I also spin, and am interested in what you're planning.... what will you be spinning to make it multicolored .....black sheep and white wool, etc?
THE SWEATER WORKSHOP, by Fee, has a U necked vest....called the sleeveless sweater....it's done in the round and I've made it in several weights... one, a fair isle in cotton, the others in wool. You work the basic sweater to the underarm...then, work the back stitches to the top of the shoulder then the front, with a shaped neck...graft the back shoulder stitches to the front stitches, mintaining the sweater's seamlessness. It's a nice, easy pattern you could make as plain or as fancy as you'd like....there is no guage, as you make your own with the yarn and needles you plan to use.

Sandra -- thanks for the info. Sounds perfect -- I may order the book ASAP -- I like books that you work off gauge so I can change the yarn and easily get a sweater that fits.

I don't own my sheep so I buy roving and cloud from a shop. She sells a lot of cloud because she can do incredible blends of fiber. I'm working with a blend of yearling Romney, hand dyed yearling mohair, llama and silk. The mohair has been dyed purple and green and then the Romney is gray so its this wonderful "foggy" color. Someone described it as looking at the Northern Lights.

So as you spin -- you get this great variation of color then when you ply it -- there is even more.

I have just started spinning -- I love it!!! The whole circle of life thing. And it reduces my yarn costs for the quality of yarn that I love to knit with. Cloud is less expensive to spin than roving because there is one less process. And its this beautful fluff of fiber (looks like cotton candy) in large plastic bag.

thanks so much for your help -- what kind of wheel to do have? I've been looking at the Ashford Traveler but I have heard that they can be a little tippy. I may stick with the Ashford Kiwi -- even though they aren't as beautiful.

Cathy

As one who lives in a house full of antiques, my wheel is also an old one....non-mass produced, but made, by a husband, perhaps, for his wife...many different kinds of wood are used, and it is put gotether with wooden pegs rather than nails. It's a small castle wheel, and when I bought it, it was painted turquoise blue....YIKES! But, because I had spun on a castle I knew that all the parts were there. So, I bought it, stripped it and was lucky enough to find a fella in New Market, VA who worked on wheels, and gave it a 'fine tuning'.....it spins easily, and I love the feeling it gives me, of continuity with the all women who went before me ...spinning is a soporific thing to do, anyway, one of the things I love about it, and my mind can wander to all those other women who may have used this wheel. What I wouldn't give to know it's history.
As a city dweller, I don't own sheep, but I get our state's agricultural bulletin, and there are always farmers who advertise fleece for sale....and they are really reasonable....maybe S15.00 for the whole fleece. Some are unwashed, some, the sheep wears a protective coat and this keeps the fleece clean, some are washed and carded by machine,etc. However you buy them, they are a great savings. Also, you might want to spin other fibers. We had a poodle and I carded the soft underhair with a little wool (for I didn't know the stability of dog hair), and knit my husband a pair of socks from his doggy! I've used other dogs, too.....think about the dogs of friends....could their pooch yield some soft underhair that you could use? If so, ask if you can go over and 'brush' their dog!!! They'll think you're nuts, but who cares?
I really recommend THE SWEATER WORKSHOP......I just bought my second copy, slightly used, at Amazon for about $13.00, which was great.....
Here's my wheel....I always take the cord off when I'm not in the spinning 'mode'...just relieve the 'tension' on those old parts!

Cathy...I just got our market bulletin, and it has several ads for fleece. If interested, I could send you the info.

Sandra -- What a beautiful wheel!! I love it. We too live in a house full of antiques but 1890's Iowa farmhouse variety. I have my great-great-grandmothers flax wheel that she brought from Ireland but it was stored in a barn for far too many decades. It is just falling apart -- I need to get it restored but it is missing a ton of parts.

I would love some of your info -- I'm not sure if I'm ready to scour and process a fleece yet but I will be soon. It is amazing how a little practice spinning goes such a long ways. I try to spin at least an hour a day --- and i see such a huge difference in texture and quality.

Thanks for all your help -- I've got the Sweater Workshop on order from the library --- by the time I get it, I may have all the yarn spun, plied and set. I haven't set the twist in any yet........ when I get to that stage-- do you mind if I ask questions?

Cathy

Fleece, clean, skirted, natural color & white, $9.00/lb; roving, $16.00/lb. Chris Mayfield, HC 80, Box 36, Harrisville, WV 26362; mayfield@zoominternet.net

Coopsworth batting, all colors, and brown or white roving, $19.00/lb; raw fleeces, various colors, $8.00-14. Debbie Martzall, 2576 Laruel Crk Rd, Big Springs Wv 26137; 304 643-8043 heartsofthemeadow1@verizon.net

these are the 2 ads in the current Farm Bulletin. Working with fleece isn't hard, and, you can even spin it without doing anything to it but carding it.....it's called 'spinning in the grease', and gives your hands a real treatment, with the lanolin. To wash it first, you don't agitate...just plop it into the washer with the tub filled with warm, soapy water (or, you can put it in one of those net bags)....let it sink and soak ....later, swirl it around with your hands ...then spin out the water, taking a look at the water. You may have to go through the same process again, depending on how dirty the fleece was. After you take it from the washer, where you spun all the water out you could, wrap it in a towel and squeeze it to remove even more water. Then fluff it up and lay it flat to dry (be careful if you put it outside...it easily blows away)...and, that's it. After that, you just card it into rollags and spin. There's really nothing to it.
I'll be glad to answer anything I can....