Jean said to use saliva, Suck it and See was the term she used:-
Whenever I am making lace or sewing by hand and prick my finger I always use
the saliva method immediately. This method seems to only really works on
natural fibre fabric, or so I have found.
Take a good length of cotton
HI Alex,
If you replied to my message on the subject of Cleaning X Ray Films in order
to use them on a lace pillow then I have not seen your reply. Did you
intend to reply to me privately or through the list? I have received the
latest Digest of the list but only the message from you below
I attended lace classes more than 30 years ago in Essex with Alex Stilwell.
During one class Alex told the us how to clean off X Ray films in order to
use them to cover a piece of lace that was damp from washing and which we
wanted to pin out onto the pattern to dry. The film would protect
Beth wrote,
When joining in new threads, twist the old (nearly finished) one and the
new thread together (about 20-30 times) and use them as if they were one
thread for a couple of rows - IIRR it was Alex Stilwell suggested this
to me in a previous discussion of this topic and having tried it on
I have a couple of pillow stands which were turned in exotic woods by Geoff
Mudge in England. Because these are beautifully turned they are not cheap
but are like a piece of furniture and don't look out of place in my lounge
when in use. These were bought as present for me, at different
HI Alex,
If you are talking about making underwear for the doll then I think that a
Spencer is a type of bodice.
The page of Wikipedia entitled Spencer (Clothing) says towards the end of
the initial text that in Australia a liberty bodice is called a Spencer. I
wore a liberty bodice under
Peg wrote:
It was a
new spool and I keep them in a sealed polypropelyne container and wrapped in
acid free tissue.
I seem to remember being told never to keep threads in Plastic bags or boxes
as they need to breathe, being natural threads. I store my threads in a set
of little drawers,
An alternative to a Crochet Hook or Needle Pin for sewings is to use a Lazy
Susan.
This is a fine needle with the point stuck into a wooden handle the Eye end
of
the needle is bent into a curve for easier use. The Eye is for threading
with a length of thread, a good 14 inches I find is best
HI Antje,
You don't say in your message how much each issue of the magazine would
cost, and how much the postage per issue would be,. to either within Spain
or overseas, (al extranjero). I looked at your webpage for the magazine and
nowhere there does it mention how much the subscription to
Katelyn wrote.
I had been doing 3t pin 3t, as described in the book I have been learning
from, with little success. The two threads always popped apart when I took
the pin out. Another, much older, book it suggested 6t pin, which worked a
lot better. Based on this discussion, I will start giving
Lesley wrote.
After much fruitless internet searching I'm doing what I should have
done in the first place - ask the experts. So, does anyone in the UK
know where I can get Stiffy stiffener for lace? This has been
recommended to me for stiffening Christmas decorations using Gold Rush
and
Thanks Norma for that tip about not useing Fray check on lace. I am glad I
didn't use it on my flowers, they took so long to make I would have been
very upset if one day they turned brown.
Lyn Bailey told me I can find Stiffy on the amazon.co.uk website. I had not
thought of looking there
Thanks David for the pattern details for the Knitted Lace Scarf, and to Bev
for the details about the Gauge for suitable wool on those sizes of needles.
I will have to try and find some suitable wool over here in Spain.
I have cut and pasted the text of both pattern and guage into a word doc.,
I am naturally very left handed but, like Jacquie Tinch, I use either hand
to place pins. For example making picots, with left handed picots I place
the pin with my right hand while twisting and holding the bobbins in my
left hand, for right handed picots I take the pin in my left hand,
Lynn in Pennsylvania wrote:-
One person suggested putting the lace piece between two
pieces of glass. Seems like a winner to me. Might not deter all thieves,
but
at least itâ?Ts not something you can easily crumple into a pocket. (What a
dreadful picture.) Perhaps even something that can
Doris wrote in response to the wooden Implement question:-
A picture in the Shire album of needlework tools has a rosewood tool which
looks at first glance like a needle case, similar to your pictured tool. But
it is a holder for a styptic pencil these are quite frequently found in
workboxes.
A true Tambour Hook doesn't have a latch such as a rug hook has. It has a
barb like a fish hook and this is what makes it hard to get out of your hand
if you are silly enough to get it caught under the skin, as I once did mine.
