Thank you for visiting our shop, The Wheel & Anvil. We welcome and invite you to get to know us here!

We are Pat & Shelley, a military family that has a few too many moves under our belt and hope that our current home-base is the final destination! Since the beginning, we've both loved "slow" things. For our first official date, Pat brought me a book rather than flowers, and here we are over 20 years later, still reading and enjoying things that are worth taking our time to do. We think of it as "Ent life". 

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Pat is the resident blacksmith, or, he was until we moved away from the PNW and into the hot, humid south for a few years. Between a busy job and "air you can wear", as our local meteorologist called it, blacksmithing wasn't something he had the time/ability to continue doing. Instead, he focused on his job and dabbled in 3D printing -- which is always handy when you have a crafty spouse! As we have recently moved home to Washington, he is hoping to get back to his own art very soon.

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Shelley is the fiber artist and photographer of the business. In 2011, a trip to Prosser, WA and a chance opportunity to bottle feed two cria (baby alpacas) led her down the windy road of all things fiber arts. She had learned to crochet as a teen, so the next logical step was to learn to spin yarn. She began volunteering at a local alpaca ranch, learned how to care for them, shear them, and then process the fiber into batts and roving. Her first spinning wheel came along, then another. A few alpacas (a story all on its own), a rigid heddle loom, and a few floor looms later, and things have been downright loony (to non-crafters) ever since! 

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As we settle back in to Washington and get our lives back in order, we are looking forward to helping people find art that is as useful as it is unique and beautiful. Shelley considers herself a lifelong learner and enjoys sharing the the techniques and information she's garnered along the way, so fiber arts lessons can be made available if you are interested in expanding your skill set. She is also an authorized dealer for SpinOlution wheels, made here in the USA, and will happily help you find the right wheel for your body. SpinOlution wheels use a side-to-side rocker for treadling that many people find to be much gentler on their bodies. Shelley has lived with Rheumatoid arthritis for over 20 years and believes SpinOlution's design will keep her treadling and spinning for many years to come! 

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If you are interested in a wheel, a skein of yarn, a handwoven piece, or custom blacksmith work (coming again, soon'ish), please use the contact form below. We look forward to hearing from you! 

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