Sheep Breeds Best for Medium Wool

Sheep Breeds Best for Medium Wool

Introduction

In this article, we'll explore the sheep breeds that produce medium wool, and why they are so popular. We'll also provide some tips to help you start your own flock!

Corriedale

The Corriedale is a medium-wool sheep breed that produces soft, tight crimp wool with a high yield. The wool is easy to spin but can be a bit scratchy, which makes it perfect for felting.

Polworth

Polworth is a breed of sheep. The Polworth wool is soft and fine, which makes it good for knitting and weaving. It's also easy to spin, versatile, and durable.

Targhee

Targhee sheep are a breed of sheep that originated in the United States. They are named after Targhee Pass, in Wyoming. These sheep have a white face and legs, and a brown body. The average Targhee ewe weighs about 120 pounds, with rams reaching up to 180 pounds at maturity.

BFL

BFL is a cross between Romney and Lincoln sheep, and it's known for its soft, fine and lustrous wool. The BFL breed has proven to be more durable than other sheep breeds, making it a great choice if you have harsh weather conditions or a lot of rain. The fiber from this breed is also used in spinning projects because it's easier to work with than other types of wool.

BFL wool is best used for worsted spinning since the fibers are longer than other breeds' fibers. This makes the yarns less likely to split as they're being spun into thread.

Coopworth

The Coopworth is a breed of sheep that was developed in New Zealand. It is a cross between Corriedale and Border Leicester sheep. These sheep have a long, lustrous fleece that is soft, strong and elastic. The fleece has a high percentage of white wool with some brown fibers mixed in.

Coopworths are hardy animals that produce high-quality fiber for spinning or hand-spinning yarns. Their long staple length allows the spinning wheel to turn quickly while keeping the fiber from splitting or fraying too much during processing into yarns.

Romney

The Romney sheep is a medium-sized breed of sheep. They are known for their long, lustrous fleece that is white or light cream in color and is used as wool. They are a versatile breed that can be used for meat and milk production. They have good mothering instincts and are easy to manage.

Finn

  • Finn

The Finn is a breed of domestic sheep native to Finland and Sweden. It is one of the six original Swedish landrace breeds, and it's also known as the Finnish Landrace in other countries.

versatile

  • Versatile

  • Easy to spin

  • Easy to clean

  • Easy to dye

  • Easy to spin into yarn

  • Easy to knit or crochet with

easy to spin

If you're looking to try spinning, I'd recommend one of the breeds on this list. They're easy to spin and their wool is suitable for beginners.

Spinning is a skill that can be learned with just a little practice, so if you don't feel like buying your own wheel right away, there are other options available. Some people enjoy hand-spinning their yarn; others choose to use drop spindles or even drop spindle kits available through sites such as Etsy or Ravelry (a social media platform geared towards fiber artists). If you've never spun before but want to give it a go without investing in equipment just yet, consider joining an online spinning group like Spindles & Skeins (S&S), where members post pictures of their work and offer tips for newbies about how best to get started with different types of fibers. You can also ask questions about techniques or troubleshooting problems that arise along the way!

Conclusion

We hope that this list has helped you narrow down the many breeds of sheep to choose from. There is an abundance of information available about all types of animals, and we encourage you to do your research before deciding what will work best for your farm or craft.


If you’re a fiber farm, mill, fiber artist or teacher/ guild we would love to feature you on our fiber breed index or social media. We’re here to help you make connections with customers and interested fiber friends!

Disclaimer - This is meant as a general list of basic knowledge, not a reccomndation of what type of sheep you should take on to raise. Believe it or not we had someone email in and complain. Please do your research yourself for your area and level of comfort and knowledge before taking live animals of any kind ( irregardless of their fiber softness) Also coffee is hot use the lid at the drive through.