Thistle Dew Ranch

🚨 LOCAL CELEBRITY ALERT! 🚨

Mama Llama has made it into the local newspaper following Saturday's America 250 Juniata County celebration.

The other animals are not handling the news well.

Princess would like everyone to know she spent the entire day looking elegant and majestic and somehow didn't make the paper.

Tavy and Jerry have filed a formal complaint, citing the countless hours they devoted to greeting visitors, accepting pets, and posing for photos.

Meanwhile, Mama Llama has become completely insufferable!

According to the newspaper, she was "waiting anxiously for attention." We believe she prefers the term "receiving the admiration she deserves."

There will be absolutely no living with her now. 😂🦙

In all seriousness, we're honored to have Thistle Dew Ranch mentioned in the paper and grateful for everyone who stopped by to visit the animals, ask questions, and learn more about fiber farming.

Congratulations to our newest local celebrity, Mama Llama! ❤️

Mama Llama made the Lewistown Sentinel!! 😃

We are never going to hear the end of this... she already is insisting she needs a Facebook "fan page" 🙄🤭

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of participating in in McAlisterville, and what a fantastic event it was! I am so glad we were invited!!

A HUGE thank you to the committee and volunteers... (Jess Guyer) who worked so hard to put everything together!
They did an amazing job!

There was entertainment throughout the day, incredible demonstrations, great food, and so many opportunities to learn about the history, skills, and traditions that helped shape our country.

We brought Mama Llama, Princess the alpaca, Tavy the sheep, and Jerry the Nigerian Dwarf goat along for the day.
Tavy and Jerry soaked up every bit of attention they could get, while Mama Llama and Princess preferred to observe the crowds and activities from a comfortable distance.
They were all wonderful ambassadors for our farm!

One of our favorite parts of attending events like this is having the opportunity to share what we do here at Thistle Dew Ranch. We enjoyed talking with so many people about fiber animals, spinning, hand carding, wool and fleece processing, and the many products that can be created from the fibers our animals provide.

Jerry also helped us share information about our Nigerian Dwarf goats and the benefits of our handcrafted goat milk soaps.

Stacy even entered the beard contest... and was interviewed by Merf Radio, where he had the opportunity to talk about our farm and the things we are passionate about.

We also enjoyed visiting with many of the other demonstrators and vendors throughout the day. It's always inspiring to meet others who are dedicated to preserving traditional skills and sharing them with the next generation.

Most of all, thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth, asked questions, petted the animals, watched me spin some yarn, or simply took a few minutes to chat.
We truly appreciate your support and enjoyed meeting each and every one of you!

It was a long day, but a very good one—and we are grateful to have been part of such a wonderful community celebration!

We are set up in McAlisterville Park for

Mama Llama, Princess, Tavy and Jerry are all here living their best lives... getting all kinds of lovings! They are also enjoying ALL of the entertainment happening on the main stage!

There is so much to see... come check it all out!

🎸🦙 Welcome to the world, Billy! 🦙🎸

This afternoon, we welcomed our newest cria to the farm!

Meet Thistle Dew Ranch's Billy Get Your Guns — "Billy" for short.

Billy is the son of Bizkit, and sired by Thistle Dew Ranch's Blaze Of Glory. He arrived healthy, strong, and ready to explore the world.
We are already completely smitten with his striking markings, curious personality, and adorable little face.

As many of you know, we have an 80's rock and hair band theme for our alpaca names, and Billy seemed like the perfect fit from the moment he hit the ground.

After a busy, exhausting week of making and stacking hay, this little guy was exactly the bright spot we needed.

Welcome to the herd, Billy. We can't wait to watch you grow! ❤️

We will be set up at "Another Blooming Craft Show" in Richfield today. If you're in the neighborhood, stop out and see us and all the other vendors!

Last weekend, we loaded up and headed to Central PA Fiber Fest in Hughesville—me, Stacy, Britt, and Olivia (Josh’s youngest)! 🐑🧶💕

Of course, I couldn’t leave empty-handed. 😍 Here’s what followed me home:

✨ 8-ish ounces of a dreamy 20% Yak / 20% Silk / 60% Polwarth blend from "Shirsty Cat Designs" (Kelly Straub, Norristown, PA) in rich, deep greens, blues, and purples.

✨ 6-ish ounces of gorgeous, shiny 50% Tibetan Yak / 50% Silk Top from "Holly Road Fiber Farm" (Frank & Cathy Riotto, Barnesville, PA) in the prettiest silvery grey.

