Celebrating Weaning

Welcome to the Carnival of Weaning: Weaning - Your Stories

This post was written for inclusion in the Carnival of Weaning hosted by Code Name: Mama and Aha! Parenting. Our participants have shared stories, tips, and struggles about the end of the breastfeeding relationship.

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Breastfeeding has been a huge part of my mothering until (relatively) recently. For the most part, I really enjoyed nursing Daniel and I also found writing about our journey to be very valuable. When Daniel was ten weeks old, I was inspired to reflect on my intention to practice child-led weaning by seeing a three-year-old nurse at the Big Latch On. After Daniel turned one, I thought a lot about our breastfeeding relationship and I made a point to check in with both of us to make sure we still wanted to continue (and we did). A month or so later, Daniel's nursing habits changed suddenly, and I feared he was weaning. I wrote a piece for Dionna's Joys of Nursing Past Infancy series about the ways our nursing relationship had changed over time—and also the ways it had stayed the same. Turns out, Daniel nursed for nearly six more months, deciding to wean around twenty months old.

Daniel's weaning was a difficult transition for me, perhaps mainly because I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know that I would experience such a dramatic hormonal shift in the days and weeks after his last nursing session. I didn't know that I would feel uncomfortably full of milk to the point of leaking, similar to the early days of engorgement. (Daniel was only nursing once a day at the end, sometimes for only a minute or two, so I assumed that this transition was gradual enough for my breasts to get the hint!) I didn't know I would feel so out of place in my body, having grown and fed another human being with it for close to three years.

More than anything, I struggled with how to express what I was going through to those who care about me, and I wondered how to mark the occasion in a way that would feel most meaningful to me.

DIY Projects, Tutorials, Recipes, and More from the Volunteers at Natural Parents Network

As you may already know, I have the honor and privilege of working with Natural Parents Network (NPN), a community of natural-minded parents and parents-to-be which aims to inform, empower, and inspire.

A few times a year, those of us who are "behind the scenes" at NPN get together to share favorite posts from our personal blogs, in an effort to share some love among all of our sites. This time, we are bringing you a collection of posts that focus on do-it-yourself (DIY) projects, how-tos, tutorials, recipes, and anything related to a step-by-step guide or informational resource.

There are a lot of really wonderful posts in this collection, and I hope you'll enjoy browsing through the links below. Even more, I hope you enjoy spending some time getting better acquainted with a few the wonderful people (and blogs) that come together to help to make NPN the incredible community that it is.

DIY Popsicle Stick Puzzles

A friend of mine hosted a toddler busy bag swap a little over a month ago, just in time for the holidays. I hadn't ever participated in anything like it, but it was a huge success!

Each parent (we happened to all be moms) made enough of one activity to be able to give one to each other mom and also keep one for her own family. Some of the activities included mini reversible felt boards, homemade playdough, geo boards, "I Spy" bottles, colored pasta beads for stringing together, a magnetic fishing game, and so many more!

The activity I chose to make for the busy bag swap was popsicle stick puzzles. They were fun and simple to make, and I love how compact they are! Right now, Daniel just likes to play with the sticks, but soon he'll be able to figure out how to arrange the puzzle pieces to make a recognizable image. No matter how he plays with it, I'm glad it's interesting enough to encourage solo play every once in a while so I can accomplish a task or two on my own.

Making Weighted Stuffed Animals

As I mentioned in my recent update, one of the adaptations to our daily activities that we've made since starting OT with Lisa has been adding "heavy work" into Daniel's routine. This includes carrying around heavy things to help regulate his nervous system. We purchased a medicine ball which he plays with a lot, and another suggestion from Lisa was to have a couple of weighted stuffed animals for him to play with.

Since I love to make things myself, I decided to adapt a couple of the stuffed animals that Daniel already had to serve this heavy purpose for him. This is a very fast and simple project! It took me about 20 minutes to turn his stuffed dog which weighed a mere 5 ounces into a hefty 2 pounds 4 ounces. He looks about the same (though a bit rounder, perhaps) but now, in addition to being soft and cuddly, this little guy can do a great deal to help Daniel calm down when he's feeling dysregulated.

