100Purewool Merino 218 (merino single ply) there are some 2 & 3 ply's also
. . approx $6.50 per skein
. . pills the most but very soft

BBR (Black Berry Ridge / merino & some corriedale) http://www.blackberry-ridge.com/ (I ABSOLUTELY LOVE BBR!!)
. . approx $16 for kaleidascope multicolor-dyed worsted weight 4oz/230 yards
. . approx $9 for solid traditional color 250 yards
. . Very soft
. . can sometimes be a mohair blend
. . doesn’t pill hardly at all
. . can get it undyed http://www.blackberry-ridge.com/specwool.htm approx $8 per 4oz/250 yards

BFL (blue faced Leicester)
. . Very soft (is called poor man’s cashmere)
. . Pills some but not as much as single ply merinos do

Blue Merino (BFL & Merino blend)
. . has the softness of merino but the sturdiness of BFL
. . dyes up nicely

Briggs & Little Wool
. . Nice alternative to the higher end wools
. . softens up amazingly after washing

Cascade 200
. . Doesn’t pill much at all
. . comes in regular - regular is in skeins with a black tag and should say 100% wool
. . also comes in superwash - superwash is in balls with a burgandy tag and should say 100% superwash wool

Cascade Quatro

Corriedale 50
. . Pills less than merino

Handpainted Yarn Merino
. . soft like purewool but a bit sturdier

Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool
. . softens a bit after washing
. . a good yarn for learning/starting out for dying, knitting or crocheting

Malabrigo (single ply merino like purewool)
. . One of softest wools – but it pills heavily since it is single ply
. . Soft like purewol but sturdier

Nature Wool
. . Thinner than some of the other wools

Patons Classic Wool - 100% Merino
. . can be found at JoAnns, Hobby Lobby & Michaels - approx $5 per 3/3.5/4 oz skein
. . A sturdier merino but still quite soft

Peace Fleece [url]http://peacefleece.com/webyarn.htm[/url\
. . approx $7.50 per skein
. . 30% Mohair/70% wool, 2-ply. Approx. 200 yds/4oz skein
. . Pills the least and felts the least
. . more scratchy / not near as soft as merino but it does soften after a few washings or a conditioner soak

Plymouth Galway

Targhee or Targhee/mohair blends (Mosaic Moon & Tykie Knits) (IN MY EXPERIENCE THE MOST DURABLE AND BULLETPROOF)
. . Almost NO pilling
. . plain targhee is possibly similar to peacefleece in feel
. . targhee/mohair blends are a bit softer

Zenstring – type of yarn varies but all is handpainted http://www.zenstring.com/
. . Nirvana - 50% BFL/50% Merino; available in worsted (218 yards), soft spun aran weight (164 yards), and bulky 3 ply (137 yards) per 100 gram (appx. 3.5 oz) skein
. . Bliss - 100% BFL; available in DK (246 yards), aran (183 yards), and bulky (109 yards) per 100 gram skein
. . Lotus Toes - 100% super wash BFL wool; available in sport weight (370 yards) per 100 gram skein
. . Serendipity - 100% super wash merino; available in fingering (375 yards), sport (246 yards), worsted (200 yards), and chunky (118 yards) per 4 oz skein
. . Harmony - 50% super wash merino/50% Tencel fiber; available in fingering weight (367 yards per 4 oz skein) and DK weight (255 yards per 100 gram skein)



GENERAL NOTES:
. . Merino does not hold it's shape as well as some of the other yarns such as BFL and Targhee. If you use Merino for a waistband you will eventually probably need either a drawstring or an elastic waistband.