I spent the day packing up my Bedlam Farm Dryer Balls for the mail.
I put them in paper bags and tied one of myI’m Not a Ghost cards onto each with a “Thank you”. Then they went into my compostable shipping envelopes. I’ll bring them to the post office tomorrow.
After selling two more 8oz balls of Issachar’s roving over the weekend, I had just enough left over to make a few more Dryer Balls which are already spoken for. One of the women who bought the roving is going to make her own dryer balls, the other is planning on felting some woodland animals.
I already have a list of people who want Dryer Balls next fall. It won’t be until then that I have more roving to make them with.
If you’d like to get on the list, you can email me at [email protected].
Between yesterday and today, I made 44 Dryer Balls. Now they sold out.
But I still have a list of people who wanted them. So I’m going to use what I have left of Issachar’s wool to make more.
I found a bit of roving from Zelda, so I made a few white Dryer Balls from her wool. And I had some of Griselle’s roving too, but I have other plans for that.
So next week I’ll be making more Bedlam Farm Dryer Balls.
I don’t know if I have enough for everyone on my list, but I’m already thinking of having roving made from the next batch of wool for Dryer Balls. Karakul wool is great for felting, so I’m thinking of designating Kim’s wool for Dryer Balls.
I’ve gotten pretty good at making the Dryer Balls. The first couple I made were bigger because I wasn’t winding them as tightly. Now they’re close to the size of a tennis ball which is how I read about them being described.
Carol, who bought three Bedlam Farm Dryer Balls, wrote to me and said “I love…the idea that a mini flock of sheep, in a small way, are part of my home”.
If you’re interested in buying some Bedlam Farm Dryer Balls I’ll have them in my Etsy Shop in a couple of days. Or you can email me at [email protected] and let me know how many you’d like. I’m selling 3 for $15 + shipping. Or if you’d like less than that they’re $5 each + shipping.
We sat at the dining room table, warmed by the woodstove winding Asher’s roving into small balls.
For Jon it was the first time he ever wound a ball of anything, string, yarn or wool. I showed him how to wind it around two fingers then slip the roving off his fingers and wind it around the other way. Then back the other way again to make a ball.
Ahser’s roving was soft, springy and thick. It didn’t pull apart easily which made winding it easy. I had weighed out four 1 oz portions of the roving.
Jon and I were experimenting making dryer ball.
I had some white roving left over from a few years back and some colorful roving that someone gave me. So I strung it through the top of each ball to add a little color and variety.
After they were all rolled up, I put them in a leg of pantyhose and tied each ball in with a bit of yarn.
Then I threw them in the wash, added some of Mrs. Meyers Clean Day soap and washed them in hot water.
When they were washed, I put them in the dryer on “high”.
The dryer balls
Twenty minutes later the dryer balls were done. One of the balls didn’t quite stick together, so I’m going to run that one through the wash again. And as you can see in the photo one is more of a dryer egg than ball.
I still have to try them out in the dryer, I have a load of clothes in the washer now that I’ll use them on.
It was Emily who gave me the idea of make dryer balls during one of our weekly Zoom Studio Chats. She uses them all the time. I come to see, many people do.
Dryer balls are used instead of dryer sheets. But even if, like me, you don’t use dryer sheets, they still have benefits.
They separate your clothes in the dryer so they eliminate static cling and take out the wrinkles. They also cut down on drying time by absorbing the water so you save electricity. They are fragrant free, but you can add essential oils to them if have a favorite scent for your clothes. (I’m thinking for me that would be lavender or cinnamon.) And of course, you’re not dousing your clothes in the chemicals that dryer sheets emit. And you’re adding used dryer sheets to the landfill.
Now that I know how it’s done, I’m going to spend the day making dryer ball.
I still have to figure out a price for them and how I’ll sell them. I’ve read it best to use 6 dryer balls in a load of laundry. But I’ve also read that you can use three for smaller loads.
I’m thinking I’ll sell them quantities of three and people can make up their own minds about how many to get and use.
Well, my laundry must be done washing by now. I’ll let you know how the dryer balls work.