Here's a quick tutorial for how to make your own weighted stuffed animal:

I Love Wool: A Lanolizing Tutorial

Right before his first birthday, my son began to get painful, infected diaper rashes. After a bit of trial and error (and a couple visits to our pediatrician), we figured out that he had developed a sensitivity to the synthetic cloth diapers we were using for him. Because of that, we switched completely to natural fiber fitted diapers and prefolds.

Little lambs know: wool is the best!

Since these kinds of natural fiber diapers lack a built-in waterproof outer (like the pocket diapers we were using) I used our trusty PUL covers. It didn't take long to notice that even in a cotton diaper with a PUL cover, Daniel would still sometimes get rashy. So I decided to make the plunge into the wonderful world of wool, and I've never looked back!

I crocheted my first wool soaker for him and I was hooked. (Please forgive the pun.) I knew about the magical properties of wool, but I'd been too intimidated by the washing routine to make the switch. Turns out, my fears were totally unfounded: washing wool is incredibly easy. And since it actually gets cleaner when it gets wet (as lanolin converts to a type of antibacterial soap when it comes in contact with wetness) wool only needs to be washed if it gets soiled. I end up washing my wool covers very infrequently, and I've never noticed them smelling bad. In fact, the wool covers get soiled so infrequently, that I usually feel the need to lanolize before I need to wash them.

"Making" Money

Welcome to the October Carnival of Natural Parenting: Money Matters
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have shared how finances affect their parenting choices. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

Part of the way I parent has to do with being more conscious of the environment and the impact that our family has on it. Choosing a "greener" lifestyle doesn't have to mean spending more money. In fact, replacing disposable products in the home will save lots of money over time. The upfront cost might seem like a lot, but just think—you will rarely have to spend money to replace those things! Cloth diapers, cloth napkins and towels, reusable menstrual products, cloth baby wipes, reusable shopping bags...all these things are saving my family money over time.

Wordless Wednesday: A (Delicious) First

I decided what to do with some of the plums I mentioned last week (something I'd never done before):

Mid-washing

 Jaymz was very helpful:

We make a good team in the kitchen. <3

New Clothes for a "Friend"

This post was written for inclusion in the September Families Create! blog carnival hosted by Dionna at Code Name: Mama and Mandy at Living Peacefully With Children. This month's theme was friends and family.

We have a Corolle doll that Daniel likes to carry around with him (we call him/her Daniel's Baby). He pats his Baby on the back and gives (open mouth) kisses. The other day, I decided that I was tired of the pink romper, so I made some new clothes:

I love this butterfly flannel!

Make Your Own Pocket Bib

Welcome to the August Carnival of Natural Parenting: Creating With Kids

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared how they make messes and masterpieces with children. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

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I've really been enjoying sewing a lot lately. I'm getting much more comfortable with my machine, to the point where I'm starting to play with it. Don't we all need a little more play in our lives!?

Since Daniel isn't really big enough yet to do crafts with me, I'm enjoying making things for him for the time being. I stumbled across this tutorial to make a "fold-up-and-snap" bib, and I thought it would be a fun thing to play around with making. I liked the concept of this bib because it combines the two qualities we like about the bibs we already have: it's absorbent and made entirely of cloth, but it has an optional pocket to catch food that is dropped while eating. Daniel doesn't like to wear the bibs that are made of wipe-able materials lately (he's always just pulling on them) but he doesn't seem to mind the cloth ones. I like the cloth bibs better too, because they're soft and they fold up really small to fit well in the diaper bag.

I ended up making one with the fold-and-snap pocket, and then another (slightly quicker) one without it. I have enough materials on hand to make two more, so I think I'm going to experiment with different shapes and sizes, as well as using hook and loop closure in place of the snap at the neck.

Breastmilk: It's like Windex.

The title is (perhaps, obviously) a nod to the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Did you see it? In the movie, the father of the leading lady puts Windex on everything from rashes to pimples; to him, it's the ultimate cure for what ails you!

26 ounces of my frozen breastmilk

This is how I feel about breastmilk, and I know I'm not alone in this belief in its powers! I've joked about it many times with other breastfeeding mothers. Earlier in the week, I mentioned that I've used breastmilk to help heal blistered nipples, but that's a fairly obvious application...as things go.

