Highland, Welsh and Irish wools are from small sheep, not far removed from the wild state, with irregular short stapled fleeces.
Forest or Mountain sheep (Herdwick, Exmoor, Blackfaced, Limestone, Cheviot) have better wool, especially the Cheviot which is very thick & good for milling.
Ancient Upland, such as South Down, are smaller sheep than the last named, but the wool is softer and finer.
Long Woolled sheep (Lincolns, Leicester) with long staple wool (record length, 36 in.) and the fleeces weighing up to 12 lbs. The Leicester fleece is softer, finer and better than the Lincoln.
To the end of the 18th century Spanish wool was the finest and best wool in the world. Spanish sheep have since been introduced into various countries, such as Saxony, Australia, Cape Colony, New Zealand, and some of the best wools now come from the colonies.
Alpaca, Vicuna and Llama wools are obtained from different species of South American goats.
Mohair is obtained from the Angora goat of Asia Minor.
Kashmir wool is got from the Thibetan goat.
Camel hair is the soft under wool of the camel, which is shed annually. It is of a brown colour.
The colour of wool varies from white to a very dark brown black, with all shades of fawn, grey and brown in between. The natural colours are not absolutely fast to light but tend to bleach slightly with the sun.