Mollie Makes meets… Anna Wilkinson

The knitwear designer Anna Wilkinson talks colour, shape and… thrash metal

Anna Wilkinson is a Twentysomething, London-based knitwear designer. Her work is fresh and quirky, yet completely wearable. Ranging from polka dot socks to Fair Isle sweaters.

What’s more, her book, Learn To Knit, Love To Knit (Quadrille Publishing), features a collection of 20 patterns for clothes and accessories. We caught up with this knitter extraordinaire to find out more.

What inspires you and your work?

I find colour incredibly inspiring – it’s often the driving force of my designs. I’m always on the lookout for unique and exciting colour combinations.

I try not to analyse the origin of my inspiration too much and just go with it if an idea pops into my head. I also try to keep a notebook with me as much as possible in case I need to scribble something down.

How do you tackle a new project or design?

If I’m set a design brief I try to let the theme sit with me for a little while and not commit to a design too quickly. I often find that my ideas need a little bit of time to develop before I can really settle on the final thing. Then I just sketch – lots and lots – until there’s something I’m really happy with and excited about.