St. Distaff’s Day
St. Distaff’s day is the 7th of January, the day after Epiphany which is the twelfth day of Christmas. Traditionally in the “old days” in England, this was the day when spinners returned to their spinning. Sometimes called Rock Day, presumably for the rock that could be the whorl on a spindle, it was often filled with tricks and frivolity as folks eased themselves back into their working lives. The word “distaff” refers to a stick onto which fibers (usually flax) are lashed to keep them organized while spinning. We invite you to finish off your holiday season with a fun celebration of spinning!
Sister Sheep,
News You Can Ewes
#2, Winter 2011
Perfect Gifts and FREE SHIPPING
We have perfect gifts for the fiber folks on your gift-giving lists - 4 ounce bags of colored wool fleece, handpicked and ready to be washed, flick carded and spun right from the locks. These fibers are from two of our sheep who jumped out of their jackets too often and got their wool all dirty. But we have picked out the hay and grass from the best parts and put them in 4 oz. bags for you so you don’t have to miss out on the beauty of naturally colored wool.
If you mention this newsletter when you order through our Etsy site (www.sistersheepcolorado.etsy.com), we will ship these items to you for free, within the United States, from now until St. Distaff’s Day (January 7). It’s our way of saying “Thank You” to our Sister Sheep followers! And remember, you can always contact us through info@SisterSheep.com
Kid Mohair
Marny Pavelka, our goat-raising “sister”, has been busy breeding her goats to bring color to her herd. The kids were born in May and were just sheared for the first time in November. Now we have kid mohair, the softest and finest their hair will ever be.
Their “fresh off the goat” fleeces are available on our Etsy site, sistersheepcolorado.etsy.com We are selling these highly prized fibers in their raw and natural form – we have removed obviously soiled or matted sections, but we have NOT skirted them which means we have not laid them out and picked through them, removing grass or hay or short fibers, and we have NOT washed the fiber.
Meet the Kids
We have 5 of the cutest little goats you’d ever want to see. Come meet them and get a glimpse of their fiber locks.
CAGBA Officialness
Marny’s goats are officially registered with Colored Angora Goat Breeders Association. So she is an official breeder of colored goats and has animals for sale as well as their fiber.
MahaloMahalo is the lighter of the twins born to Francesca, our black doe. You can see that his black fibers include silver grey as well. It’s very shiny and lustrous. 
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NanalaNanala is the girl twin, a doe with blue eyes. Her fiber is quite black and has already been sold. But there will be more after spring shearing! 
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KahaleKahale was born to our doe Hershey. His locks are white and very curly. 
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LolaniMahalo is the lighter of the twins born to Francesca, our black doe. You can see that his black fibers include silver grey as well. It’s very shiny and lustrous. 
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AnelaAnela, born to our black doe Willow, began her life with red hair, but as she has grown her hair has changed to a taupe grey brown. The locks are lovely and SO soft… 
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New Ram - Pele
And you should also meet Pele, the ram that Marny purchased at the Estes Park Wool Market in June 2011.
He is ready to sire more kids when he gets his chance. Meanwhile he lives in a separate pen and is joined at night by Mahalo and Kahale who keep him company. Are they cute or what?!
Happy Holidays and Happy Fibering!
from all of us at Sister Sheep – Flo, Julie, Marny and Sarah