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Basic characteristics of breeds that are commonly available among coloured sheep in New Zealand.

Average fleece lengths given below are for fleeces shorn once during the year.

Romney

33-37 micron, 125-175mm, some lustre, Many purposes, including outer garments and rugs, The most numerous breed in New Zealand. Most popular breed with handcrafters.

See also: Spinners’ notes for this breed.
See also: Notes for this breed (PDF 600 KB) from “Sheep Wise – Wool Wise” (see below: Suggested Further Reading).

Merino

14-25 micron, 65-100mm, little lustre, Suitable for luxury garments and baby wear. Popular for felting, Fine soft wool often with a waxy tip.
See also: Spinners’ notes for this breed.
See also: Notes for this breed (PDF 1.1 MB) from “Sheep Wise – Wool Wise” (see below: Suggested Further Reading).

Polwarth

23-26 micron, 75-110mm, more lustrous than merino, Fine and soft wool, suitable for knitted or woven garments and for felting, Developed from 3/4 Merino, 1/4 Lincoln.
See also: Spinners’ notes for this breed.
See also: Notes for this breed (PDF 441 MB) from “Sheep Wise – Wool Wise” (see below: Suggested Further Reading).

NZ Halfbred

25-13 micron, 75-110mm, medium lustre, suitable for medium-weight yarn and for felting. Similar to fine Corriedale, First cross between a longwool breed ram such as Lincoln, English Leicester or Romney and a Merino ewe.

See also: Spinners’ notes for this breed.

Corriedale

26-35 micron, 75-125mm, medium lustre, A very versatile breed, suitable for medium-weight yarn, developed from Lincoln and English Leicester crossed with Merino.
See also: Spinners’ notes for this breed.
See also: Notes for this breed (PDF 890 KB) from “Sheep Wise – Wool Wise” (see below: Suggested Further Reading).

Poll Dorset

27-32 micron, 75-100 mm, low lustre, Very bulky, low lustre wool which makes a bouncy yarn. Wool is hard to felt. Grows the longest wool of any of the Down type sheep.

Perendale

30-37 micron, 100-150mm, low lustre, Bouncy, low-lustre wool suitable for clothing, blankets, and many other uses. Does not felt easily, Developed from crossing Cheviot with Romney.
See also: Spinners’ notes for this breed.
See also: Notes for this breed (PDF 510 MB) from “Sheep Wise – Wool Wise” (see below: Suggested Further Reading).

English Leicester

37-40 micron, 150-200mm, silky, lustrous, wool suitable for outer garments and rugs, called Leicester Longwool in Britain.
See also: Notes for this breed (PDF 552 MB) from “Sheep Wise – Wool Wise” (see below: Suggested Further Reading).

Finn

25-33 micron, 75-125mm, silky, Soft silky wool which handles like mohair, felts easily, and is suitable for garments and woven fabrics, also known as Finnsheep or Finnish Landrace.

Gotland

27-33micron, 100-150mm, silky, lustrous, Silky lustrous wool which makes soft-draping garments and is excellent for felting, called Gotland Pelt in their native Sweden.
See also: Notes for this breed (PDF 510 MB) from “Sheep Wise – Wool Wise” (see below: Suggested Further Reading).

East Friesian

28-33 micron, 75-125mm, low lustre, A low lustre wool, suitable for clothing and blankets. Does not felt easily, Primarily a milking breed.

Lincoln

38-44 micron, 175-250mm, lustrous, Strong wool with heavy lustrous staples, used in furnishings and wig making. Finer fleeces can be blended with mohair, Possibly the original longwool breed of England.
See also: Notes for this breed (PDF 510 MB) from “Sheep Wise – Wool Wise” (see below: Suggested Further Reading).

Drysdale

40 micron plus, 200-300 mm, low lustre, Harsh hairy fleece suited to carpets and rugs, which used to be a vital part of New Zealand carpet manufacture. Now a rare breed due to the lack of demand for the fleece.

Suggested further reading:

  • Sheep Wise – Wool Wise: Educational Folder for the Black & Coloured Sheep Breeders’ Association of New Zealand (PDF 5.3 MB)
  • Roland Sumner, Understanding Fleece Judging (PDF 1.1 MB).
  • Information about New Zealand Sheep Breeds by Meat and Wool Innovation Ltd.
  • Molly Duncan, Spin Your Own Wool. A.H. & A.W. Reed, NZ 1968, revised 1972.
  • Nola Fournier and Jane Fournier, In Sheep’s Clothing, a handspinner’s guide to wool. Interweave Press, USA, 1995.
  • A.E. Henderson, Wool and Woolclassing. A.H.& A.W. Reed, NZ 1965.
  • A.E. Henderson, Growing Better Wool. A.H.& A.W. Reed, NZ 1968.
  • New Zealand Wool Board, New Zealand Sheep and their Wool. The Grower Services Division, New Zealand Wool Board. NZ 1980, revised 1994.
  • R.M.W. Sumner, Wool and How It Grows. A series of articles in the BCSBA Magazine, numbers 65-73, 1992-1994.
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