100+ Breeds Of Sheep Wool: A Chart For Handspinners


Jacob sheep ram, notice the four horns and the spotted coat

Looking into getting a new fleece to spin or felt?

Maybe you’ve just seen a fleece that catches your eye and you’re wondering what you could craft with it? You’ve come to the right place!

The uses of a fleece depend upon micron count, staple length, crimp, felting ability, ease of handling, ease of dyeing and the natural color of the wool.

What Is A Sheep And Wool Festival? walks you through what you’ll see if you decide to attend, you should!

That’s it for the wordy part of this article, the rest is a huge chart, jam packed with information. Enjoy!

Lengths are listed in inches. Weights are listed in pounds.

breedmicronlengthweightusescharacteristics
American
Miniature
Cheviot
25-323″-7″
3.5-8
sweaters
socks
durable, dyes well
bold, uniform crimp
white, brown, black
and multicolored
Arcottmid
20’s
-low
30’s
2.5″
-3.5″
4.5
-5.5
mittens
hats
variable fleeces, dyes
well, luster and dye
brilliance will vary
Badger
Face
Welsh
Mountain
26-37+3″-4″3.5
-4.5
rugs
durable
items
sturdy, firm textured
great for durable
items that need to be
hard wearing
Balwen
Welsh
Mountain
32-502″
-3.5″
2.25
-4.5
rugs
sturdy
fabrics
all dark grey fibers
robust
takes abuse
Beulah
Speckled
Face
25-363″-5″3-5daily
wear
items
dyes well
crisp yarn
easy to prepare
Black
Welsh
Mountain
26-362″-4″2.25
-5.5
sweaters
hats
mittens
solid black
easy to spin
lofty and durable
Bleu du
Maine
26-312″-4″8.5
-13
sweaters
hats
mittens
spins woolen or
worsted
easy to prepare
Bluefaced
Leicester
24-283″-6″2.25
-4.5
sweaters
socks
hats
very versatile
next to skin soft
dyes well
Bond22-284″-7″12-
16.5
camisole
sweaters
blankets
white, brown, gray
black; soft, elastic
next to skin soft
Border
Leicester
29-404″
-10″
8-12sweaters
mittens
bags
can spin from lock
versatile, crisp, has
luster, dyes well
Boreray18-322″-6″2
-3.5
tweeds
pillows
rugs
white, tan, gray,
brown
fleeces vary widely
Breck-
nock Hill
Cheviot
25-322.5″
-4″
3.5
-6
sweater
socks
blankets
dense, slight luster
finest wool Cheviot
many natural colors
British
Milk
Sheep
28-314.5″
-7″
9-11sweater
mittens
socks
great weaving yarn
pleasant to use; dyes
well with clarity
California
Red
24-323″-6″5-7sweaters
hats
blankets
durable and soft
has stitch definition
great for weaving
Cam-
bridge
high
20’s-
low 30’s
2″-3″
or
less
4.5
-6.5
sturdy
sweaters
hats
matte finish to dyes
best spun woolen
fleece is always white
Castle-
milk
Moorit
29-351.5″
-3″
2-3heavy
sweaters
Blankets
hard to find as yarn
light to medium
reddish brown color
Charollais23-271.5″
-2.5″
4.5
-5.5
general
textiles
spin woolen for more
elasticity, general
purpose textiles
Cheviot24-334″-5″5-10sweaters
socks
blankets
pleasure to spin
always white, dense
versatile, dyes well
Clun
Forest
25-332.5″
-5″
4.5-9mittens
shawls
pleasure to spin
springy yarn
always white
Colbred26-324″
-6.5″
5.5-8blankets
bags
clothes
multipurpose wool
knit, weave, crochet
crisp has loft
Columbia23-313″-6″10-16socks
sweaters
blankets
lofty, crisp, versatile
spin using any style
dyes well and clearly
Coop-
worth
30-395″-8″8-18outer-
wear
textiles
easy to spin, crisp
stitch definition,
dyes clearly
Cormo17-233″-5″5-12baby
clothes
lace
elastic and fluffy
spin finely, stiches
soft with definition
Corrie-
dale
25-353″-6″10-20sweaters
socks
felting
pleasure to use
easy to spin; white
grey, brown, black
Cotswold33-427″-15″9-20weaving
felting
bags
lustrous, wavy locks
dyes beautifully
nice lace if spun fine
Dalesbred36-40+5″-8″4.5-7rugs
durable
textiles
very durable
dyes well
can spin from locks
Dartmoor
Greyface
36-40+6″-12″13-20tweeds
blankets
rugs
for the textile
adventurer
dyes well, lustrous
Dartmoor
Whiteface
36-406″-12″10-16same
as above
same as above
Debou-
illet
18-243″-5″9-18light
weight
fabrics
felts easily, tight
crimp, dyes well
elastic and resilient
Delaine
Merino
17-222.5″
-4″
9-14shawls
baby
clothes
spin fine and ply
elastic, dyes well
great for felting
Derby-
shire
Gritstone
27-314″-8″5-6.5sweaters
blankets
weaving
easy to draft and spin
good loft, resilient
dyes well, versatile
Devon
and
Cornwall
Longwool
36-40+8″
-12″
13
-26
rugs
bags
weaving
sleek and strong
great as heavy warp
high luster, dyes well
Devon
Closewool
28-353″
-4.5″
5-13blankets
outer-
wear
crisp, lofty, full body
easy and fast to spin
light luster dyes well
Dorset
Down
25-292″
-4.5″
4.5
-6.5
socks
mittens
sweaters
versatile, resilient
dyes well, white
not easy to felt
Horned
Dorset

