Thanks for all the input guys (and girls)... so I'm hearing wood, dirt, cloth, bumpmaps, skin, hair. Even if you can create something procedurally, I would think it would be easier if you just had the right image, no? Unless of course you're trying to get something very specific for which there's nothing available.

Genny: Out of curiousity, would there be any copyright issues with cloth patterns? Does anyone own a texture if they've created the fabric?