Here, I've compiled a collection of some less apparent uses for (and things you can make out of) breastmilk. Some I have tried, and others I haven't.

Breastmilk can help with the following ailments:

 

Conquering the Convertible/Infinity Dress

The finished product!

I have to begin by saying: I'm just learning how to sew. I saw a few patterns for this "super-easy," "only one seam" convertible/infinity dress that I happened to think was really beautiful (and also incredibly flattering to a wide range of body-types). If you don't already know, a convertible or infinity dress is basically a circle skirt with two long straps that can be wrapped around the body and tied in the back. There are tons of different ways to wear this kind of dress (even as a skirt!) and it can come out looking different every time.

Anyway, I looked at the patterns and all the beautiful photographs these other women had taken of themselves in the dresses they made, and thought: OK, no sweat; I can totally make one of these!

I read several tutorials, and even one by someone who was somewhat confused by the other tutorials. I studied them to the full extent of my brain, then I went out and bought fabric and thread and set my sights on tackling the project. Here's the thing: I had decided that I would make the dress for myself to wear to a wedding, so there was some built-in pressure and a definite deadline. I gave myself plenty of time, but it turned out to be just barely enough time to get through the anxiety I was having about it and also to complete the project in time.

What I'm finding with sewing is that it's like everyone who already knows how to do it is in this club, and they all know the rules. No one will come right out and tell me all of the rules at once (though they don't know that they're doing this—it's not at all malicious). Rather, I have had to learn the rules from trial and error, and one at a time. It's been pretty frustrating, but also a great and very satisfying learning experience. If you're even a little bit experienced with sewing, most of the rest of what I'm going to say will probably sound ridiculous. But if—like me—you're not, and you want to attempt this project, then maybe my experience will help you avoid having to make some of my mistakes.

I used two semi-circles to make a slightly
longer skirt. Turns out, my measurements
were screwy and I ended up having to hem it
quite a bit. Luckily, Jaymz was willing to
help with the cutting!

Here's what I learned that helped me complete this project:

• Reading the sewing machine manual helps. I know, I know, that's way too obvious. But I really did learn some important things about my machine, and now I also know where to find things when I need to look them up again later.
• You need a ball point needle to sew stretchy fabric. This was mentioned in the tutorials, so I made sure to buy a pack of them when I was at the fabric store picking up my dress fabric. Turns out, my machine came with several of them, and I ended up returning the extras that I bought. They come in different sizes, so you should match the size of the needle with the type of fabric that you have. (For instance, here's a guide to selecting needle sizes for Singer machines, like mine.)
• Besides the ball point needle, you need a walking presser foot to sew stretchy knits! This is one of the things that I didn't know until I started trying to sew my stretch fabric (even with the ball point needle) and I was having to push it—hard—to get it to go under the presser foot and needle. The walking foot has grabbers (yes, that is most certainly the technical name) on it which "walk" the fabric along under it from the top side, as the ones on the bottom do the same. It keeps the fabric from stretching while it's being sewn. (Here's a helpful YouTube video of the walking presser foot in action.)
• Don't cut the waist hole too big. I can't say this enough times! Cut it much smaller than you think you should; it will probably be perfect.
• The waistband is what holds up the dress, not the straps. Because of that, if you cut the waistband too large, your dress will droop down as you wear it, particularly in the back. I tightened my waistband much smaller than the tutorials recommended, but it still wasn't small enough in the end. I'll know next time!



I made another nursing necklace
to go with my dress: a shell pendant
and glass bead on a silky cord.

• If you have large breasts, don't try to make the waistband wide enough to cover your bust (as at least one of the tutorials I linked above suggest). The wider waistband will roll down when you're wearing the dress forward (with the straps over your bust), and it will make the waist look bulky.
• If you don't choose a jersey fabric that rolls on the edges when stretched (the same type of fabric needed to make a no-sew stretchy wrap), then you will need to hem your dress. I didn't think this through when purchasing fabric, and I ended up hemming the dress with iron-on hem tape just a couple of days before the wedding (Jaymz helped). If you choose this method, I highly recommend adhering the hem tape before cutting the fabric off at the proper length (with seam allowance). Having extra fabric helps to make a big crease which will hold the tape while you iron, greatly simplifying the process.
• Trim all the excess threads when you're finished. Again, a total no-brainer, except when you forget to do it and then you feel threads poking your sides in the middle of Nuptial Mass. ...Not that this would ever happen to me; I would never forget such a basic step!