I was in the house on my own one evening and had to get a taxi to
Hi Sue,
If you wanted to have a go at Tambour Lace then you can get a Tambour Hook
from the site below, it is for a supplier in Belgium where they make Lierse
Lace, a Tambour Lace.
http://www.scharlaeken.be/en/default.dhtml
You would be able to pay on the site with a card so exchange from
Jean,
Your plate is really lovely. The dark blue gimp really brings it to life.
Congratulations of a beautiful piece of lace.
I remember back in the early 1980s when I was going to lace classes with
Alex Stilwell in Essex, she made a Willow Pattern plate piece that was oval,
is this the
HI Jen,
I would agree with Bev in her message below. Do the windmill crossing but
add an extra twist in the middle, cross twist, twist cross. This should
bring the colours out of the crossing on the same side of the crossing as
they were on before the entered the crossing. Just make sure
Hello everyone,
I have just re.subscribed to the lace list after a few years break.
Today, 11th Sept. is Catalunya day, the region in which we live in Spain.
It is the major Fiesta for the whole region, made up of the four provinces
of Barcelona, Tarragona, Girona and Lerida in he North
HI Clay,
Thankyou for your message.
In the 26 years I have lived here we have only had two actual lace
exhibitions in our town. this years Lace Day was the 10th annual lace day
we have held but there in 1992 and back in 2005 or 6, I can't remember which
year, we held the Annual Lace day for
I have more than one block pillow that I bought from SMP Lace, these are
made from high density polystyrene, the type that is the tiny balls fused
together. Because it is High Density the holes made by lace pins tend not to
destroy the pillow too much so that the pillow has quite a long life.
Sorry to send this to the list but I don't know what else to do to get in
contact with Jenny Brandis
Jenny asked me a while ago for some information, off list, I wrote to her a
few days ago with my reply but have not heard from her. I am now wondering
if she recieved my messages at all just
Anybody have any idea what item 290209323102 on Ebay is?
Laurie
It looks to me like what I know today to be an Eyes Out/Lazy Susan or a
Needle Pin, I can't see if the needles have their eyes at the bent end or at
the straight end. The handle has the screw part, pin vice, where you can
put
Jean in Poole wrote:
I have a wooden handled pin vice in the same style as this one. I bought
bent needles for a lazy susan to clamp them in from Tim Parker. Every time I
tried to bend my own they broke.
You need to heat the needle in a flame to soften it and bend it, but that
heat discolours
On the last weeks theme of Lace Makers Helps I thought others with not much
room to spare for storing several lace pillows when they are not in use
might find this helpful.
I bought one of those collapsible wardrobes years ago. This is the type
that has a tubular metal frame that goes
Karen in Malta wrote:-
I have also printed the pictures of the three plait crossing. It looks so
pretty that I would be reluctant to tighten it up. I wonder if there would
be a successful way of leaving this crossing as shown i.e. not tightened,
but left wide to look like it is in the picture.
I
Something that I have found useful to be able to do is when I have a
pricking that only gives half of the pattern, say in the case of a large
collar or fan pattern where you have to reverse the pattern for the second
half of the item.
I go to the photocopy shop and get them to make a copy on
I mostly prick my patterns out onto proper pricking card but occasionally
that all seems like too much hard work and I will then use a photocopy, it
depends on what I am intending to make and the use the finished article will
be put to.
I cannot readily buy blue film here so have to make do
For those who missed the above programme when it was shown on the BBC1
channel on Sunday the first episode is being repeated this coming Thursday,
Jan. 17th, on BBC1 at 1.55AM UK Time, which I believe is the same as GMT at
present. Very late at night for those in the UK but you could set the
*Yellow* starched ruffs and bands? *Yellow* ruff (on Mrs Turner)?
Yellow??? What gives here, does anyone know? Does Planche mean
gilt (metallic), or yellowed linen? And, if linen, how come it was
allowed to get yellow? This is the first time I've *ever* heard of
yellow lace and here he seems to
Hazel wrote.
I didn't watch the TV programme,
Anyway to those who saw it (and have, like me, read
the book) was the TV version any good? Should I make
sure of watching it next week?
Hazel,
You could try going to the BBC wesbite, www.bbc.co.uk and searching for
Larkrise to Candleford. You
Bev wrote
I googled Brilliana Lady Harley and her dates are c. 1600 - 1643. Does
that help identify the sort of lace she might wear - if she wore it? The one
google image I found of her shows a painting of her in a sleeved dress with
low neck, no lace - she has what could be pearls around her
Jane Partridge wrote.
