Spin with me: Mill Ends to Handspun Chaos Yarn

Hello friends! I got up with a craving for chaos. Luckily I had bought myself a bag of mill ends, assorted scrap bits of wool. It is all uncontrolled and uncoordinated chaos in that bag, and I'm going to take the magic of randomness and spin a yarn with that. I take the merino and other sheep wool ends and spin them without looking in which order I put them. Then I ply the resulting two bobbins together, and tadah, there we have chaos. An odd way of colourmanagement, I know, but this was a fun exercise. I think this skein of yarn would be perfect to knit a triangular shawl or scarf. I spin this yarn on my Louët S71, one of my faster spinningwheels. Have you tried your hand at spinning chaotic yarns with scraps yet?
If you want to join in on the chaos, you can join the patreon via: / mijnwolden
You can also find me on Ravelry and Instagram as @MijnWolden
If you enjoy spinning, yarn, knitting, fiber arts or any other traditional craft and fiber shenanigans then this channel is right up your alley. Maybe you could hit that subscribe button?
#spinning #spinningwheel #crafting #handmade #handspinning

[@ShanaH414]

I initially thought your scale was a food processor that would chop up all the mill ends. Then I thought -- wow, that will be a very chaotic yarn.😆

[@ronjakristensen5868]

Thats what I thought as well 😂

[@Janet-ov7zx]

Me, too ! 😂 harpingJanet

[@MijnWolden]

Hahahahahahahaha ohmygod that would be very chaotic indeed!

[@eleonoramarree]

yes indeed it looked like the food processor . but we can expect to see it in the future. it would not surprise me at all. 😮😅

[@KnittingsAndSewings]

Me too!!! I thought, wow!!!

[@deniseodaniels7356]

back my days as a child. fashion was not as of now. back then u could not wear pink and orange or purple and red. i always wanted to wear those colors. i know what u mean...i loved hearing of your childhood memories. then the 60s came and u could wear all the wild colors. love the colors of your scarf.

[@MijnWolden]

Luckily I was born in the 90s and fashion has done some weird stuff and there are no rules anymore 😁

[@brandyolin5979]

"2024 is my very unhinged year". Perfect motto for this ridiculous year! I'm stealing it.

[@MijnWolden]

It's very much up for stealing 😁

[@She10b]

I love it! "craving chaos not violence" 🤣😂🤣

[@MijnWolden]

Always chaos 😎

[@Janet-ov7zx]

I like your chaos yarn very much! And, you gave me an idea for my own chaos spin. Drafting the ending color and the new color together is totally fabulous, and I'm going to do exactly that with the rest of my Advent fiber spin. harpingJanet

[@MijnWolden]

Have Fun! 😁

[@lgerha01]

Make it more chaotic and let fate decide the pattern 🤣 Love seeing the process, and the yarn turned out really cool!

[@MijnWolden]

Hahaha yes that would indeed be the way to go

[@1st1anarkissed]

I just couldn't ignore color management. Color is the heart of my work. This week I have been slinning up.all the little bits of colored roving but I separated it into tone ranges. Blues, greens, yellows, etc. I carded them together on my drum taking care to split them into equal batches. Tonight I am spinning the "naturals" together. There are two browns, three rusts, an ocher, a beige, grey, white and black. The yarn looks like I shaved and spun a long haired calico cat.😂 I too like the medium wools best but I spin anything I can get. I also just started the journey through dying my own wool. Whew, learning curve is steep.

[@MijnWolden]

The learning curve is steep and the rabbit hole deep 😁

[@PNWwonder]

I am pretty weird on my own but you definitely help my day along adding your weird into the mix. 😊 I escaped to the forest yesterday to pick mushrooms. Black trumpets or known as horn of plenty! 😋 Each decade we age those little aches and pain’s just love to become more present. I am a decade plus 4 older than you. My eyes are starting to get blurry 😅

[@MijnWolden]

Oh but my eyes have been blurry since decade 1, so that doesn't count 😂

[@bestofemse]

omg it turned out so great! I think it would love to be made into a hat and scarf set. I really think a hat with all of those colours would be awesome.

