This pattern was part of the “Eco Yarn School” live event hosted by Craftsy. The pattern is free when signing up for the Craftsy Newsletter. A replay of the live event can be found on the Craftsy website or here on YouTube.

I’ve always been a happy scrap user; someone who gets joy from making a delicious pot of soup out of leftovers in the fridge, or using up yarn scraps to make something fabulous. Last Earth Day, I started thinking about how to use up the tiny scraps I throw away all of the time, and I came up with the perfect plan: I would make dryer balls out of them! I started saving up all of my wool yarn ends - even the tiniest pieces. I just throw them into a zippered bag every time I finish weaving in ends and as an avid yarnie, I amassed quite the bagful. When I had a good amount saved up, I used some of my longer leftover pieces of wool to crochet a ball shape. I then used the small scraps for the stuffing, and then threw them in with a few loads of laundry (in the dryer too) to felt them. After felting them, I used more wool scraps and a felting pen to add some cute designs to brighten them up a bit.

Finished Measurements
Size is easily customizable. A ball that measures about 4.25-4.75” 11-12 cm in diameter before felting, will usually shrink to be about 3.25-3.5” 8-9 cm in diameter.

Materials
• For Outer Shell of the Dryer Ball: small amount of 100% wool yarn. This cannot be a superwash or “washable wool” yarn, because those yarns will not felt. You will need about 38 yds 35 m of a bulky weight (CYCA#5) OR 55 yds 50 m of a worsted weight yarn (CYCA#4). You can use any other weight you like, but I did not determine yardage needed for other weights. You will need less yardage for a thicker yarn, and more for a thinner yarn. (For more information, see notes section below).
• For inside the Dryer Ball: Enough small felt-able yarn scraps to fill the yarn ball, and some scraps for decorating the outside if desired. These can be any animal fiber as long as they are felt-able. See notes below for more information.
• Any size crochet hook that you would normally use for a slightly looser gauge in the yarn you are using.
• Yarn Needle
• Removeable stitch markers- to keep track of the first stitch of the round
• If decorating the outside, you will need a felting pen
• Washing machine and dryer

Yarn Used for Outer Shell of the Dryer Balls Shown
Patons Classic Wool Roving (bulky weight, 100% Wool; 120 yards 109m/ 3.5 oz 100 grams: Low Tide #77219; 1 skein makes three Outer Shells

WeCrochet (worsted weight, 100% Wool; 110 yards 101m/ 3.5 oz 100 grams: Blossom Heather #25067; 1 skein makes two Outer Shells

For blue “rainbow” dryer ball I used a bulky weight roving-style wool and and K 7.0 mm hook, worked 5 rnds of increases until the circle measured 4.25” 11 cm in diameter. Then I worked 5 rnds even, and finished with 5 rounds of decreases. The ball measured about 4.5” 11.5 cm in diameter before felting and 3.5” 9 cm after.

For pink “mushroom” dryer ball I used a worsted weight wool and an I 5.5 mm hook, worked 7 rnds of increases until the circle measured 4.25” 11cm in diameter. Then I worked 7 rnds even, and finished with 7 rounds of decreases. The ball measured about 4.5” 11.5 cm in diameter before felting and 3.5” 9 cm after.

Gauge
Gauge is not important for this project, however, keep in mind that the fabric that you make for the Outer Shell of the Dryer Ball should be crocheted as though you were making a sweater with a bit of drape to it. You do not want big holes between stitches or the filling might escape during the felting process. On the other hand, you do not want to crochet too tightly (like amigurumi) because the stitches won’t felt as easily or as evenly.

Notes
First the Outer Shell of the Dryer Ball is made, then it is stuffed with wool scraps. The Outer Shell is completed and the ball is felted in a washing machine and dryer.
Outer shell is worked in the round without joins. Keep in mind that the Outer Shell can be stuffed with any of the following as long as the pieces are 100% animal fiber (and not superwash): discarded yarn tails, Cut up pieces of past projects (felted or not), yarn that is a color you do not like, stained or discolored yarn (as long as it has been cleaned and it will not “bleed”), mittens or socks that have lost their “partner” or have holes (cut these projects up into small pieces first), Pompoms that have started to come apart, thrifted wool sweater scraps, etc. Basically any unwanted wool pieces can get a new purpose in this project- throw them in!

IMPORTANT: Make sure that the yarn chosen for the Outer Shell (including the decoration pieces) will not bleed its color after the felting process. The washing and drying of the Dryer Ball should get rid of any of the excess dye, but be careful, especially if you are using a darker color. In general, lighter colors or natural colored wool are good options, so stick to these if you are unsure. However, if you want to try using a darker color, you can make the Dryer Ball and check to see if it bleeds. If it is still losing color after it has been felted, you can cut it open and re-use the insides in another dryer ball and discard the outer shell (or keep washing it with your dark laundry until it no longer bleeds, and then cut it up and add it to the insides of another ball. I did not have any trouble with the colors that I had used (even the darker colors in the decorations), rubbing off onto any of my clothes, but it’s best to use caution here.