Being a noble woman, I suspect that she would have worn the bande
(falling collar) with lace trim until approaching the years of the civil
war, when if hers was a Parliament family, she would have dressed
plainly to avoid being mistaken for a Royalist. I'm not sure when
I too saw Queen at her pillow but to me the pillow seemed to be wrong. She
looked to be working on a domed pillow, similar to the type we use today,
instead of what I believe they used in the 18th century, a bolster pillow.
Did they also use domed round or squarish pillows back then? The books
Jeri Ames wrote:-
a $65,000 lace fan!
Shown on page 247 of December 2007 Architectural Digest magazine -
Imperial Russian tortoiseshell-and-black-lace fan. Has a
diamond-and-silver cipher
of Empress Maria Feodorovna, the mother of Czar Nicholas II.
You can see it (and details) at
I think in England the Ethafoam you are talking about is known perhaps as
Styrofoam.
SMP lace in England used to cut styrofoam pieces to size, they sold the
light blue colour but I am not sure if they still do this. Russell Perrin
of SMP lace cut me some long triangular pieces years ago when
Hi Jean,
Cranford is being repeated late tonight, Tues/Wed 20/21st Nov. at 2.20am, UK
Time, Wednesday morning on BBC1, and then again on the afternoon of Sunday
25th at 5.50pm, shortly before episode two is shown later in the evening.
Such large productions are often repeated during the
Helen wrote,
With the lace list being so quiet just now, I thought I'd tell you about
one of my latest genealogical finds. While tracing one family (the
Braybrooks) on my Dad's side, I found census records for them in 1841 in
Keyston, Huntingdonshire and all the female members of the families
Does the smaller top part, looks like it has a knob at the top, unscrew?
Does the bone/ivory part come out of the wooden casing completely? It looks
like it should come out of it's casing.
Is so then cold it be some kind of sewing kit, holding sewing needles/reel
of thread or something like
When I have displayed my English style bobbins on a pillow here at lace days
and exhibitions I have threaded a piece of fishing line through the spangles
to hold them.
I tie 2 or 3 knots, one on top of the other, at one end so that I can put a
glass headed pin through the knots and into the
Hi! I'm wondering if any of you know where I can buy divider pins with
colorful glass characters on the top of them? I used to have a pincushion
full of these beautiful divider pins that I collected over the years.
Hi Shirlee,
I used to buy Glass Animal divider pins through Bronte Beads,
Had that teacher in Prague never had any left handed students? how ignorant
and discriminatory to not allow for left handedness. No one can help being
left handed.
I am left handed and can't wind my bobbins any other way than to hold the
bobbin in my right hand and then turn it in a
Hi Ewa,
I found this Question and Answer by Googling for the term Knitting Wrap
Stitch. In the Answer the writer seems to explain fairly clearly how to
work a Wrap Stitch, but obviously it would be easier to work the stitch at
the same time as reading the instructions rather than reading the
As far as I am aware Liers Kant and Tambour lace are one and the same,
Coggeshall lace is the English tambour lace, made in the area of Coggeshall
Essex. I am not sure about Limerick lace but it could be a needle run lace
on tulle, whereas the Tambour laces Liers Kant and Coggeshall are made
Jenny
The stitch you are looking at marked with an X between 4 pins in the zig zag
behind the fans will be Rose Ground. This is how rose ground is marked on
spanish patterns. Another thing you might find in spanish patterns is that
in a trail, for example, where you would assume you work
Jane wrote
this is to let you know that I've just re-done my website
www.lace.nildram.co.uk with details of these, including photos to whet your
appetite, as well as articles about recent travels.
I looked at your webpage of your travels and read the report of your visit
to our Lace Day here
Hi Sue,
I have a leaflet from Christine Springett that she sent me a couple of years
ago. It shows her patterna and books that she sells but the Fans patterns
and sticks, and all of the card making kits etc., that she used to have in
her catalogue are no longer shown. The leaflet only shows
According to Christine Springett's book Success to the Lace Pillow which is
about old bobbins there are two reasons why you might find a Button included
in the spangle of an antique bobbin.
One reason is because when a spinster, or Old Maid, lace maker who everyone
thought would never marry
Hi Karen,
You wrote-
Apparently there has been a change in local government of Catalunya (i.e.
the equivalent of their local council) and the fair may not be held any
more.
Sorry but we are speaking of two different events. That event held at
Camarinas is a different thing to that held
Karen wrote
I think you may be very lucky that you've had this wonderful experience
Jane
because I have heard that there are some problems with next year's fair.
