100+ Breeds Of Sheep Wool: A Chart For Handspinners
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!
Interested in learning to spin? Check out my Beginning Spinner’s Course at Woolmaven.com!
Lengths are listed in inches. Weights are listed in pounds.
| breed | micron | length | weight | uses | characteristics |
| American Miniature Cheviot | 25-32 | 3″-7″ | 3.5-8 | sweaters socks | durable, dyes well bold, uniform crimp white, brown, black and multicolored |
| Arcott | mid 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 | 32-50 | 2″ -3.5″ | 2.25 -4.5 | rugs sturdy fabrics | all dark grey fibers robust takes abuse |
| Beulah Speckled Face | 25-36 | 3″-5″ | 3-5 | daily wear items | dyes well crisp yarn easy to prepare |
| Black Welsh Mountain | 26-36 | 2″-4″ | 2.25 -5.5 | sweaters hats mittens | solid black easy to spin lofty and durable |
| Bleu du Maine | 26-31 | 2″-4″ | 8.5 -13 | sweaters hats mittens | spins woolen or worsted easy to prepare |
| Bluefaced Leicester | 24-28 | 3″-6″ | 2.25 -4.5 | sweaters socks hats | very versatile next to skin soft dyes well |
| Bond | 22-28 | 4″-7″ | 12- 16.5 | camisole sweaters blankets | white, brown, gray black; soft, elastic next to skin soft |
| Border Leicester | 29-40 | 4″ -10″ | 8-12 | sweaters mittens bags | can spin from lock versatile, crisp, has luster, dyes well |
| Boreray | 18-32 | 2″-6″ | 2 -3.5 | tweeds pillows rugs | white, tan, gray, brown fleeces vary widely |
| Breck- nock Hill Cheviot | 25-32 | 2.5″ -4″ | 3.5 -6 | sweater socks blankets | dense, slight luster finest wool Cheviot many natural colors |
| British Milk Sheep | 28-31 | 4.5″ -7″ | 9-11 | sweater mittens socks | great weaving yarn pleasant to use; dyes well with clarity |
| California Red | 24-32 | 3″-6″ | 5-7 | sweaters 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 | 29-35 | 1.5″ -3″ | 2-3 | heavy sweaters Blankets | hard to find as yarn light to medium reddish brown color |
| Charollais | 23-27 | 1.5″ -2.5″ | 4.5 -5.5 | general textiles | spin woolen for more elasticity, general purpose textiles |
| Cheviot | 24-33 | 4″-5″ | 5-10 | sweaters socks blankets | pleasure to spin always white, dense versatile, dyes well |
| Clun Forest | 25-33 | 2.5″ -5″ | 4.5-9 | mittens shawls | pleasure to spin springy yarn always white |
| Colbred | 26-32 | 4″ -6.5″ | 5.5-8 | blankets bags clothes | multipurpose wool knit, weave, crochet crisp has loft |
| Columbia | 23-31 | 3″-6″ | 10-16 | socks sweaters blankets | lofty, crisp, versatile spin using any style dyes well and clearly |
| Coop- worth | 30-39 | 5″-8″ | 8-18 | outer- wear textiles | easy to spin, crisp stitch definition, dyes clearly |
| Cormo | 17-23 | 3″-5″ | 5-12 | baby clothes lace | elastic and fluffy spin finely, stiches soft with definition |
| Corrie- dale | 25-35 | 3″-6″ | 10-20 | sweaters socks felting | pleasure to use easy to spin; white grey, brown, black |
| Cotswold | 33-42 | 7″-15″ | 9-20 | weaving felting bags | lustrous, wavy locks dyes beautifully nice lace if spun fine |
| Dalesbred | 36-40+ | 5″-8″ | 4.5-7 | rugs durable textiles | very durable dyes well can spin from locks |
| Dartmoor Greyface | 36-40+ | 6″-12″ | 13-20 | tweeds blankets rugs | for the textile adventurer dyes well, lustrous |
| Dartmoor Whiteface | 36-40 | 6″-12″ | 10-16 | same as above | same as above |
| Debou- illet | 18-24 | 3″-5″ | 9-18 | light weight fabrics | felts easily, tight crimp, dyes well elastic and resilient |
| Delaine Merino | 17-22 | 2.5″ -4″ | 9-14 | shawls baby clothes | spin fine and ply elastic, dyes well great for felting |
| Derby- shire Gritstone | 27-31 | 4″-8″ | 5-6.5 | sweaters 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 | 28-35 | 3″ -4.5″ | 5-13 | blankets outer- wear | crisp, lofty, full body easy and fast to spin light luster dyes well |
