Saxony  I  Cap-Spun  I  Cheviot  I  Lustre  I  Shoddy  I  Ring-Spun

Woollen yarns vary chiefly according to the kind of wool that is used, which may range from the finest qualities of short merino, through cross-bred and medium wools, to shoddies and wastes which are so short and low in quality that a small quantity of a longer fibre, e.g. cotton, has to be introduced to enable the material to spin. Woollen yarn is carded as opposed to a worsted yarn which is combed.

Woollen yarn consists of short, fine wool, and contains all the varying lengths of the fibres, which are indiscriminately mixed together by the carding process so that they lie across each other in all directions. A fibrous, compact, but rather uneven thread is produced, which has excellent felting properties, and when dyed takes on a soft, deep and rich colour due to light being absorbed rather than reflected.

A typical thread, made from fine Merino wool, and used for the finest and best woollen textures.
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Cheviot Woollen Yarn

Made from sound and strong cross-bred and medium wools, and used for cheviot tweeds and carpets. Top


Ring-spun worsted yarn

Ring spinning is employed only to a limited extent for worsted yarn, but is a very suitable system for the finest botany threads. The fibres are under better control than in cap spinning, so that the yarn is not so wild and hairy.
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Lustre Woollen Yarn

Similar to cheviot yarn, but is made from lustrous medium wool, and is used for rugs and similar pile fabrics.
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Shoddy Yarn

Made from re-manufactured wool and wastes, and frequently contains a proportion of cotton. Shoddy yarn is not used in Holland & Sherry cloths.
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Ring-Spun Woollen Yarns

Spun on the continuous system from condenser bobbins, with a special arrangement of the drafting rollers to ensure uniform drafting of the long and short fibres, and an attachment giving a vibratory movement to the threads to impart fullness to the yarn. The thread is satisfactory, but is somewhat inferior in softness, fullness, and felting property to a mule-spun woollen yarn.
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Holland & Sherry Textile Guide