Wool Roving & Spinning Fiber

We have wool roving from sheep and farms all over the world. Quantity discounts available on bulk wool roving for spinning at 4oz, 8oz, 16oz quantities.

Undyed Spinning Fiber Dyed Fiber Merino Wool Roving Corriedale Wool Roving Blue Faced Leicester Shetland Wool Roving Malabrigo Nube Merino Wool Roving

1180 products

Wool Roving and Top for Spinning and Felting

Everything here is fiber prepared for spinning or felting: carded wool roving, combed top, and a few blends with silk and alpaca. Most of it is priced by the ounce and pulled from bulk at our shop in Spokane, so you can buy one ounce to try a breed or several pounds for a sweater. We've been selling spinning fiber since 1997.

Below: the difference between roving and top, a quick rundown of the breeds, and how the bulk pricing works.

What's the Difference Between Wool Roving and Wool Top?

Roving is carded. The fibers come off the carder pointing every which way, with air trapped between them. Top is combed, which lines the fibers up side by side and takes out the short ones.

You can feel that difference in the yarn. Combed top suits a worsted draft and spins a smooth, dense yarn. Carded roving suits a woolen draft and spins a lighter, loftier, warmer one. Neither is a hard rule, and lots of spinners spin top woolen or roving worsted to get something in between.

  • Wool top: combed, fibers parallel, short bits removed. Good for socks, smooth yarns and anything that needs to wear well.
  • Wool roving: carded and airy. Good for warm, squishy yarns, and a favorite for felting because the fibers already run in every direction.

Teachers don't agree on which is easier for a first spin. Some start students on carded fiber and some on commercial top. If you're learning, get an ounce of each and see which one your hands like.

Browse Wool Roving and Spinning Fiber by Breed

Breed matters more than prep for how a yarn feels. Micron tells you how soft it will be against skin, and staple length changes how it drafts. The breeds we sell the most of:

  • Merino wool roving: the finest wool here, about 19 to 23 micron depending on the grade. Soft enough for cowls and next-to-skin knits. Commercial merino top has a short staple, around 2 to 3 inches, so it takes some practice to draft.
  • Corriedale wool roving: a medium wool, roughly 25 to 31 micron, with a 3.5 to 6 inch staple and even crimp. Teachers often hand it to new spinners, and it felts well. Most people won't want it right against their neck.
  • Bluefaced Leicester (BFL) roving: long staple, about 3 to 6 inches, with a soft, silky shine rather than a glossy one. Spins smooth and takes dye well.
  • Shetland wool roving: an old island breed that varies a lot from sheep to sheep, from quite soft to rustic. The natural colors are the draw, and it's the traditional wool for Fair Isle.
  • Dyed wool roving: solid and multicolor fiber in several breeds.
  • Undyed spinning fiber: white and natural sheep colors, for dyeing yourself or spinning as it is.
  • Malabrigo Nube: 4 oz braids of hand-dyed merino top from Malabrigo, in their usual bright colors.

Dyers can find more blank bases in our undyed yarn and fiber selection, and felters may want to look at our felting yarn collection too.

Spinning vs. Felting: Does Fiber Preparation Matter?

For felting, breed matters more than prep. Finer wool felts faster, which is why merino is the usual pick for wet felting. Corriedale felts well too and holds up better on things that get handled a lot. Roving's loose structure makes it easy to pull thin wisps for wet felting and to build up shapes with a felting needle.

The thing to watch for is superwash. Superwash wool has a shrink-resist treatment so the finished yarn can go in the washing machine, and that same treatment keeps it from wet felting properly. It's great for spinning sock yarn and the wrong choice for felting.

For spinning, either prep works on a wheel or a spindle. If you're shopping for a wheel as well, Ashford spinning wheels are a common first wheel. Call us at 509-536-7746 if you want help matching a fiber to your wheel.

Buying Wool Roving by the Ounce or by the Bump

Most fiber here is priced by the ounce, and the price per ounce drops as you buy more: at 4 oz, 8 oz, 1 lb, 2 lb and 5 lb. On most fibers, buying 5 lb works out to about 38% less per ounce than buying a single ounce. The discount shows on the product page when you pick a weight.

A couple of fibers also come as full 22 lb bumps for dyers and guilds. The 1 oz option is there so you can try a breed before you commit to a sweater's worth.

Orders in by 1pm Pacific, Monday through Saturday, usually ship the same day, and US shipping is free over $99. If you're after a breed we don't list, or you need the micron or staple length on something, call 509-536-7746 or email [email protected].

Frequently Asked Questions

A medium wool with a staple of about 3 to 5 inches and moderate crimp is the usual advice for a first spinner. Corriedale is the classic pick, and BFL and Shetland work well too. Fine merino is lovely but its short staple is slippery to draft when you're new. Teachers are split on whether carded roving or combed top is easier at first, so try an ounce of each.

Yes, as long as it isn't superwash. Merino and Corriedale both spin well and felt well. Superwash wool has a shrink-resist treatment, so it won't wet felt. That makes it a good choice for washable handspun and the wrong one for felting.

For spinning, spin a small sample, measure how many yards per pound you get, and divide your pattern's yardage by that number. If your handspun comes out at 900 yards per pound and the sweater calls for 1,200 yards, you need about 1.33 lb. Add 15 to 20% so you don't run short, which makes it about 1.6 lb. For needle felting, a small animal takes an ounce or two.

Micron is the average diameter of the fibers, measured in millionths of a meter. Lower is finer and softer. Most people start to feel prickle from fibers coarser than about 30 micron, so a 19 or 21 micron merino is comfortable at the neck and a 28 micron wool is better for outerwear, rugs and bags. It's an average, so two wools with the same number can still feel a little different.

Keep it somewhere cool, dry and dark, in a cotton bag or a bin with some airflow rather than sealed in plastic for years. Moths are the real risk. Check your stash every few months, and freeze anything new from a fleece sale or a friend's attic for a few days before it goes in with the rest.