Before you want to begin spinning, there is some care that must be taken in selecting and preparing the fiber.  Before your fiber can be spun into yarn, it will need to be sorted or picked over, and possibly cleaned, teased, and carded so that it is free of lumps and tangles, as well as any bits of dirt and straw.  Careful preparation will result in easy spinning and a durable, high-quality yarn.

Selecting The Fiber

Basically, there are three categories when it comes to sheep--fine-wool, cross-breeds, and mutton breeds.  The fine-woolds include Merino and Rambouillet, and have a spinning count in the 60s to 100s range.  The are extremely soft and fine, with a short staple lenght of 2" or 3", and are very tightly crimped, or waved.  Wool from these types is excellent, and expecially nice for fine knitting yarns.

Cross-breeds include such types as Columbia, Corriedale, and Targhee.  This wool has a spinning count in the 40s and 58s range, with a staple length of about 2" to 5".  The fibers are silky and easy to handle.  This kind would be a good choice for those beginning to learn to spin.

The mutton breeds can be further divided inot medium-wool and long-wool varieties.  The medium-wool class would include breeds such as Cheviot, Dorset Hor, Hampshier, Shropshire, Southdown, and Suffolk.  These have spinning counts in the 50s to 60s range, and a staple length of from 2"to 5".  They are easy to spin, and fine enough to make a very nice yarn for a multitude of uses.

The Long-wools include such types as the Cotswold, Lincoln, and Romney.  This wool has a spinning count anywhere from 28s to around 48s and the staple length varies from 7" to 12" --sometimes more.  This wool tends to be coarse and wavy, or widely crimped, and is suitable for durable worsted yarns.  The karakul sheep also produce a fairly long, coarse coat.  When these sheep grow older, the black or dark wool is coverd with a protective coat of coarse grayis hair.  Yarns spun from karakul have a very interesting  texture and can be very attractive.  The fleece from the young shee is darker and of better quality when shorn.  Where as the fleece from the older Karakul is more easily spun when blended with the white wool of another breed.  The results are very pretty and textured gray yarns.

Until you become more familiar with the various breeds of sheep, and their different types of wool, your best bet would be to purchase your wool from a spinning supply house, a shop, or a wool cooperative that sells wool to spinners.  This way you're more likely to obtain a good high quality fleece.  If at all possible, buy "grease wool," which is wool that has been recently shorn and still has all the natural lanolin or "yolk" in it.  You'll find "grease wool" easier to spin.