✨ Another 8-ish ounces from Shirsty Cat Designs—a vibrant 70% Blue Faced Leicester / 30% Silk blend in bright greens, blues, and brown. Not the same dye lot, but honestly? I think they’re going to play very nicely together. 🤭

On our final lap through the vendors, I spotted the cutest sheep-shaped iced sugar cookies and obviously had to stop. 🐑🍪 Olivia and I got cookies, while Stacy and Britt went for chocolate brownies with peanut butter & chocolate icing. (Yes, I stole a bite. Yes, it was worth it. 😂)

There were definitely a few more things I wanted to bring home… but adulthood and budgets are rude. HOWEVER… I discovered all the vendors (with website links!) are listed on the Central PA Fiber Fest website under the vendor tab, so technically… shopping can continue later. 😇

And because no trip north feels complete without it, we wrapped up the day with a late lunch/early dinner at our absolute favorite—Forksville General Store. ❤️

Such a fun day with family, fiber, and a little controlled financial irresponsibility. 😆

✨ BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THISTLE DEW RANCH ✨

We’ve been quiet over here lately…

…but not because we’ve been resting 😏 (I wish I was resting😅)

We’ve been "building"... or "growing"...
Whatever you want to call it.....it’s finally time to share what’s been in the works…

🌿 NEW PRODUCTS ARE OFFICIALLY LAUNCHING THIS SUNDAY! 🌿

📍 Join us at the Garden Faire at Fort Hunter
🗓 THIS SUNDAY — and be the first to get your hands on everything new!

Here’s what’s coming with us:

🧼 Brand new soap collections (and yes… they smell AMAZING!) (I am launching not 1... not 2... but 3 different soap collections!)
🧶 Fresh yarn grown right here on our farm — from our animals! (We picked up last year's fleece from Lazy Meadows Alpacas and Fiber Mill!! AND IT IS AMAZING!!)
🧢 Handmade hats
🌿 New skin care products we’ve been quietly perfecting

This isn’t just a restock…
This is a full-on level up!

✨ And here’s the part we’re REALLY excited about… ✨

🏡 We will be opening an ON-FARM STORE! (Keep an eye out for our opening date)

Soon, you’ll be able to shop with us right here at Thistle Dew Ranch for:
🥚 Farm fresh eggs
🧼 Our full line of soaps (+ skincare)
🧶 Yarn + handmade goods
🌱 And whatever else the farm is producing at the time

Because, honestly… we’ve officially reached the point where the farm is producing faster than we can keep up 😂

Can’t make it Sunday?
We’ve got you covered!

We will have a full restock at
📍 Turbett Back 40 - New Page (Old Port)
🗓 Starting Friday, May 8th

We will also be at
📍 Another Blooming Craft Show – Richfield
🗓 Saturday, May 30th

AND

📍Juniata Co Celebration of America's 250th - McAlisterville
🗓Saturday, June 13th

Everything we make is:
🌿 Handmade
🐐 Farm-grown
💛 Created with intention (and a little bit of chaos)

So if you’ve been following along…
this is your sign to come see what we’ve been up to!

👉 Come smell the soaps
👉 Squish the yarn
👉 Talk farm life or fiber with us
We can’t wait to see you 💛

— Stacy & Amy
🦙🐑🐐🐂🐓🐕🐎

Today was shearing day!!
It was just Stacy and me.

No crew.
No backup.
Just me, Stacy… and a lineup of VERY opinionated fiber animals.

And let me tell you—
they had notes.

Some were personally offended.
Some acted like we had completely betrayed them.

One or two behaved like absolute angels.

And a few?
Fully convinced they were being prepared for the end times 🙄

But despite the drama…
Every animal got shorn.
There were No injuries.
And we now have a whole pile of beautiful fiber ready to head to the mill.

It’s sweaty, chaotic, back-breaking work...🥴
and there are definitely moments when we question our life choices…
…but then we look at what we accomplished in a single day...
just the two of us...
and yeah…
We realize that we handled it like champs!💪

Tonight we’re sore, exhausted, and finding fleece and wool in places it should never be…but proud...
Because this is real life... on our farm.

It is messy, loud, a little ridiculous… and 100% worth it. 🥰

Don't forget-
Next Sunday, May 3rd... we will be at Fort Hunter's Garden Faire from 10am to 4pm!
We have some BEAUTIFUL new yarn... just picked up from the Mill and I have a bunch of new goat milk soap scents to share!