Wool

Wool is the fibre derived from the fur of animals of the Caprinae family, principally sheep, but the hair of certain species of other mammals such as goats, llamas and rabbits may also be called wool. This site deals explicitly with the wool produced from domestic sheep.

Wool has two qualities that distinguish it from hair or fur: it has scales which overlap like shingles on a roof and it is crimped; in some fleeces the wool fibres have more than 20 bends per inch.

The groups of wool are determined by individual characteristics:

• Merino wool - is relatively short, dull, very fine and curly
• Cheviot wooe - is harsh, lustre, medium fine and crimps little only
• Crossbred wool - different types of sheep, placed in quality between Merino and Cheviot