Merino wool v.s. lamb’s wool

Merino is a type of sheep. You can buy Merino Sheep wool, or Baby Merino wool (lamb's). It is fine and crimped and soft. The lamb of the Merino sheep will have even softer wool.

As an Australian where most of the world's merino sheep live (no! it's not New Zealand) I would comment is that it does not matter what breed of sheep produce the wool, it is the thickness of the fibre (measured in microns) that determine the characteristics of the cloth. The length of fibre is important in giving strength to the yarn. The fibre has to be very even in diameter so periods of great stress can cause weaknesses in the fibre.

I would note that the Merino has been bred to produce fine wool but the superfine wool is in part due to the conditions the sheep live in and the amount of exercise they get. Less food and more walking to find it produces the finest wool.

The wools used to produce "merino" are likely to be 15-19 micron and represent the finest wool available in reasonable quantity.

A couple of historical notes. The merino breed originally came from Spain and were bought to Australia very early in our history. The breed was greatly improved in Australia over the 19th century and wool became our major export. New Zealand has traditionally grown sheep for carpet wools (around 30 micron) because of their wetter climate.

Thanks Mark, a very enjoyable summary.

Thanks Mark. I now see why Merino wool (Oz version) is so sought after for wool baselayer garments. Interesting mix of selective breeding, diet, exercise and climate.