26-332.5″
-5″
4.5
-9
every
day
wear
variable crimp
can spin from staple
reluctant to felt
Polled
Dorset
26-332.5″
-5″
4.5
-9
every
day
wear
crisp with good body
variable crimp
reluctant to felt
East
Friesan
26-373″-6″9-13blankets
rugs
bags
crisp and light yarn
woolen or worsted
dyes well
Est a
Laine
Merino
15-30up to
4″
10
-14.5
shawls
baby
clothes
lightweight, delicate
variable microns
dyes well, matte
Exmoor
Horn
26-383″-5″4.5
-6.5
jackets
rugged
wear
crisp and springy
easy to spin, white
shows texture well
Faroese12-80
under/
outer
coat
3″
under
coat
12″
-16″
outer
2.25+cording
rugs
dog
leashes
white, black, gray,
many browns
use carded undercoat
for sweaters
Finn-
sheep
22-333″-6″4-8sweaters
blankets
lace
easy to work with
dyes well, easy to felt
next to skin soft
Galway26-324.5″
-7.5″
5.5-8every
day
items
crisp, superior stitch
definition, dyes well
easy to draft
Gotland27-35+3″-7″5.5-11soft
clothes
long and lusterous
easier to spin fine
felts easily
Gromark28-344.5″
-6″
9-11sweaters
mittens
blankets
lofty, bouncy yarn
versatile, dyes well
spin from lock
Gulf
Coast
Native
26-322.5″
-4″
4-6every
day
items
variable, generally
pleasant to use
great felting choice
Gute or
Gutefar
17-40
under/
outer
coat
not
avail
-able
4.5
-5.5
blankets
rugs
many natural colors
coats spun together
great for felting
Hamp-
shire
Down
24-332″-4″4.5-10socks
mittens
sweaters
springy, very elastic
dyes well, garments
wash easy non felting
Hebrid-
ean
29-38+2″-8″3.5
-5.5
outer-
wear
blankets
dark brown or black
durable, lustrous
fleeces are variable
Herdwick36+
vary
within
fleece
3″-10″3-4.5rugs
durable
woven
fabrics
mix of colors and
textures, undercoat
only used for hats
blankets, sweaters
Hill
Radnor
27-332″-6″4.5
-5.5
sweaters
Hats
crisp, dense, dyes
clear with matte
finish, comb or card
Hog
Island
22-321.5″
-2.5″
2-8sweaters
socks
blankets
white or black
card or comb fibers
some fleeces softer
Icelandic19-31
under/
outer
coat
2″
-18″
under
then
outer
4-7sweaters
socks
weaving
versatile, dyes well
outercoat-weaving
undercoat-knit,
crochet, spin woolen
Ile de
France
23-302.75″
-3.5″
6.5
-13
sweaters
every
day
wear
yarn is soft, good
stitch definition, lots
of bounce, dyes well
Jacob25-353″-7″3-6varies
with
fleece
fiber length, texture
vary in colored areas
fleeces vary widely
Karakul25-36
under/
outer
coat
6″-12″5-10bags
rugs
boots
eager to felt, hard
wearing, lustrous
open, low grease
great warp or weft
Kerry
Hill
26-292.5″
-5″
5-6.5sweaters
socks
hats
pleasure to use, soft
durable, subtle shine
lofty, dyes clearly
Leicester
Longwool
32-465″-14″5-18shawls
art/craft
textiles
great to dye, lustrous
versatile, yarns for
lace through to rugs
Lincoln
Longwool
33.5-457″
-15″
11-16rugs
bags
weaving
lustrous, dyes well
doll wigs, fleece rugs
white, gray, black
Llan-
wenog
25-28+2″
-4.5″
4.5-6knitting
crochet
weaving
smooth, pleasant to
