Crochet Pattern: Dryer Balls

For years I have tried to convince my husband that there is absolutely no need to use dryer sheets. He claims that they make his clothes noticeably softer, less wrinkly and fresher smelling. I think they are a waste of money and not very eco-friendly.

Please don't leave comments that if I really wanted to be eco-friendly I would just hang my clothes outside to air dry. We live in a desert and everything that's outside for more than a minute is covered in a fine layer of dust. So, I'm doing my best here and I dug through my yarn stash to find some half used skeins of wool to make dryer balls.

In case you haven't heard of them before, folks across the interwebs claim that dryer balls can reduce the time your laundry needs in the dryer and  reduce wrinkles in your clothes. Also, if you add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to the dryer balls you can even make your laundry smell fresher. I'll let you judge for yourself if the claims are true.

I think using three dryer balls in the laundry works nicely, but you can use more or less if you like.

Small Crochet Dryer Balls Pattern

Materials

• worsted weight, 100% wool yarn)
• US E (3.5 mm) crochet hook
• digital food scale (optional)
• scented essential oil (optional)

Abbreviations

ch - chain
sl st - slip stitch
sc - single crochet
dec - decrease by inserting the hook in the next st and draw up a loop, insert the hook in the next st and draw up a loop, yarn over and draw through all three loops

Directions

There's no need to work a gauge swatch for this project, however you will need to use a hook that is a few sizes smaller than what the yarn label recommends in order to make the top and bottom of the balls curve slightly.

Also, it doesn't really matter which side of your work is the right side because the stitches become much less noticeable after felting. The pattern is worked in continuous rounds. so no need to turn your work at the end of each round.

Ch 3, sl st in first ch to form a loop (or you can use the magic loop method), ch 1.

	Rnd 1: 6 sc in loop. Rnd 2: [2 sc in next sc] 6 times. (12 sts) Rnd 3: [2 sc in next sc, sc in next sc] 6 times. (18 sts) Rnd 4: [2 sc in next sc, sc in next 2 sc] 6 times. (24 sts) Rnd 5: [2 sc in next sc, sc in next 3 sc] 6 times. (30 sts) If your work isn't slightly curved, you'll need to try again with a smaller crochet hook.
	Rnd 6-11: sc in each sc around. (30 sc per round for 6 rounds is 180 sc total)
	Roll a tight ball of wool yarn to fill your work. Pro Tip: If you are making multiple dryer balls, it's helpful to use a food scale to measure the weight of the rolled yarn balls to make sure they are all the same size.
	Place the rolled yarn ball into your work. Rnd 12: [dec, sc in next 3 sc] 6 times. (24 sts) Rnd 13: [dec, sc in next 2 sc] 6 times. (18 sts) Rnd 14: [dec, sc in next sc] 6 times. (12 sts) Rnd 15: [dec] until no more sts can be worked.
	Fasten off and pull the yarn tail into the ball.
	Next, you will machine felt your dryer balls. This makes them fuzzier and more dense. Machine wash and dry your dryer balls 3-5 times with the rest of your laundry. Don't use any fabric softener in the laundry when you are felting.
	Your dryer balls will get smaller and smaller each time you wash and dry them. After you have competed the felting process, you do not need to wash your dryer balls again.

If you want them to smell extra nice, add 3-5 drops of your favorite essential oil to each ball. I like jasmine best. Let the oil soak in over night. You can add a few more drops of oil any time the dryer balls start to lose their scent.

Now, just toss in your dryer balls when you are drying clean laundry for fluffier, fresher smelling laundry with less wrinkles. At least that's what my skeptical hubby believes. ;)