Felted Dryer Balls

Winters are dry around here. Dry skin , dry hair, and when you open the dryer it's like a fireworks show in there. We've been on a quest for awhile to find something that will take the static out of our clothes. We were using a dryer sheet, then two dryer sheets and still getting shocked by our clothes! Plus, I'm not a huge fan of all the chemicals in dryer sheets. I looked into those rubbery dryer balls, but found some information that they may release some unpleasant chemicals when they heat up too. So, I decided to try the old felted wool balls method. Want to try it too? Here's how...

You'll need to have some 100 % wool yarn. Make sure your yarn isn't a blend or it will not felt. You will need enough to make 4-6 tennis ball size balls. Also, keep in mind you may not want super dark colors, or if you do, you will need to be sure to wash them enough that they don't bleed on your clothes.

Start by winding one end of the yarn around two fingers, about 10-15 times.

Slip the yarn off your fingers and start wrapping it around the middle of the bundle.

Keep wrapping to make a tight ball.

                   

When you get to the size you want (I did about tennis ball size, you could make them a little bigger to make drying time even shorter) use a yarn needle or crochet hook to pull the end under several layers and then trim off the remainder.        

Then you need an old pair of tights or pantyhose. (I last wore these to my sit-at-a desk office job, I must admit, I smiled a little when I cut them up!) 

 Put each ball into the leg of the tights and tie between each ball with cotton or acrylic yarn or string (don't use the wool, it will felt right to the tights!).       

It will kind of look like a caterpillar!

Put the whole thing in the washer and wash in hot water, then dry on high heat. You may need to do this more than once. I did it three times to be sure it was all felted together really well.

Take them out of the tights/pantyhose, and they're ready to go!

Throw them in the dryer with your next load of clothes, you will be static free, and you won't have to worry about sending your construction-working Hubby off to the job site with princess underpants stuck to the back of his shirt!

Have a beautiful week!

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