spin, lustrous, dyes
very well, only white
Lleyn26-31+3″-5″4.5
-6.5
every
day or
tweeds
spin worsted, muted
luster, dyes well
good stitch definition
Lonk28-364″-6″5-6.5outer-
wear
rugs
easy to spin, durable
matte finish, dyes
clear with soft effect
Manx
Laoghtan
27-332.5″-5″3-5.5tartans
sweaters
socks
warm brown color
woolen for bounce
worsted for durable
Merino11.5-262″-5″6.5
-40
baby
clothes
felting
varies from ultrafine
white dyes well, ply
for thicker yarns
Monta-
dale
25-343″-5″7-12every
day
wear
crisp, lofty, shows
textures well, dyes
well, a few are black
Navajo
Churro
10-35+
under/
outer
coat
3″-14″
under
then
outer
4-8sweaters
hats
mittens
rugs
durable, dyes well
very low grease, lots
of colors, will felt
fiber fineness varies
Norfolk
Horn
26-293″-4″3-4.5sweaters
socks
blankets
versatile, easy to spin
dyes cleanly, can be
combed or carded
North
Country
Cheviot
27-333.5″
-6″
5-10every
day
wear
pleasure to spin, easy
to work with, bouncy
dyes well and clearly
North
Ronald-
say
23-28
under-
coat
2″-6″2-2.5
durable
textiles
felting
fleeces are mixed
undercoat is next to
skin fine, felts easily
Ouessant24-35
under/
outer
coat
3″-4″2.25
-4
socks
warp
felting
many colors, will felt
can separate coats or
spin together
Oxford
Down
25-373″-5″6.5
-12
casual
sweaters
mittens
dense and resilient
lofty, springy, dyes
well, not easy to felt
Pelssau45-50
outer-
coat
up
to
6″
not
avail
-able
felting
bags
rugs
famous for felting
grays to nearly black
lusterous, durable
Peren-
dale
28-374″-6″7.5
-11
knitting
patterns
rugs
pleasant and easy to
spin, lofty, bouncy
dyes well, variable
Polwarth21-263″-7″9-13soft
baby
clothes
elastic, resilient, lofty
drapes well, delight
to work with
Polypay22-293″-5″7-11sweaters
hats
blankets
supple, durable, soft
use in color patterns
comb prep, dyes well
Portland26-312.5″-4″4.5
-6.5
sweaters
socks
blankets
all purpose, pleasant
to spin, some fleeces
are next to skin soft
Rambou-
illet
18-242″-4″8-18soft
baby
clothes
soft, elastic, use for
next to skin fabrics
felts easily, dyes well
Romanov16-22
under-
coat
40-150
outer-
coat
4″-5″6-13tradi-
tionally
used for
sheep-
skins
both coats are the
same length, will be
hard to separate
spin them together
black ages to gray
Romel-
dale and
CVM
21-253″-6″6-15next to
skin
clothes
lively, lofty, elastic
comfortable to spin
many colors, will felt
Romney29-374″-8″8-12sweaters
shawls
rugs
versatile and lustrous
course for outerwear
finer for sweaters
Rouge de
l’Ouest
23-261.5″
-2″
3.5
-6.5
next to
skin
clothes
fine yet crisp, white
card for fiber prep
clearly dyes, spin fine
Rough
Fell
36-40+6″
-12″
4.5-8rugs
heavy
fabrics
durable and resilient
separate fibers, hold
base of lock, pull hair
Rya24
under
coat
52
outer
coat
6″-12″not
avail
-able
weaving
rugs
sturdy
outer
garment
white, black, gray,
and brown fleeces
excellent for rugs
used for traditional
rya rugs

