Annie Isobel Hall
Hi I’m Annie, I make handmade knitwear using a knitting machine in Leeds! I studied illustration at Leeds Arts Uni, and was first introduced to knitting machines on my term abroad in Rotterdam. Currently all the garments I make are through commissions, so every jumper & vest is one of a kind. If you’re interested in getting something made I’m hoping to open up commissions again around April. Instagram: @annieisobelhall
Where would you like your work to take you?
Ideally I'd like to be making knitwear full time! By the amount of people interested from instagram I think it could be doable, but I'm still figuring out logistics at the moment; how much time everything takes to make/how much to cost the garments at etc. Hopefully by summer I might be able to quit my part time job and focus entirely on knitting.
How do you get into knitting and why did you specialise in it?
My granny taught me to knit when I was about 4 or 5, and since then I've just found it to be a really good way to relax. I studied illustration at University, so for most of my life knitting has felt like more of a hobby than a practice. I started incorporating it into my work during my last year at uni, as a way to have a break from drawing, and after I'd made one jumper I just didn't wanna stop :-----) Luckily there's been a fair amount of overlap with knitting and my degree, as I make all my patterns on Photoshop, and my drawings have always been fairly simple meaning they're easier to knit. After I handed in my last project at University I bought myself a knitting machine, which has sped up the whole process and allowed me to sell work. I still have loads to learn about using a knitting machine, but I've been really enjoying having something new to focus on.
Where do you draw inspiration for your designs?
I do struggle with getting inspiration for drawing, especially as I kind of fell out of love with it during my degree. A lot of my most recent designs have been based on animals/natural objects as I think they're fun to draw and give faces to. I would like to make more knitwear featuring food - I have a design for a birthday cake where the candle is the nose, which I'm itching to do. I try to draw things that are mildly amusing, at least to me, and that generally stems from things that are surrounding me or conversations I've had with people. With some of the commissions I've done the people have told me roughly what they'd like, for example I have someone at the moment who's keen on medieval knights, so that makes it a lot simpler for me inspiration wise.
Can you list a couple other creatives/friends/people you look to for inspiration?
For knitting inspiration, Annie Lee Larson's brand 'ALL KNITWEAR' is really great. Her work played a big part in my decision to buy a knitting machine! I've always been a massive fan of the knitting hero Kaffe Fassett. Me and my mum knitted one of his jumpers together about 3 years ago and it's one of my favourite possessions.
A lot of my friends are also big inspirations for me, such as Kitty Short and Olivia McEwan-Hill who draw delightfully, as well as Emma Crabtree who makes a huge variety of beautiful things.