| Dorset Down | 25-29 | 2″ -4.5″ | 4.5 -6.5 | socks mittens sweaters | versatile, resilient dyes well, white not easy to felt |
| Horned Dorset | 26-33 | 2.5″ -5″ | 4.5 -9 | every day wear | variable crimp can spin from staple reluctant to felt |
| Polled Dorset | 26-33 | 2.5″ -5″ | 4.5 -9 | every day wear | crisp with good body variable crimp reluctant to felt |
| East Friesan | 26-37 | 3″-6″ | 9-13 | blankets rugs bags | crisp and light yarn woolen or worsted dyes well |
| Est a Laine Merino | 15-30 | up to 4″ | 10 -14.5 | shawls baby clothes | lightweight, delicate variable microns dyes well, matte |
| Exmoor Horn | 26-38 | 3″-5″ | 4.5 -6.5 | jackets rugged wear | crisp and springy easy to spin, white shows texture well |
| Faroese | 12-80 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 | 22-33 | 3″-6″ | 4-8 | sweaters blankets lace | easy to work with dyes well, easy to felt next to skin soft |
| Galway | 26-32 | 4.5″ -7.5″ | 5.5-8 | every day items | crisp, superior stitch definition, dyes well easy to draft |
| Gotland | 27-35+ | 3″-7″ | 5.5-11 | soft clothes | long and lusterous easier to spin fine felts easily |
| Gromark | 28-34 | 4.5″ -6″ | 9-11 | sweaters mittens blankets | lofty, bouncy yarn versatile, dyes well spin from lock |
| Gulf Coast Native | 26-32 | 2.5″ -4″ | 4-6 | every 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 | 24-33 | 2″-4″ | 4.5-10 | socks 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 |
| Herdwick | 36+ vary within fleece | 3″-10″ | 3-4.5 | rugs durable woven fabrics | mix of colors and textures, undercoat only used for hats blankets, sweaters |
| Hill Radnor | 27-33 | 2″-6″ | 4.5 -5.5 | sweaters Hats | crisp, dense, dyes clear with matte finish, comb or card |
| Hog Island | 22-32 | 1.5″ -2.5″ | 2-8 | sweaters socks blankets | white or black card or comb fibers some fleeces softer |
| Icelandic | 19-31 under/ outer coat | 2″ -18″ under then outer | 4-7 | sweaters socks weaving | versatile, dyes well outercoat-weaving undercoat-knit, crochet, spin woolen |
| Ile de France | 23-30 | 2.75″ -3.5″ | 6.5 -13 | sweaters every day wear | yarn is soft, good stitch definition, lots of bounce, dyes well |
| Jacob | 25-35 | 3″-7″ | 3-6 | varies with fleece | fiber length, texture vary in colored areas fleeces vary widely |
| Karakul | 25-36 under/ outer coat | 6″-12″ | 5-10 | bags rugs boots | eager to felt, hard wearing, lustrous open, low grease great warp or weft |
| Kerry Hill | 26-29 | 2.5″ -5″ | 5-6.5 | sweaters socks hats | pleasure to use, soft durable, subtle shine lofty, dyes clearly |
| Leicester Longwool | 32-46 | 5″-14″ | 5-18 | shawls art/craft textiles | great to dye, lustrous versatile, yarns for lace through to rugs |
| Lincoln Longwool | 33.5-45 | 7″ -15″ | 11-16 | rugs bags weaving | lustrous, dyes well doll wigs, fleece rugs white, gray, black |
| Llan- wenog | 25-28+ | 2″ -4.5″ | 4.5-6 | knitting crochet weaving | smooth, pleasant to spin, lustrous, dyes very well, only white |
| Lleyn | 26-31+ | 3″-5″ | 4.5 -6.5 | every day or tweeds | spin worsted, muted luster, dyes well good stitch definition |
| Lonk | 28-36 | 4″-6″ | 5-6.5 | outer- wear rugs | easy to spin, durable matte finish, dyes clear with soft effect |
| Manx Laoghtan | 27-33 | 2.5″-5″ | 3-5.5 | tartans sweaters socks | warm brown color woolen for bounce worsted for durable |
| Merino | 11.5-26 | 2″-5″ | 6.5 -40 | baby clothes felting | varies from ultrafine white dyes well, ply for thicker yarns |
| Monta- dale | 25-34 | 3″-5″ | 7-12 | every 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 | 4-8 | sweaters hats mittens rugs | durable, dyes well very low grease, lots of colors, will felt fiber fineness varies |