I had this fantasy that someone would come up to me at the wedding reception and say, "That's such a beautiful dress! Where did you get it?" and I would just smile and thank them. Sadly, it did not play out that way, but at least no one came up to me and said, "Hey, um...excuse me, but...did you know that your dress is falling apart?"

Here we all are at the wedding reception! I only wish I had gotten something
purple for Daniel to wear. (Also, perhaps you can see that I changed my
strap configuration after the top photo was taken.)

In any case, I felt beautiful and comfortable and also relatively cool (in unair-conditioned buildings in Ohio in June) and that's good enough for me!

Have you created anything lately that you're proud of? Have you ever had a project nearly defeat you because you didn't know all the "rules"? I'd love to hear your story!

Make Your Own Nursing Necklace

I made my own version of Motherwear's $4 nursing necklace, so I wanted to share a mini-tutorial. I bought 3 yards of leather cord at a craft store for $3 (enough to make several necklaces). The faux shell donut was $2 from the same craft store. So, my necklace cost less than $4, assuming I use the extra cord to make other ones.

Here's how to do it:

1. Tie the cord to the pendant. I looked at photos of necklaces I liked on Etsy for different ways to tie the cord, and asked Jaymz if he was interested in reproducing any of the knots for me (because he likes to do things like that with his hands). I chose this double-looped version for the first try, and it turned out great!
2. Cut the cord off at your desired length, then wear your necklace! Keep in mind that you might want to tie it a bit lower when your nursling is playing with it and then tighten it up afterward, so leave a little extra slack just in case.
3. Oops, that's it! Just two steps.

A few tips: 

• Check out the bead section of your favorite craft store for sales. Buying beads (and donuts like this one) on sale will save you a lot of money. 
• Keep in mind that your baby might put this in her mouth at some point, so (if you care about these kinds of things) be mindful of what materials the donut is made out of.
• Also think about stimulating colors and textures when you're choosing a pendant for your necklace. A smooth, cool stone or glass pendant would be a great option, or carved wooden rings would be fun and pretty, too!
• Consider using a smooth, round nylon or silk cord for a different look.
• You could even add a bead in a contrasting color to the cord above the knot. Have fun experimenting with different ways to make your necklace!

Daniel is really enjoying playing with this when he nurses. I enjoy it because it keeps him from twiddling, pinching, or pulling my arm hair. (I can't be the only one with a fidgety nursling, right?) It looks pretty while still being durable enough to wear around a baby, and it looks and functions like a normal piece of jewelery.

For another attractive, inexpensive, baby-safe, DIY necklace idea, check out this tutorial from Lauren at Hobo Mama for how to make a knotted fabric bead necklace. Or, you could make one like this. So many options for us crafty-types to choose from!

Amigurumi Dragon

This post was written for inclusion in the April Families Create! blog carnival hosted by Dionna at Code Name: Mama and Mandy at Living Peacefully With Children. This month's theme is fantasy.

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It took me a while to decide what to make for this month's fantasy theme. I finally settled on this little dragon, and I'm very pleased with how it turned out! If I find the right patterns, I might have to make a few friends (a princess and a knight, perhaps?) to go with it. It might be a while before Daniel wants to play with this critter, but I'll keep it safe for him until then.

I used this free dragon pattern from Heavens Hellcat (though I altered the pattern for the wings a bit). She has lots of other adorable fantasy-inspired amigurumi patterns for sale from her Etsy shop, including a large collection of really cute Star Wars characters.

For fellow crocheters: I found this pattern easier to follow than most, even though it was written differently than others I've seen (it allowed for more variation and decision-making on my part, rather than producing a cookie-cutter version each time). Also, while I found this a bit frustrating at times, the pattern has lots of little details built in to provide realism to the final product. I'm glad I took the time to complete all of the details, because I think they really made the dragon.