[@MijnWolden]

It would!

[@jenniferfowler6713]

it turned out amazing. make a wrap with it, and use it as your weft yarn on your loom

[@MijnWolden]

That would look amazing! Too bad I have already defaulted to knitting... I guess I will have to make another one 😁

[@Bean_Box_Knitting]

This is so joyous! I have learned to spin in the last 6 months, mainly using mill ends and I have loved the chaos yarns (and the more planned ones). I've been knitting them all into a "ten stitch blanket", in garter stitch. It was mainly to help me learn but actually I have come to love the random colours and been surprised by colours I liked together, such as pink and green. Later on, I've started blending the colours on a blending board for a more subtle chaos yarn. Equally as joyous! Perhaps something for you to try also? 😁❤

[@MijnWolden]

Oh yes I really want to try blending and more colourmanagement techniques!

[@ElliLovett]

watching the time laps with all the colours is so much fun

[@MijnWolden]

Thank you 😁

[@AndreaAlexander]

Amaaaaazing! I love these kinds of projects, where the majority of the decisions are just left up to fate. This is going to make for SUCH a fun knit! It would also be crazy fun for a warp or weft for weaving, too!

[@MijnWolden]

It was a Fun knit indeed, but now that everyone is pointing out the missed weaving opportunity I might just need to do it again 😁

[@partyfiesta1557]

WEBWINKEL EVEN GESLOTEN! I will have to keep a mental note to try out and support this company! Thanks for sharing! Peaceful chaos is always the answer btw❤

[@MijnWolden]

I'll ad another link to them in the video with the finished object. So that's another reminder in a couple of weeks 😁

[@partyfiesta1557]

@@MijnWolden that’s awesome and you’re amazing! Have a great night! 🤗

[@nataliedekkers]

Love the yarn. The more color you put in the better they go together.

[@MijnWolden]

Exactly 😁

[@elynapege6467]

Chaos yarn, YUM! 😋 I'm in the process of organizing myself a mystery fiber franken-skein for a future wrap project. I hope I will have as much fun as you did! Keep going with the crafty shenanigans, we like it! 🧶

[@MijnWolden]

Oooh have Fun!

[@LittleHelper5]

The idea of a single strand triangle scarf/ shawl would be lovely! I have not watched one from beginning to end. I even have supplies to make myself a triangle loom, funny how it hasn't put itself together yet. Maybe soon.

[@MijnWolden]

You've got no mythical elves that just build that loom for you?

[@LadyValkyri]

Thank you so much for bringing me joy in the reading of the closed captions. I love your sense of humor! Hugs

[@MijnWolden]

I love that you love reading them 😁

[@rashna671]

I think the skein came out great! cant wait to see it knitted that can change the vibe so much! Ahh knee pain....I am a "youthful" 29y old but since I walk and stand a lot for work I get ambient knee pain a lot I actually ended up getting an E-Spinner as my "big" spinning wheel since I dont think I could use a treadle wheel comfortably after a day at work. well that and I cant actually fit even a small treadle wheel in room currently :P

[@MijnWolden]

You young whippersnappers and their modern equipment 😂

[@Tinas_Workshop]

I crocheted a hat years ago with random scraps and it was one of my favorite hats but I so totally want to make a skein like this. 🥰

[@MijnWolden]

The hat sounds lovely!

[@Zethek]

Very fun yarn! My vote is for a triangle shawl/scarf so you can use up as much of the skein as possible. Plus, when it's wrapped up the colors from different parts of the scarf will overlap to bring in further mixing!

[@MijnWolden]

Yes! My thoughts exactly!

[@cerwelt]

I love the final product. I’d love to see you take mill ends and do the rainbow as you spin them. The ply it with a neutral like ecru, black, brown…you eat the drift. I know you like “outside the box” thinking, but aesthetics can be fun too. I love ombré and am curious if that’s how it’s spun, I’m not a spinner, just a weaver and a crocheter.

