Dryer Balls

I have been hearing about the use of dryer balls more and more lately and decided to try making a few to see how well they actually work.
If for some unknown reason you have not heard of these, they are suppose to replace the use of dryer sheets, reduce static cling, provide more airflow around your garments in the dryer which should result in less drying time.  Clearly lots of benefits
Of course, a quick Google or You Tube search will yield many tutorials on how to make them. I tried a couple of things, this is what worked best for me.

I started gathering up my supplies, I had a large 100% wool thrift store sweater that was destined to be ripped apart (that would be my core) note...it MUST be wool....it needs to "felt" so acrylic will not work. I pulled together random bits of wool fibre (batt and rovings) that would become the outer crust. In addition, I dug out my rarely used needle felting tool, a pair of pantyhose and I was ready to go. (the needle felting tool is not essential, but since I already had one, it did make the process very easy

First, I began deconstructing the sweater and created tightly wound, firm, tennis sized balls.

next I began layering fiber over the wound yarn and used my needle felting tool to help secure it in place, I encased the wound balls with several layers.....then I started to play.

Because...who wants plain old boring balls? I used some contrasting fibre to add interesting pattern

once I was satisfied with the size and density of each ball they were placed into one leg of some pantyhose.....it was stretched and tightly tied between each of them as they were added, if you look close you can see the knots.

then it was  a trip to the washer with HOT water and soap. They all felted well and were able to then head for a spin in the dryer to finish the process after which they were released from the pantyhose, ready for regular use.

I have done several loads of laundry since making these and am finding that they do in fact work very well.     If you are wondering, I have been using 3 - 4 at a time per load

Spin and Ply

My experimenting with reclaimed yarn continues.  After deconstructing this lambswool sweater, I found that the yarn was extremely fine.

SO.......I decided to create a drop spindle that would allow me to "ply" the yarns together

A few simple bits from the hardware store came together to form a surprisingly effective spindle.

the yarn plied on the spindle is shown on the left and to the right, is a purchased sock yarn, as you can see they look very close to the same weight.  They knit up well together.

below, you can see the single ply as it came off the sweater, along side the yarn that had been plied on the drop spindle in the process of being knit

I also have a some reclaimed silk on the go.....it is being plied and dyed and turning out wonderfully

Knitting with reclaimed yarn

Okay, I seem to be stuck in knit mode currently.  I deconstructed another sweater.
This one was labeled 70% Cotton / 30% Lambs wool. 

This is a look at the amount of yarn I managed to salvage, (roughly 340g ) and the start of my very first sock

and here is the completed sock, now to see if I can actually make its twin

Reclaiming and Repurposing yarn

My last post was about deconstructing a thrift shop find. My first test subject, a 100% cotton sweater. It has provided me with a good amount of yarn to play with as you can see in the photo below.

I dyed some of it a sort of, mottled, dark, Denim-y blue and left the rest that natural cream colour.

It is lovely to work with, soft to the touch with such wonderful drape. 
here is a peek at how it is currently looking on my needles

I am rather surprised at the amount of yarn I managed to reclaim. (what you see in the bin in the top photo along with what I have already knit)......it appears that I will have enough for a couple of projects

Deconstruction....reclaiming yarn

Those of you who visit this site know that I like a challenge, that I like to "try" playing with fiber in a variety of ways.  As with most creative types, I have many interests. One of them is knitting and as is true with much of what I like to do, it is more about the process than the finished product.

Not long ago, I happened upon a video featuring a gentleman who deconstructs sweaters to reclaim yarn with which to knit. That caught my interest immediately. If you are a knitter, one who prefers to use quality yarns, you know it can get expensive in a hurry.....but this was less about saving a few bucks and more about experimenting (cause let me tell you...I have discovered it is a time consuming endeavor)

Anyway, at a thrift shop, for a $1.76, I found a large sized, 100% cotton, man's sweater. It was clean with no holes and looked to be a great candidate for disassembling

it did take me a couple of hours to get it apart, it is likely the most important part of the process because if you are not careful and cut into those edges...you wont be getting nice long continuous yarn ( to give you an idea.....I am getting anywhere from 100m to 300m of continuous yarn in each ball)

once I had a piece turned into a ball, I put it into skeins it so it could "un-kinked". (see how kinky it was)

after a warm bath it is relaxed

I even tried a couple of dye tests.

it is knitting up wonderfully......the photo below is showing the cream ( which is the reclaimed sweater yarn knit in seed stitch)  draped along with something I had previously knit using a decently priced cotton yarn....I really can't tell the difference in the feel and drape.