It's easy to make your own. Here's all you need...
- 1 skein of 100% wool yarn (Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool works great and is available at Jo-Ann's, Hobby Lobby)
- 1 large blunt needle
- 1 pair of pantyhose
Wind the yarn around two fingers a few times...
Remove the yarn from your fingers and continue to wind over the center 1-2 times...
Fold this in half to use as the base of your ball...
Start winding the yarn to form a tight ball, switching directions regularly...
Continue to do this until they are about the size of golf balls...
Use the large blunt needle to hide the yarn tail inside the ball (see below). Tie some pantyhose tightly around each ball to hold it together during the felting process. To felt, simply throw them in with your laundry to wash and dry on hot a few times.
Remove pantyhose and begin to add yarn to increase the size of your dryer balls until they are about the size of baseballs.
Secure the tail of your yarn by threading it through the eye of your large blunt needle and pushing it through the ball. Trim the tail to be level with the edge of the ball.
Once again, tie pantyhose around the balls and felt by washing and drying several times on hot.
Remove the pantyhose and they are ready to go!
To use, simple toss them in the dryer with your load of laundry and run as usual. I keep mind in the dryer in between loads so I don't forget to use them. And so Buddy won't play with them...he thinks Mama made him toy balls. :)
The dryer balls bounce around, "beating" the clothes to keep them soft. If you miss the scent of fabric softener, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to your dryer balls to make your laundry smell nice.
Amanda