| Norfolk Horn | 26-29 | 3″-4″ | 3-4.5 | sweaters socks blankets | versatile, easy to spin dyes cleanly, can be combed or carded |
| North Country Cheviot | 27-33 | 3.5″ -6″ | 5-10 | every 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 |
| Ouessant | 24-35 under/ outer coat | 3″-4″ | 2.25 -4 | socks warp felting | many colors, will felt can separate coats or spin together |
| Oxford Down | 25-37 | 3″-5″ | 6.5 -12 | casual sweaters mittens | dense and resilient lofty, springy, dyes well, not easy to felt |
| Pelssau | 45-50 outer- coat | up to 6″ | not avail -able | felting bags rugs | famous for felting grays to nearly black lusterous, durable |
| Peren- dale | 28-37 | 4″-6″ | 7.5 -11 | knitting patterns rugs | pleasant and easy to spin, lofty, bouncy dyes well, variable |
| Polwarth | 21-26 | 3″-7″ | 9-13 | soft baby clothes | elastic, resilient, lofty drapes well, delight to work with |
| Polypay | 22-29 | 3″-5″ | 7-11 | sweaters hats blankets | supple, durable, soft use in color patterns comb prep, dyes well |
| Portland | 26-31 | 2.5″-4″ | 4.5 -6.5 | sweaters socks blankets | all purpose, pleasant to spin, some fleeces are next to skin soft |
| Rambou- illet | 18-24 | 2″-4″ | 8-18 | soft baby clothes | soft, elastic, use for next to skin fabrics felts easily, dyes well |
| Romanov | 16-22 under- coat 40-150 outer- coat | 4″-5″ | 6-13 | tradi- 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 | 21-25 | 3″-6″ | 6-15 | next to skin clothes | lively, lofty, elastic comfortable to spin many colors, will felt |
| Romney | 29-37 | 4″-8″ | 8-12 | sweaters shawls rugs | versatile and lustrous course for outerwear finer for sweaters |
| Rouge de l’Ouest | 23-26 | 1.5″ -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″ | 4.5-8 | rugs heavy fabrics | durable and resilient separate fibers, hold base of lock, pull hair |
| Rya | 24 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 |
| Ryland | 25-32 | 2″-5″ | 4.5-9 | sweaters 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″ | 3-6.5 | knitting crochet weaving | exceptionally strong fabrics will be crisp with body, dyes well |
| Shetland | 20-30 (strains vary) | 2″-10″ | 2-5 | shawl sweaters felting | huge fleece and color variety, light weight durable, easy to felt |
| Shrop- shire | 24.5-33 | 2.5″ -4″ | 4.5 -14 | hats mittens socks | finer fleeces are next to skin soft, dyes well use moderate twist |
| Soay | 9-48+ under/ outer coat | 1.5″ -4″ | .75-2 | next to skin up to tweeds | incredable variety try to spin finely will dye but most use natural colors |
| South down | 23-31 | 1.5″ -4″ | 4-8 | socks 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 |
| Suffolk | 25-33 | 2″ -3.5″ | 4-8 | socks 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 |
| Targhee | 21-28 | 3″-5″ | 10-22 | soft every day wear | lofty and elastic yarn soft, fine, lively and supple, comb or card dyes well, will felt |
| Teeswater | 30-36 | 12″ -15″ first clip 6″ after | 7.5-18 | weaving knitting crochet | spin from locks or use as is in weaving very lustrous, dyes with brilliance durable, not stiff or scratchy, drapes well |
| Texel | 26-36 | 3″-6″ | 7-12 | sturdy blankets pillows | springy, easy to spin low luster, dyes clearly, versatle |
| Tunis | 24-31 | 3″-6″ | 6-15 | every day wear | versatile, friendly gives stitch definition dyes well, warm tone |
| Warhill | 22-26 | 3″-5″ | 11.5 -12 | next to skin soft | spins into soft yarn adds touch of luxury to every day wear |
| Welsh Hill Speckled Face | 26.5-33 | 3″-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 | 25-40 | 2″-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 | 30-36 | 7″-12″ | 7-20 | weaving 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 | 25-37 | 4″-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