I was able to make the dragon out of some leftover yarn scraps and other yarn that I wasn't using for any other projects, so it was a very economical little critter to create. (For instance, you may be able to recognize the eye yarn from Daniel's baby afghan.) I also added a pipe cleaner during the tail construction, so now it's a bit more bendable and pose-able.

I took a lot of photos during the process, so here are a few of those:

Nostrils

Head and neck

Yum, yarn!

Working on the body/belly

Adding some tail dexterity

Tail!

My cuddly helper (I'm working on a leg.)

Almost finished with the wing. (I love the little claws!)

Spikes!

I already attached the ears, now the spikes.

Next, the legs, complete with claws.
(I anchored them to each other through the body for stability,
so they can still pivot but they're securely attached.)

The wings are attached next; I'm almost finished!

Add some eyes, and we've got a whole dragon!

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Fairies, dragons, magic, and more. Childhood is a fascinating time, filled magic around every corner. Check out what Families Create! participants created in April:

• Aunalise at My Sweet Potatoes shares with us the photographic tourshe went on with her children though the enchanted gardens in Photographic Tour Though the Enchanted Gardens and how her family made their very own Fairy Gardens.
  
• A submarine toothbrush holder was inspiration at Living Peacefully with Children. Mandy's children fantasized about what it would be like under the sea which she then put together with watercolors and framed for this Under the Sea Bathroom.
  
• Brenna at Almost All The Truth shares how her family made Where the Wild Things Are come to life by letting her little wild things make masks and star in their own A Wild Things Masked Rumpus!
  
• Amy at Anktangle created something very special to aide in imaginative fantasy play: a fierce but friendly Amigurumi Dragon!
  
• While Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children doesn't have her fantasy kitchen, she is making her simple kitchen work better. Check out her unused coat closet turned new Small Appliance Closet. Kitchen Shelves finally give a place to house some of the produce her family goes through. Homemade Chalkboards help keep her family organized while giving a place for children to explore their creativity.
  
• Galit Breen blogged about the magic of the tooth fairy and shared some ideas to use when it's time for your child's tooth fairy to make an appearance in What Do You Do When The Tooth Fairy Comes?
  
• Learn how to make some of the Gnome Homes for Rent that Auna at My Sweet Potatoes made for your own backyard and maybe you will soon have a village of Gnomes. Then read as she shares how to make Fairy Butter, a great snack for all the fairies/gnomes in your life.
  
• No set would be complete at Living Peacefully with Children without a Harry Potter themed I-Spy set.

Make Your Own Vanilla Extract: Update

It's been nearly three months since I started my made-at-home vanilla extract, and I think it's about as done as it can get. Check out the vanilla extract tutorial I wrote for instructions on how to make some for yourself!

Before:

After:

I'm looking forward to using this in all my baked goods from now on. It was so easy, I can't imagine ever buying vanilla extract again. All it takes is a little advanced planning (that is, if you do a lot of baking and plan on running out of vanilla extract on a regular basis).

Amigurumi Turtle

This post was written for inclusion in the March Families Create! blog carnival hosted by Dionna at Code Name: Mama and Mandy at Living Peacefully With Children. This month's theme was animals.

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I made this sweet little crocheted amigurumi sea turtle for Daniel recently. It was my first try at making an animal, and it was really fun. It was so quick! I worked on it intermittently, and it still only took two days. I might even make a whole turtle family.

I used this pattern from For the Love of Yarn. The pattern has lots of great photographs included. I used my favorite kind of yarn, Lion Brand Homespun yarn. It comes in the best colors!

I used black embroidery thread instead of safety eyes because I wanted Daniel to be able to put it in his mouth without having to worry about the eyes coming dislodged by accident.

All the turtle parts, ready for stuffing and assembly
(top shell, bottom shell, tail, legs, and head)

Fully assembled except for the top shell

I added a rattle to the center so he could have fun shaking it (that's the first thing he does when he picks up a toy—he shakes it to see if it makes a sound). I made the rattle out of a tiny empty glass bottle (about an inch long) and some small spare hardware, so it makes a higher-pitched sound than most other rattles. (I forgot to take a photo of the rattle before I closed up the turtle...oops.) If you happen to know where I can find a squeaker to put inside the next critter I make, I'd love to know!

