The first garment I ever made was with my mother when I was about eight. We would sit together every night one winter and knit. I knitted the sleeve of a sweater and she knitted the rest. Six years later, I was wearing another sweater I had designed and made. It was full of beads and ribbons. The owner of the boutique I was shopping in, asked me if I could make another for her shop...and so began the SallyAnna range.

After travelling the world for many years with sticks and yarn, I am now based in Perth, Western Australia. Last year my husband built a studio under the house for me. He called it The Dungeon! It looks like a cupboard from the outside but through a small door and down three steps, is a most wonderful place; wall to wall yarn, fabric, sewing machines, books and even a tiny TV for movie watching.

I love to make unique and interesting pieces, mixing yarns of different weights and colours. I also like to knit in a wide range of yarns both manmade and natural. Thus far these have included such fibres as wool, alpaca, soy bean, milk protein, cashmere, viscose (trees), banana fibre and many more. They all have individual qualities which I love to highlight in different pieces. Consequently, I hand knit many one of a kind pieces.

I feel the same about the finished hand knitted garment. Each piece is special and I'm often both delighted and sad when I finish a piece as I enjoy the process as much as the completion. I usually have several pieces on the go, many to finish off and a thousand ideas yet to start.

The yarns themselves and the colours found in nature are my inspiration. I am excited to see new ranges of yarn but just as excited to spend some time in The Dungeon going through my extensive stash. I always leave there with many new ideas.

I am also constantly trying new techniques and stitches to combine in new and interesting ways and reading about different yarns and their qualities. I find it amazing that I have been knitting for most of my life and still regularly learning so much about fibre and techniques.

When I sell a piece, I love the idea of a new owner enjoying the look and feel of unique hand knitted accessory or garment. A beautiful ball of fibre handmade into something that can be loved and worn for years. In fact, as I write this, I am wearing a big cream cardigan I made when I was 16 and still love.