About us - The support team
Jo Pol
Living in the Netherlands.
My childhood friend was fond of playing stories with her dolls, I was more interested in the leftovers from her mother’s sewing activities to dress my dolls. It is just an example of the many crafts I tried for a longer or shorter period. My grammar school was an early adopter in offering computer programming courses, it determined my choice of career. A bobbin lace demo around the same time draw my attention and with the help of library books I got hooked for life.
Since a workshop “Flanders differently” given by the Dutch lace guild LOKK, I wanted the computer to turn color coded pair diagrams into thread diagrams. But at that time I lacked the skills to do it myself and details of the required concepts were too abstract to convince others. But at last I could combine work and hobby, or should I say, both of my hobbies? Lace diagrams and grids became exercise subjects to master new programming skills. It works in both directions. Slowly I acquired the skills to grow the exercises into something useful. I’m happy to share the results with you.
Marian Tempels
Living in the Netherlands.
I do not remember when I learned to knit etcetera, must have been at age 6 or something. I do remember knitting a doll at primary school, when I was about age 10. Also, I remember being very disappointed when I was not chosen for attending a weaving-class. At the end of secondary school I had crocheted a wardrobe for a little doll, sewed “aliens” (funny shaped puppets) and made lots of embroidery works. Most of those works are lost somewhere, alas. I did learn to weave, though.
I started making lace about 1980. Worked my way through “Slag voor slag” by Zus Boelaars. Some years later I took lessons, still working traditional.
My lace-making got a tremendous boost when I joined the De Waaier lace group. I started taking classes in different styles including modern lace.
Inspired by “Hollandsche kant” I started to experiment with the rose-ground, using unorthodox stitches like “cross only” or “do nothing”. Also, I joined the units of the rose ground with plaits. These works were published in the “Kantbrief”, the magazine from the dutch lace-society LOKK, and in “bulletin OIDFA”.
I studied Mathematics at Technical University Eindhoven and work as data- and rules-analyst.