We haven't named the turtle yet. Do you have any suggestions?

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March’s Families, Create! challenge was filled with awesome animal-themed posts. From Mo Willems to monkey finger puppets, our writers and crafters kept busy getting creative with the little animals in their lives. Visit Code Name: Mama and Living Peacefully with Children to find out how you can participate in the next Families, Create! Carnival. Our April's theme is "Fantasy" - childhood is a fascinating time, filled with magic around every corner. What can your family imagine and create?

Please take time to read the March submissions by the other carnival participants:

• Lizz at Am I a Funny Girl turns a family outing at the zoo into a picture book to keep.

• Maman A Droit shares her easy pattern for a felt monkey finger puppet with you!

• The kids at Living Peacefully with Children celebrated the emergence of Spring with butterflies. Check out their Coffee Filter Butterfly mobile and Pipe Cleaner Art.

• Aunalise at My Sweet Potatoes offers helpful ways for a child to remember calming techniques with a “Calming your Beast” basket.

• Most of us have monkeys running around our house at times. Or lions. Or elephants. Make your child's creative animal play even better with stuffed animal tails! Dionna at Code Name: Mama shares an easy tutorial.

• Galit Breen at These Little Waves shares an easy way to get creative with Mo Willems' "We Are In A Book."

• Maman A Droit shares her pattern for a felt bunny finger puppet-a perfect Easter basket filler!

• Brenna at Almost All The Truth shares a look at butterflies through metaphor, books and a coffee filter craft.

• Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children knitted some simple Nugget Bunnies for her children's Ostara baskets while practicing a new technique.

• Amy at Anktangle shares photographs of crocheting a lovable stuffed turtle for her son to play with.

• Aunalise at My Sweet Potatoes knows a few ways to bring beneficial birds to the garden.

• Megan at Purple Dancing Dahlias shares a fun little first sewing project.

• Lauren at Hobo Mama has a fun and easy game to make to stimulate your preschooler's memory.

• Using her children's artwork as inspiration, Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children woodburned wooden eggs for them to color in honor of Spring.

• Aunalise at My Sweet Potatoes is making nature bags or field bags for nature journals and the other things we may need as we explore our planet.

• Animals are the inspiration for this set of handmade clay items for an I Spy bag at Living Peacefully with Children.

Make Your Own Wool Dryer Balls

This recent post from Mothering reminded me that I had this tutorial in my drafts section, and I really ought to just go ahead and publish already, so here it is:

I use dryer balls to help soften our clothes and lessen static in the drying process. Over a year ago, we switched from using chemical fabric softeners to more natural laundry alternatives. One of the main reasons was because chemical fabric softeners coat cloth diapers and make them less absorbent. I knew we would be cloth diapering Daniel, and we were also switching to fragrance-free laundry detergent and body products, so it seemed like another logical step to take at the same time.

First, I tried the PVC dryer balls with the spikes on them, which quickly fell apart. Next, I bought a wool dryer ball from a diaper retailer. After receiving the wool dryer ball, I realized how simple it would be to make them myself, and it would save me some money in the process. I found this tutorial from Bummis and went out and bought some 100% wool yarn. I think I spent about $8 on the dryer ball I bought from the diaper store, and for less than that I was able to make four balls*, and I still have enough yarn left over for one more!

This project is a practical way to use up scraps of yarn you might have left over from other projects. Just make sure you're using wool or other non-machine-washable yarn that will felt easily. These would also make a great addition to a gift for new parents, a cloth-diapering family, or anyone who likes to use natural products in their home.

What you need for this project:

Some 100% wool yarn, or other yarn that's good for felting
Small amount of cotton string/yarn/thread
An old sock or pair of pantyhose
A washing machine and dryer

1. Wind your 100% wool yarn into a ball, starting by wrapping around your fingers and then switching directions like this:



2. Wind the ball tightly and evenly until you have a ball (or more than one) that is slightly smaller than a tennis ball:



3. When you have your ball (or balls) ready, put them all in an old sock or pair of panty hose, tying off between the balls with some non-wool yarn or string:



4. Wash and dry the sock or pantyhose with the wool balls inside. Wash them on HOT! (The hotter you wash the balls, the faster they will felt.) I used a hot/cold cycle.