Ryland25-322″-5″4.5-9sweaters
blankets
hats
great spun woolen
light, lofty, elastic
durable yarn worsted
Santa
Cruz
18-26
(esti-
mated)
1″-2″
should
be 2-4

2-4
(esti-
mate)
next to
skin
soft
dyes well, easy to felt
white, brown, nearly
black, very elastic
Scottish
Blackface
28-40+6″
-14″
3-6.5knitting
crochet
weaving
exceptionally strong
fabrics will be crisp
with body, dyes well
Shetland20-30
(strains
vary)
2″-10″

2-5shawl
sweaters
felting
huge fleece and color
variety, light weight
durable, easy to felt
Shrop-
shire
24.5-332.5″
-4″
4.5
-14
hats
mittens
socks
finer fleeces are next
to skin soft, dyes well
use moderate twist
Soay9-48+
under/
outer
coat
1.5″
-4″
.75-2next to
skin
up to
tweeds
incredable variety
try to spin finely
will dye but most use
natural colors
South
down
23-311.5″
-4″
4-8socks
mittens
hats
finer fleeces next to
skin soft, natural loft
springy, dyes well
Spaelsau
(New)
19-22+
under-
coat
37-40+
outer-
coat
2″-
2,75″
under
5″-7″
outer
4.5
-6.5
weaving
rugs
sturdy
sweaters
mainly white colored
felts very well
dyes well, luster will
vary, great for fine
art weaving and
tapestries, durable
Spaelsau
(Old)
not
avail-
able
4″
-13.5″
2.5
-3.5
sturdy
yarn
tapestry
well known for
felting and tapestries
lustrous outercoat
Stans-
borough
Grey
22 for
lambs
29 for
ewes
3″-4″
per
shear
-ing
5
per
shear
-ing
light
weight
clothes
famous natural grays
lustrous, drapes well
subtle gleam fabrics
Suffolk25-332″
-3.5″
4-8socks
mittens
sweaters
pleasant, versatile
finer fleeces next to
skin soft, dyes well
Swales-
dale
36-40+4″-8″3.5
-6.5
rugs
bags
jackets
great choice for
durable hard
wearing items
Targhee21-283″-5″10-22soft
every
day
wear
lofty and elastic yarn
soft, fine, lively and
supple, comb or card
dyes well, will felt
Teeswater30-3612″
-15″
first
clip
6″
after
7.5-18weaving
knitting
crochet

spin from locks or
use as is in weaving
very lustrous, dyes
with brilliance
durable, not stiff or
scratchy, drapes well
Texel26-363″-6″7-12sturdy
blankets
pillows
springy, easy to spin
low luster, dyes
clearly, versatle
Tunis24-313″-6″6-15every
day
wear
versatile, friendly
gives stitch definition
dyes well, warm tone
Warhill22-263″-5″11.5
-12
next to
skin
soft
spins into soft yarn
adds touch of luxury
to every day wear
Welsh
Hill
Speckled
Face
26.5-333″-4″3.5
-4.5
sweaters
hats
outer-
wear
easy to process and
spin, drafts smoothly
pleasant, versatile
dyes clear with luster
Welsh
Mountain
and South
Wales
Mountain
25-402″-4″2.5
-4.5
sturdy
sweaters
blankets
rugs
sturdy yarn, South
Wales more kempy,
white fibers dye
well, match fleece to
project, variable
Wensley-
dale
30-367″-12″7-20weaving
tapestry
rugs
exceptional for
weaving, dyes well
with luster, drapes
White-
faced
Wood-
land
28-38+3″-8″4.5
-6.5
sturdy
every
day
wear
hard to find, varies
from medium to
coarse, durable
dyes well, will felt
Zwart-
bles
25-374″-5″6.5
-10
hats
mittens
sweaters
easy to handle, has
bounce, resilient
shows stitches well
always black

If you are looking for a more basic chart, this one is pretty extensive, consider reading Handspinning Wool on The Joy Of Handspinning.

Resource: The Field Guide To Fleece by Deborah Robson and Carol Ekarius

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