm a part of). 
I've been hearing so much about them, and they popped up on one of those deal-a-day site, so I broke down and bought a set of 3.  Do they live up to the hype?  Well, maybe.  I'm not in a position to sit around and time the dryer or stack up my towels and measure loft.  But in the last month, I haven't used any fabric softener except for when I've washed our microfiber blankets (and those are static factories!!).  Fabric softener can leave residue on your clothes that will take a while to wash out.  So I don't know if it has washed outs and the balls are working, or if it's just softener residue leaving my clothes so soft.  Either way I''m using less fabric softener.
I came across this tutorial for making your own dryer balls on craftgawker, and I decided to give it a try.  I followed the directions exactly, except I skipped the wool roving step at the end.  My yarn was designed for felting, and I didn't want to add another product to the shopping list, so I skipped it.  Besides, I had selected a nice colorful yarn, so the pretty wool roving would've hidden it.  I bought the yarn from my fabric/craft superstore:  Bernat brand Felting Natural Wool, color 94222 "Snap Dragon".
After the first pass through the wash, the yarn was still pretty separate, but I just let them go for a few dryer cycles (the dryer will be their new home anyway), and after a few more tumbles, they became nicely felted together.  SUCCESS!!  You can also add a few drops of essential oils,  The set I purchased was lavender fragrance, yumm.
Was it worth the effort?  Well it only took about 15 minutes to wind the balls.  The yarn cost around $7 for 2.6 ounces, and I made 2 from it.  You could go with as little as 1 ounce per ball, I think.  The set I purchased was around $20 for the 1/2 off deal.  I see them on Amazon for as low as $20 and on Etsy with prices ranging up to $60.  I also find it very satisfying to make something useful, and with 3 kids under the age of 5, its difficult to get anything started never mind finishing, so a 15 minute craft is a dream come true.
One more word of caution, these get lost in the wash easily!  They disappear up a sleeve, or get balled up in the corner of your sheets.  The set I bought was natural colors, beige and tan.  I have already lost a ball that I know was in the dryer when I started it, and disappeared after the cycle.  In the future, I will be using BRIGHT colors.
I've seen tutes for wool felted cat toys, bowls, covered soaps, and this delightful bowl.  I am interested...

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