HOW-TO-TUESDAY: dryer balls

Yesterday, I decided to try my hand at making homemade dryer balls, there are numerous tutorials all over the Internet.... For those of you who don't know what they are, they are exactly what they say they are; balls that go into the dryer.... Oh, you mean WHATare they for... GOTCHA!

Homemade wool dryer balls are felted wool balls that you use in your dryer (with your laundry) to help eliminate static, speed up drying time (almost by half!) and soften your clothes without the use of chemicals.  I know, they sound too good to be true, don't they?

Well, they do in fact work!  And, AND!  You can make them yourself.... A-and!  I'm going to show you how!

Here's what you'll need to get started:
100% wool yarn
(scraps, new, coloured, non-coloured, but definitely cheap and NOT washable.... washable does not felt)
crochet hook or tapestry needle
socks or nylons
cotton or acrylic yarn or thread

Step one:   Start winding the core of your dryer ball around your fingers like so.... Oh, and I used the jar to keep my scrap yarn from rolling away from me, this also works great for when you're knitting or crocheting....

Step two:  Start winding the yarn across your first few strands, very tightly, like this....

Step three:  Wind, wind, wind.... keep winding....

Step four:  Keep winding, then tuck in your end, til you end up with a nice firm-ish inner core of wool.... Size, you ask?  Whatever size you like....  mine pictured below were about 2 inches across....

Step five:  Take your wool yarn (for the outer portion of this ball I used wool roving, it felts very quickly and easily) and start winding....  For this step, I try not to wind the outer wool quite as tight.... it's still tight, just not loose-y-goose-y....

Step six:  Wind, wind, wind, until you've reached your a little larger than your desired size, remember this ball will shrink.... then tuck in your end....

Step seven:  Here's where the socks or nylons come in.... I used some old baby socks, and slipped them over my yarn balls....

Step eight:  Then took my NON-WOOL, NON-FELTING yarn and tied them into cute little packages like so....  Threw them into the washer with my whites, which I washed using hot water.... then dried, still in the socks....

Step nine:  Finito!  Here are your felted dryer balls.... If you feel they need another wash, go right ahead, it doesn't hurt to run them through the wash more than once just to ensure you don't end up with a matted mess in your dryer....

Now, go enjoy drying your laundry in a very eco-friendly way!

These also make a fantastic housewarming gift to give with some great eco-friendly detergent.... or make them in a rainbow of colours and give them to some lucky baby to play with....

Have a great day folks  ;)

HOW-TO-TUESDAY: homemade chocolate syrup

I don't buy milk through our school's milk program.... Don't get me wrong, I think it's a great program and fundraiser; but, with two kids (and next year three) to pay for.... it's an added expense that just doesn't fit into our budget.... I send cheese, yogurt or chocolate milk from home.... this is what works for us.

I also don't buy cartons of chocolate milk either.  It's not cost effective and it's just an invitation for the kids to drink it way too often, because once opened, it must be finished before it sours, right?  So, chocolate milk in our house comes from the plain skim milk we buy (which we always have an abundance of) and chocolate syrup.  I can control the amount of chocolate (sugar) that goes into every glass.... I like that. And, it's cost efficient.

Anyhow, if you're a baker, then you should have everything already in your cupboards to make this easy recipe....

Here's the how-to:

Whisk together in a pot,  1/2 cup cocoa, 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar (or powdered sweetener of your choice), pinch of salt, and just over a 1/2 cup of water.   Bring to a boil then simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Let it cool, then pour it into a container and store in the fridge.  Should make just over a cup of syrup.  Use it just as you would commercially bought chocolate syrup.  Alternatively, you may also whisk this all together in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until the desired consistency is reached.  You can make this as thick or thin as you like.

The added bonus; YOU control the sugar and there are no added preservatives.... and if you ask my guys, they like it just as much as store bought.  WIN-WIN!

Have a fantastic Tuesday, folks   ;)