I love trying new things and learning new skills. So when my friend offered to send me a box of alpaca fiber I was all in. I’ve been wanting to try to make homemade dryer balls and now I was ready to get started. If you have been curious about how to make your own dryer balls so you can replace the fabric softener sheets, I’ve got some tips and ideas.
The Process: How Alpaca Dryer Balls are Made Made from 50% alpaca and 50% wool, these alpaca balls are hand-made, one-by-one, by a cooperative of skilled, female Peruvian artisans.
How to Felt with Alpaca Fiber
Remember that I am very new to this process and am still learning. If you have any tips to help me as I experiment with this new craft, I’d love to hear.
Gather your pile of alpaca fiber and gently pull the pieces apart. I found that by ‘shredding’ the fibers and creating a fluffy pile of hair that I had better success. I tried washing the fibers first and didn’t like the process as much. It was much easier to pull the fibers apart when it was dry.
Once I had a large fluffy pile of fibers, I ‘smushed’ into a loose ball and moved to the next step.
Take the big fluffy pile of fiber and start forming the ball. Soak it with hot water and apply a liberal amount of dish soap. Now is when the felting process begins. You want to turn the balls constantly in your hands and work the fibers into a tight ball. I did this process for about a minute and then added more water and soap before doing the process again. It took about 5 minutes for each of the dryer balls to go from fiber to a felted ball.
Once you have the fiber balls created, drop them in a panty hose or knee high. Use a rubber band to secure each of the balls in the hose. Toss into the washing machine and run a load. When you pull them out of the washing machine, take a look and make sure they look like they are ‘felted’ or matted together instead of random fibers.
Now the dryer balls are ready to toss in the dryer and use instead of your standard dryer sheets. Some people add a few drops of essential oils to help create a light fragrance as the clothes are drying.
We weigh the ball of fiber occasionally to see if we have reached our goal of 1 ounce. If you find you want larger dryer balls, just continue wrapping past the 1 ounce mark. If the roving separates as you are wrapping, don’t worry, just cover the end where it separated and continue wrapping the fiber until both ends are covered again. To finish, gently tuck the loose end under the rolled fiber.
Once the fiber ball is wrapped to the size you want, put it into a nylon stocking (I prefer knee high stockings) and tie a bow or knot right above the ball with a piece of yarn or string.
Once you begin felting, you will have to pay close attention to the process. Loose alpaca fiber felts well, and during the early stage of felting will felt through the nylon stocking if left unattended. I have to set a timer so I don’t get involved in another project and forget to check them often. I like to check them every 5 minutes as they are starting to felt. I move the balls around to make sure that the fiber is not sticking to the stocking. If the stocking becomes incorporated into the fiber ball, it is difficult to impossible to remove it.
Continue making one ounce balls of alpaca fiber, placing them in the stocking and tying between each ball, until the stocking is full. I can usually get 7 to 8 balls of fiber in each knee high stocking.
I use scissors to cut the string between the fiber balls as I release them. If some of the balls are still loose, I leave them in the stockings and continue to wash more to further felt the balls.
Husband And Wife DIY ALPACA DRYER BALLS!
FAQ
Can you use alpaca wool for dryer balls?
What can you do with alpaca Fibre?
How do you clean alpaca dryer balls?
What product can be created with alpaca wool?
Do alpaca wool dryer balls reduce drying time?
Alpaca wool dryer balls can help to shorten drying time by up to 25% according to the manufacturer Alpacas of Monntana. I have personally had good results with them decreasing drying time. Depending on the type of load from 15% to 20% decrease in drying time.
What are alpaca dryer balls?
They are known for reducing drying time. The alpaca dryer balls will absorb residual moisture, and by adding a few balls into the dryer they will separate clothing and reduce static. They are 100% pure, natural, Australian alpaca wool. Alpaca wool is hypoallergenic and doesn’t contain any lanolin. Great for those with sensitive skin and allergies.
Does alpaca wool irritate your skin?
Wool contains lanolin which can very rarely cause skin irritation. In general, Alpaca fleece reacts to water differently than sheep’s wool. Sheep’s wool will tend to soak up and absorb moisture during the drying process pulling it away from your clothes and helping them to dry faster.