[@MijnWolden]

Not sure whether this will fall under your definition of ombré, but you could check my video on the autumn coloured fractal yarn I made.

[@sonnenblumenimp]

This is breathtakingly beautiful! I just discovered your channel through a recommendation of a friend of mine and I absolutely love it, you spinning, how you are making your videos, everything! (The yarn is super gorgeous. Congratulations, I'm looking forward to seeing it knit up!!)

[@MijnWolden]

Thank you and thank you to your friend 😁

[@rossedennz]

I LOVE spinning and plying like this and tend to do it with roving I’ve spaced dyed and then split and spun from opposite ends before plying… you never quite know…😜 Devide and conquer! Xxx Annie

[@MijnWolden]

Yes for chaos spinning!

[@TroyKristoffer]

I found this video so satisfying and relaxing. I love the idea of "chaos" in "peace".

[@MijnWolden]

Thank you ☺️

[@FayeCat]

This is the first video of yours I wasn’t able to spin with you. (I’m away on a work trip…) I thought I could wait until the weekend to be home and spin with you , but that was definitely a lie I told myself 😂. So I shall sit here and enjoy the Chaos and pine for my wheel.

[@MijnWolden]

It's so hard being away from our fiber tools!

[@resourcedragon]

Maybe you should get an emergency spindle and a little yarn to go with it for when you are travelling. (I've seen some incredibly small Turkish spindles that are good for spinning things like fine silk.) Plan B (which does not preclude plan A): rewatch the video and spin along with Jente over the weekend.

[@FayeCat]

@@resourcedragon I have a small travel Turkish! But I opted to leave it home since this is a work trip. I did, however, bring my crochet amigurimi project to help my ADHD pay attention during my conference classes! I will probably spin a long this weekend though. That’s a good plan!

[@sylviak2995]

Really love your chaos yarn. Super fun!You could make a cool bag with it 😊

[@MijnWolden]

Thanks 😁

[@brandyolin5979]

Ooooh, I wonder where I could get mill ends in the US in this day and age? That sounds so fun.

[@MijnWolden]

I think if you look around on Etsy, there are many Grab bags for sale!

[@clearwater7000]

Sooooo interesting! Amaaazing video! ❣

[@MijnWolden]

Thank you ☺️

[@breec]

If it's at all suitable for weaving, you mentioned a triangle scarf and I thought about Jillian Eve's triangle shawl loom. The crosscross of the colors could be even more chaotic! If you decide against knitting a scarf, I think this yarn would look cool as a pair of mittens or as a bag of some kind. Side note: you saying 2024 is your very unhinged year and then immediately getting snagged on the flyer (flier?) is just... painfully relatable. As is your knee jumping on board the unhinged train 😂💀 Here's to our 30s 🎉 I take your permission, nay command, to be my most unhinged self and grant my chaos to those around me

[@MijnWolden]

Jente: I'm going to enjoy this unhinged year Flyer hooks: oh no you're not 😅

[@kimdegener3854]

I love this fun, chaotic, peaceful spin. I've been working on deep stash alpaca, and I'm over it! Ready for a fresh spin.

[@MijnWolden]

I get that 😅

[@ginaheutink968]

Weird is good. Embrace the chaos.

[@MijnWolden]

I am 😎

[@lookingup3678]

I love it so much! I can’t wait to see what you make with it. I have an Ashford traditional that looks exactly like yours

[@MijnWolden]

Wheel buddies! ✋

[@winterkoeniginwinternacht2882]

Love the weird energy, thank you! 🤩 What a great idea to create yarn. I looked in my ravelry queue (more a collection of all the patterns I find interesting) and came up with two that I think will highlight the uniqueness of your yarn. They're both constructed from side - to - side -CrissCross Twelve by Beyenburgerin Design - RiverRun Shawl by Christie Furber Stay weird!