Apparently there has been a change in local government of Catalunya (i.e.
the equivalent of their local council) and the fair may not
Simon wrote.
I have just bought some raw wood bobbins from the USA, previously all my
bobbins have been bought in Australia, and have been plastic. Do I need to
seal these wooden bobbins with anything before spangling them? I wanted to
find out before starting in with the beads and wire, as
HI Penny,
Christine Springetts latest book Lace for Special Occasions has both a
simple garter and horseshoe pattern. The garter is made with just one strip
of lace in white with a blue edge and the footside has a strip of blue satin
ribbin folded and stitched to form a channel to take the
Karen in Malta wrote
I would like to offer an opinion on this subject. Can't you just 'repair'
the old spangling i.e. maybe keeping the old beads, possibly removing one or
two if the spangle is too large and simply changing the wire. You could also
wash them.
I, too have a collection of old
Here in our town on the Costa Brava Spain there are classes for bobbin
lace making twice a week in one of the Civic Centres belonging to the town
council, but I don't attend them.
The classes are run during school term times and when the school's are on
holiday for 12 weeks during the summer
This one made me chuckle! I think she's killed the poor thing!
What on earth were they trying to represent?
http://tinyurl.com/27k2fk
Clay
Well that's the most weird lacemaker I have ever seen purporting to be a
Spanish lacemaker, I am sure Antje and Carolina will agree with me. It
looks
Hello Hazel,
The first thing to do is to find out what Lace and lace making is called in
each language for the countries you plan to visit as you travel around, and
how to pronounce the necessary words or at least have them written down for
each country. At least then you have a fighting
HI Ilske
Is the flower you meant on the this page
http://www.dahlie.net/dyn/einzel.php?lang=en
A white dahlia with many spiky very narrow petals.
Regard
Jenny DeAngelis
Spain.
Hello Everybody,
to this theme I too have something. We have a big parc in the western
part of HH named
I'm currently assembling the SMP Travel Pillow that I bought many years
ago as I've been commissioned to make an edging for an Estonian folk
costume blouse. As I want to get it started soon so I can work on it
when I go to Finland for a day trip in early June to see a lace
exhibition, I need to
There was a farmers' market at work today, and one of the traders was
selling honey and other bee products. I saw a block of beeswax that seemed
quite inexpensive (GBP 1.25 for a block about 1cm x 2cm x 8cm ish!)
I know that beeswax has something to do with cleaning pins, so I bought
some.
Jeri Ames wrote,
Did anyone else notice what appeared to be a black lace collar (and
cuffs)
on a white suit jacket Queen Elizabeth wore in Washington a couple days ago?
Was it embroidered on the jacket, handmade lace, or machine lace?
Whatever, it was distinctive and very attractive.
I
Babs,
Christine Springetts books have a couple of wedding horseshoes. One book is
the Lace for Children of All Ages and the other one is her latest book
Lace for Special Occasions. Both books have small horseshoes too which
can be put onto wedding cards or used to make little cushioned
I found a nice doily on e.bay that the seller describes as being made of
Linen and Bobbin? lace, he has put the question mark beside the word Bobbin
not me. So he is obviously not certain what sort of lace this is, but is
willing to admit his error, but to my mind it is Tenerife lace and not
I agree with Clay, it is possible to take out all of the pins to move the
lace up the pillow rather than work over a felt mountain or the plastic
foam
discussed in the last week or so.
When I came here to live and found the lace group I noticed that on the
long
upright pillows used here when
My husband has just drawn the 3 raffles for me, I wrote the name of each
entrant for each raffle on a strip of paper carefully folded it several
times and put each set of names in a different little bowl each bowl
labelled with the prize item name, so as not to get in a muddle.
I had 35
HI Helen,
I would be very careful about what I gave the ladies to use as a pillow and
equipment to begin with because if your ideas of cheap alternatives to a
pillow etc don't work on the day you will end up putting the ladies off the
whole idea of learning to make lace. The Toilet rolls in
HI All,
Just a reminder that the closing date for the 3 raffles I am running is
Wednesday 14th March at 12am.Midnight CET.
The items in the raffle are. 1) set of six lace stamps from Spain, 2) a
set of 8 postcards depicting differnt Spanish laces. 3) booklet,
Introduction to Bucks Point
HI,
I wonder if anyone can help me on the above point.
