DIY Wool Dryer Balls & Projects in the making

First off, there is a new burp cloth set in my Etsy shop Here.  I also had a custom order for a boyish crinkle square this past week :-) Here is a picture.

Recently I have a lot of projects in the works and a gigantic list planned. The Ones I am working on right now are a Wool soaker pants(aka longies) for my almost 19 month old, so that I can cloth diaper him at night without any fears of leaks. Wool is supposed to be amazing for absorption, keeps the babies feeling dry, and breathable. It has been a lot of work and this was my second go around(with a different pattern the second time), long drawn out single crochet(boring) but I appreciated the boring over- is this going to turn out?:-) sorry no pictures till its done:-).

My second project in the works is a big one as well -two identical Dr. Suess quilts for my little boys for christmas (which will be appliqued with their names in a square on the back). I am so excited to have it all cut out and started :-), cutting it out was a huge project in itself- I am enjoying finally sewing something!

My third project( on the side, something I do while the kids are watching a show or I have a few min) winding wool dryer balls, another great use for wool- dryer balls, they dry your cloth diapers quicker- and work as a natural fabric softener (since dryer sheets and fabric softener are a no- no with cloth diapers. they also help the diapers/inserts to separate and not stick to each other making them more musty if they dont get thrown in for a second dry cycle right away. What is allowed is tea tree oil- so i put a few drops of that on each ball. I had 3 dryer balls before and noticed an improvement bust still needed quite a bit of drying and I was uncertain. Then i read you really should have 6-8 to really notice a difference- so I made (with the help of my sister in law, several more- now I will have 8 :-).. it also worked out that I used my yarn from that first soaker that did not turn out and the yarn was cut in a ton of pieces cuz I had to yank it out(i could have cried,pregnancy hormones and crafts don't always mix :-D).

Make sure the wool yarn you choose says 100% wool on back (and good for felting) 2 of this size will give you 3 large dryer balls(or 6 smaller)

First I wound it until it was HALF the size of what I desired(left one)

Then put it in a large sock with ties of yarn in between(make it snug), throw it in for HOT wash cycle and dry cycle (kept in sock)

Cutt the yarn off the outside

Add on winding the ball until desired size or just slightly bigger(since it will felt)

It helps to tie the yarn under other layers of yarn for when you throw it in the sock

After your done winding, repeat the process of putting it in a sock (ties in between the different balls) and  HOT wash, dry

Add a few drops of tea tree oil if preferred and keep them in your dryer.

Please note, if you decide to use regular fabric sheets or fabric softener on your clothing-take your dryer balls out of the dryer as to keep them free of fabric softener for your cloth diapers. Also, tea tree oil is safe for cloth diapers because of what it is - all scents are not equal or compatible with cloth diapers.
Disclamer: This is not at all something new, there are many different methods to making these and with other types of wool, I originally made my first ones nearly a year ago I believe but cannot find the original tutorial- I prefer a wash dry, add on wash dry method, but some only do the process once and make smaller wool balls. Let me know which ones are your favorite:-)- i still love my colorful ones  best I think but they didn't have them in stock when I got my new yarn:-(.
Other wool dryer tutorials/methods:
http://www.earthycrunchymama.com/2012/04/how-to-make-and-use-wool-dryer-balls/
http://goodmama.typepad.com/goodmama/2008/05/make-your-own-wool-dryer-balls.html