[@MijnWolden]

I'm running to Ravelry to check those out! 🏃‍♀️

[@jenniferbrighty5120]

Hi Jente, my Chaos Goblin Fibre Friend, I hope you're OK xx ❣️❣️❣️❣️ Thankyou so much for sharing this video podcast and your Shenanigans. You're a breath of fresh air. I absolutely love your Chaos Handspun Yarn, it looks amazing and quite beautiful. Please don't put your head to near the hooks on your flyer. In saying that I quite often get myself caught on the hooks ...Maybe they're trying to tell us something. You're still young yet, I came to Spinning quite late( 2021) and at that time i was 66, I'll be 70 in a few months time, (don't tell anyone )😮😮 I have bought fibres ( similar to mill ends) I sorted them into their respective colours. Now I'm off to buy again and create a Chaos Handspun Yarn. 🎉🎉 Happy Spinning Fibre Friend 🎡🐑🥰 Take care and stay safe Lots of love and Big Hugs Jen xxxx ❤️❤️❤️❤️🫂🫂🫂🫂🐕

[@MijnWolden]

(I won't tell anyone 😉)

[@jenniferbrighty5120]

@@MijnWolden Hi Jente, Thankyou so much for the Heart ♥ Sending Heart ♥ back to you ❤️💞⚘️ Thanks for not telling anyone 🤣🌝 Hope you and Dries have a Wonderful Weekend Take care and stay safe Lots of love and Big Hugs to you both Jen xxxx ❤️❤️❤️❤️🫂🫂🫂🫂🐕

[@bagladysendtheferalspinner3761]

I would spin up some of your dark Zwarble fleece to a nice dark brown yarn as the contrast to your chaos yarn and do a colour-work project. It will look amazing.

[@MijnWolden]

If I hadn't already finished knitting with it, this would be what I would do...

[@jeanettedavis4633]

I think it's beautiful. A shawl would be nice.

[@MijnWolden]

Thank you ☺️

[@gemmaf_]

I think I need a box of mill ends!! I've never spun anything like that, but it's so fun. I just finished a Grotine Shawl, which could work well with that yarn.

[@MijnWolden]

It is a lot of fun!

[@bubblez3177]

Love how it turned out! I like the triangle scarf. Ive been down the yt rabbit hole and found assigned pooling and wondered what the scarf would look like for every primary color to have a different stitch from the main/ neutral body? 😂 You talking to your knee to behave is so familiar to me with my hip!

[@MijnWolden]

Sometimes unruly bodyparts need a stern talking to 😂

[@fieildsofjelly]

This is the first time I've seen yarn spun. I learned how to knit from a cozy local yarn shop run by 1 person, so they're too busy to spin their own yarn. The process looks nice, albeit a bit chaotic. Though I imagine once you get into a groove it feels quite nice. I might have to look into it myself! After all I'm pretty sure it would be a great skill to have nonetheless.

[@MijnWolden]

Spinning is very soothing and relaxing, however a deeeeeeep rabbithole once you dive into it. Personally I can only recommend it.

[@fieildsofjelly]

I would imagine that to be the case, it was the same type of theory with my knitting, and besides that, it does seem like it takes quite a bit of getting used to. Thanks for the advice! @@MijnWolden

[@nicola.p]

Make the project chaotic as well. Filter Ravelry to the meterage, then use a random number generator to pick the page number and then the pattern on that page. Whatever you end up with, that is what you knit. Chaos from beginning to end 😊

[@MijnWolden]

Great idea 😁

[@emmakins0515]

This was soo fun to watch!

[@MijnWolden]

Thank you 😁

[@lillian7035]

Great video, I love your humor! I especially liked the close up of you drafting and joining different pieces. I’m a new spinner, mostly on a spindle. I have a wheel but I’m scared 😳 to use it! 😫

[@MijnWolden]

Don't be scared of your wheel! It can be quite daunting, I know, but start with treadling only. If you can keep it going, and starting and stopping easily you're good to go. And since you spindle spin, you know how to Draft. Give it a while and your wheel Will be your best friend 😁

[@lillian7035]

@@MijnWolden thank you, you are so encouraging! Happy Spring! I’m coming to you from NYC!🫶🏽

[@moonbasket]

