The illustrator and knitter Annie Hall sees wool as the perfect tool for drawing

Many people are multidisciplinary, but few are as niche a concoction as London-based creative Annie Hall. “I’ve been calling myself a jumper maker and illustrator,” Annie says, “which I think sums it up fairly well.” Combining illustration and knitting, Annie’s practice is profoundly analogue, and her style is equally as distinctive. She creates warm, odd and charming characters and tableaus in sustainable Yorkshire spun and dyed wool. Having originally studied illustration, Annie got her hands on a knitting machine to keep her fingers busy. “I’ve always liked ‘applied illustration’ in that I’ve always enjoyed putting drawings onto physical objects rather than on paper,” she explains. She’s also dabbled in screen printing, papier-mache, clay and painting furniture. “I think knitting is just another way to physically make something out of your drawings,” Annie says, “a tactile, cosy and useful form for my drawings to take.”

The drawings themselves – featuring friendly (sometimes uncanny) characters, like conniving devils and endearing animal faces – are both familiar and unusual, finding a tender middle ground between likeable and off-kilter. Albeit, with eyes that seem to follow you around the room. This is due to Annie’s childhood obsession with illustrative characters, the likes of Richard Scarry’s creations, alongside her more contemporary interests, including kids’ clothing patterns and knitting books. “I had some great books growing up, and as a child I thought ‘children’s book illustrator’ was one of the main jobs that adults had,” Annie says. “As I grew up and realised this wasn’t the case, I was still drawn to illustration though, purely because it looked fun.” This laid-back yet earnest approach is evident in the mischievous characters, scenes and landscapes she shapes. “Whenever I’m drawing, I want the characters to look cheeky or fun,” Annie ends. “I don’t take the drawing part too seriously and quite like leaning into bad or messy drawings.”