5. Next, put them in the dryer and dry them on hot. When they're finished drying, cut the strings between the balls and remove them from the sock or pantyhose. The balls should be smaller than they were when you put them in, and fuzzy. (These balls are the cores of your dryer balls. From what I read, using this two-step felting process with both a core and an outer later of yarn will help them to be more durable.)


6. Take your ball cores and begin the wrapping process again with the wool yarn (you can kind of see here how much smaller the core got during the felting process):



7. Wrap the ball until is is just slightly bigger than you want it to end up being:



8. Repeat steps 3-5, and you're finished!

Using dryer balls naturally softens and decreases static in your drying clothes. They also decrease drying time (thereby saving you money) by separating the clothes during the drying process.

I've been using these for about a month now, and they've held up very well. I can see how one of them might unravel a bit in the future, because I wrapped it rather haphazardly. In light of that, I advise that you take your time while making these and wrap the yarn tightly and in an orderly fashion as you go, so they will last a long time. Next time I do this, I'm going to choose some more colorful yarn!

*In the interest of full disclosure, I made a few of these completely out of wool yarn, and then the others with a tennis ball in the center and wool on the outside (but I bet you can't tell which ones are which!). I wanted the yarn I bought to produce several balls, and using a tennis ball also greatly decreased the amount of time I spent winding the yarn. (Plus, we have a ton of old ones lying around, since my husband plays tennis.) I still did the two-step felting process on the tennis ball dryer balls to make sure the yarn stuck to them well and felted thoroughly.

Practicing Patience Through Fiber Art

I love to crochet, and it's a skill I'm very proud of. I taught myself how to crochet from crochet patterns and how-to books (with a few pointers from my mother). My first project was making scarves for some friends and family members for Christmas a few years ago (I made at least eight that first year). My second project was a full-size afghan that took me over a year to complete.

I've grown to really enjoy the crocheting process: I decide on a project, then go out to choose the perfect yarn for the item I'm making. I wind the yarn into a ball so it's easier to work with, and then I can start crocheting. Each tiny stitch gets me a little bit closer to the end product, but it's the whole journey—not just the end result—that's so much fun.

I like the idea that when I crochet a gift for someone, a small piece of me goes into the gift. I spend my time on it, I give my energy to it, I touch every little bit of it, and I think about the person while I'm creating something for them. It's a very calming, meditative activity for me. It's also a beautiful exercise in patience.

I'm not naturally a very patient person. I get easily frustrated when tasks are taking longer to complete than I had anticipated. I also have trouble finishing (or even starting) large tasks, particularly when the end result is not clearly visible. For some reason, I have patience for crochet projects.

When I started crocheting the afghan, I made a conscious decision to not think about how long it would take to finish. I worked at it when I wanted to, and I took breaks when I wanted. (I made an error that I discovered several rows after the fact, and I took a break for a few months to decide whether to leave the error or pull it out and fix it.) When I made those last stitches after working on the afghan for so long, I was amazed that I had created something so large out of so many tiny stitches. I realized that large projects can be completed with small, intentional, regular effort.

There's also the joy of giving away a project I've been working on for someone else. I especially love it when the recipient says something like, "That's my favorite color!" when I didn't know her favorite color before choosing the yarn for her gift. It's almost as if the yarn jumped off the shelf into my hands and said to me, "I belong to that person. Make me into something lovely for her!"

Crocheting challenges my patience, and it's important for me to practice patience. With every stitch, I'm improving my ability to appreciate each small moment, while understanding that that moment is part of a much bigger picture. I'm actively providing counter-balance to the impatient parts of myself, telling myself, It's alright to take your time. It's best to just keep going. You don't have to be able to see the end to know it will come eventually. Enjoy the effort. Enjoy the journey.

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"Live a balanced life—learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some."
Robert Fulghum

This post is part of my series on balance, inspired by the October Carnival of Natural Parenting. Without balance, we feel burned out, we lose perspective...we fall down. How do you find balance in your life? What does it mean to you to be in balance? Does it come easily to you or do you have to be more intentional about it?

I'd love to host your guest post for my series on balance! Contact me at anktangle (at) gmail (dot) com if you're interested in participating.