So cool! What pretty yarn

[@MijnWolden]

Thank you 😁

[@alexandrar123]

Mooi gedaan! Lijkt me ook prima voor een kindertrui. Ik heb garen gesponnen van rare restjes, maar eerst een draad van de donkere kleuren en een andere met de fellere, lichtere kleuren en dan getwijnd. Heel leuk effect! Maar ik moet leren me over te geven aan echte chaos, zie ik nu. 😂

[@MijnWolden]

Ik heb alleen geen kinderen voor een kindertrui 😉

[@alexandrar123]

Ook niet in de familie? Ik brei nog wel eens voor de kinderen van m’n nichtje. En heb collega’s die moeder of oma worden. Moet je dan natuurlijk wel weer met zachte wol breien. Ik weet niet of ze Belgisch melkschaap vinden kriebelen…

[@MijnWolden]

@alexandrar123 mijn man zijn twee nichten hebben kindjes, en daar heb ik mutsjes voor gebreid. Maar ik heb ze nog nooit met die mutsjes gezien... Denk dat de kindjes te veel binnen de esthetische keuzes van de moeder moeten vallen om mijn gebreide spulletjes te kunnen dragen...

[@raevynwoods9403]

What a lovely chaotic yarn! I'm curious to see what you'll make with it, I think a triangle (or other type of) shawl will be really nice. If you get to the blue/white section and you really feel like it's going on too long, you could always cut half of that section out and reuse it at the very end. It will go a little bit against the chaotic nature of the project, but if it gives an end result you like more... *shrugs* who cares?

[@MijnWolden]

I'll Tell you the secret that: the triangle shape was perfect for the Blue/white 😉

[@ColorsofHopeCraftsASMR]

That’s beautiful!

[@MijnWolden]

Thank you 😁

[@pkwork]

I love it!!

[@MijnWolden]

Thank you ☺️

[@sabrinajudt5719]

It's so pretty!

[@MijnWolden]

Thank you ☺️

[@tattercandy]

looks great

[@MijnWolden]

Thank you :)

[@michellebruton6287]

Oh I have missed you my dear chaos goblin (been working away from home for a while). And your chaos yarn was an absolute feast for my eyes - I LOVE IT !! would it be cheating if you cut some of the pale blue out and added it to the end (or beginning) ? Or .... a fabulously chaotic scarf or shawlette made of many corner to corner blocks or even crochet granny squares ... or ... a funky goblin hood scarf . I just know that you will come up with something fantabulous

[@MijnWolden]

Welcome back 😁

[@Yarn_addict]

Love it , I did the same thing last month! I think I will make chaos socks with mine 😜

[@MijnWolden]

Chaos socks are always a win

[@resourcedragon]

Excellent plan!

[@TarotLadyLissa]

I love it! I would make a chaos cowl!

[@MijnWolden]

I'm more of a scarf person myself 😁

[@stillarobyn]

I LOVE this chaos yarn! I know you are looking for knitting suggestions, but I think it would be so fun (and potentially more color-manageable) as a woven scarf!

[@MijnWolden]

I am so used to defaulting to knitting that I always forget about the weaving possibilities 😅

[@countbaldwiniv]

Chaos! ❤

[@MijnWolden]

Chaos!

[@nblmqst1167]

Aside from the unhinging...a very fun spin. I am interested in seeing it knit up. \(^-^)/

[@MijnWolden]

Thank you 😁

[@etienne6916]

I'm curious if it could look good in a project where you color work it into some neutral colored yarn? i.e. n=neutral c=chaos and the pattern would be: full row of n, then a row of n c n c n c ... and another full row of n? it might look less chaotic for a main clothing article like a sweater :) love the colors it created! :D

[@MijnWolden]

I think if I had more I would have certainly have tried. Maybe one of Andrea Mowry's patterns that play with neutral/colourshifting yarn

[@linr8260]

Yesss medium wools

[@MijnWolden]

yessssssssssss

[@cerwelt]

Just a thought, but something you said triggered a vision. “This yarn is me”. If you are the medium wool fiber, and the others represent other people, and you are spinning them into a yarn, which in turn becomes a garment, what else is possible? A beautiful cohesive garment made up of all sorts of chaotic types of yarn, both in color, material and texture. Could not it represent community? We could get out of our comfort zones and hold hands with all the sorts of differences in others to make one beautiful existence. There is more in your content plan than meets the eye.

[@MijnWolden]

That's beautiful.

[@kellyrosloniec300]

I am just starting on the this spinning adventure. I have learned real fast how to spare the leg a lot of discomfort. I spin on my Espinner and ply on my treadle spinner.

[@MijnWolden]

Have Fun on your journey 😁

[@katiesheep9564]

You could knit a pillow cover with it, or a hot water bottle cover.

[@MijnWolden]

All great ideas!

[@woolaroundtheworld]

I hope your bodyis hinched together again and you can enjoy your color chaos yarn. I used this video for mending. So i can wear my fancy long alpaca dress to tibetan class now. Soo if i feel stupid and I enjoy the feel on my, body for more motivation. Have a lovely goblin day

[@MijnWolden]

It sorta is, but I'm hypermobile, so it literally never will be entirely hinged 😅

[@branf100]

I have a whole bunch of 100g samples of natural colour combed top from different breeds and I think it would be fun to do the same kind of thing all from natural fleece colours. Maybe I will just take 10g from each and give it a go

[@MijnWolden]

Have Fun 😁

[@resourcedragon]

This could be a way to reduce their stash a bit for some people, if they've got lots of bits of fleece & fibre in a variety of colours. They just need to throw inhibitions regarding mixing fibres and colours to the wind.

[@MijnWolden]

Yes!

[@rachelamdecker09]

Let me tell you, I'm about to turn 36 and my ankle, knee, and low back have been screaming at me lately. I sew a lot but only use the machine pedal with the non hurting leg. My wheel is double treadle, but I question if my increase in wheel time lately is what is causing my pains 🤔 in any case, I'm also over it and 100% sympathize with you 🥰

[@MijnWolden]

Welcome to our thirties right 😅

[@coffeewithroomforcream]

You could split the skein in half and make a striped scarf, so that the white/blue bit gets chopped in half, and start it from opposite ends. I have no idea if I'm making any sense. Also! Is there a mill in Belgium where you got the mill ends? I'm taking a trip to Belgium in a couple of months, I would love to have the insider information. 😁

[@MijnWolden]

I got them online from a mill in the Netherlands. I know of one Mill in Belgium: tumulus fiber Mill, but I don't know if they sell ends. They're mostly specialized in alpaca

[@coffeewithroomforcream]

@@MijnWolden thanks!

[@TheRibbonDealer]

Do you weave? I'm new to your channel but if you do, that would allow you to "hide" the light blue section.

[@MijnWolden]

I do, but somehow my brain defaults to knitting mostly :)

[@alexvanderpol1]

Peaceful chaos is your brand isn't it? ❤️

[@billijo111]

❤

[@MijnWolden]

I try 😁

[@saraht855]

Skirt skirt skirt skirt Nice little A-line knee length (or however long you get) You have *my* permission to go unhinged with this one - Mischief sprite

[@MijnWolden]

I already have unhinged skirt ideas. Just not enough time to do it... (yet)

[@saraht855]

@@MijnWolden I am hoping to make an alpaca skirt from my handspun. Short and fitted because I am still making small projects with my handspun yarns at this stage :D

[@MijnWolden]

@@saraht855 I'm hoping to get my loom warped for a long aline skirt with some wool :) but I'm procrastinating with the warping

[@saraht855]

@@MijnWolden I look forward to seeing it if you share :D I warped up my little frame loom and had done about 4 shuttle throws before putting it aside when a squirrel got in and I had to cut one of my threads to free its tail

[@ThisSmallGnome]

Did you make your niddy-noddy?

[@MijnWolden]

I did! Rigged some sticks together with yarn 😅

[@ThisSmallGnome]

​@@MijnWolden Please do a how-to video!