I have a lave booklet which is one produced by the lace guild and I know it
is still in publication. This was an unwanted gift form a friend a few
years ago and I am wondering what the position would be if I offer it up for
a raffle on
Thanks Clay,
I have had a couple of replies telling me it will be OK, as I thought it
would but didn't want to tread on any toes.
Regards
Jenny
Spain.
As long as you are raffling the original book and not a reproduction of
it, there is no problem. You could even sell the book (on eBay or
Now that my sister has returned home after visiting me last week I have time
to concentrate on running my little raffle.
I have 3 items to raffle and rather than make 3 prizes in one raffle I
thought it better to run 3 raffles, one for each item then everyone
interested in one of the items gets
HI,
I have a couple of lace related items that I am willing to raffle off if
someone can give me a bit of guidance on how to arganise such a raffle for
the list, what do I need to do? Contact me off list please.
Jenny DeAngelis
Spain.
-
To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Some of these bobbins look like those the Joan Kelly in England used to
sell. She produced a lot of Torchon patterns for sale but also sold Bobbins
with transfers on them. She would have pretty little picture transfers,
things like little fairies, wild flower sprays, or Beatrix Potter type
Reading the tips on taking photos of pieces of lace made me think of
something my husband does when he takes digital photos of his model
soldiers, he is an amateur military historian and we have a house full of
the things in all shapes and sizes, he paints them in scrupulously correct
Having seen the pictures of the Dorset Buttons on the links sent to the
list, made me realise that I have a couple of similar buttons in my button
box. They were left in this house by the German lady we bought the house
from. I found them in the sewing basket the lady left for me. She left
Noelene,
Could it be that the woman was a Straw Plaiter? Bedfordshire was a centre
for Straw Plaiting as well as Lace Making. The Plaited straw I imagine
would then be used to make straw hats and baskets that sort of thing. Maybe
the person concerned did both things, plaited straw and
This looks to me to be like the penholder that is shown in Christine
Springetts book Success to the Lace Pillow, this book is full of pictures
and text on old lace bobbins. There is a photo on page 29 of an inscribed
bone pen holder that looks very similar to this wodden object on e.bay. In
SMP Lace, of Buckinghamshire England, make spare blocks, they sell ready
made block pillows as well as the pieces to make your own pillow. They also
offer a service of replacing any size of block, send them the measurements
of your blocks and ask them for a quote. http://www.smplace.co.uk/
Lynn wrote:-
I tried twice to reply to Jenny ie: If anyone wants to try and make
such a bag and would like a copy of my
instructions as a word document can send them attached to an e.mail
I have sent a reply to Lynn, but she could not get through I suspect
because my ISP terra is
I have done my best to write out the instructions for making a pillow carry
bag of the type that I have made for several year and which I used to sell
here along with the round straw filled pillow to go in the bag. I must have
made at least 200+ bags in the past, but trying to put the making
Could someone send me the link to the you tube video of the lace makers of
Arenys de Mar. I thought I had kept Carolinas message with the link but it
seems I deleted it instead. I went to you tube and saw the tatting and
other Belgian lacemakers but can't seem to find the Arenys De Mar lace
I have bought emery powder from the UK in the past to use in pin cushions
for myself and friends etc. I was told by the supplier that I bought it
from to only use it to sharpen pins and not to use the pin cushion
containing the powder all the time because it will wear the pins away over
time.
Tim Parkers website shows that he will be on holiday until 1st. February. It
says that all orders will be dealt with promptly once they begin work again.
http://www.cyberlink.co.uk/timparker/
Regards
Jenny DeAngelis
Spain.
Have anybody any info about Tim and Ann Parker? I have sent 3 mails
Living here in Spain for over 20 years and having gone to many lace days
during that time I have heard the word Mundillo used a lot to describe any
shape of lace pillow, whether correctly or incorrectly, but I have also
heard lace pillows of any shape and size called Cojin - Cushion, Almohada
I have been unsubscribed for a few weeks because of an unexpected family
death in the UK shortly before Christmas and having to dash off at a moments
notice.
But I have just re-subscribed and seen the message about the Tonder
Pricking. I am jumping in without having seen the original posting
Jeri Ames wrote to me on the above subject and I tried to reply but my
message was bounced back at me, it is my server Terra that often gets
rejected by others which is a nuisance but is all I have, so I cannot get my
message through in reply.
Thankyou for the suggestions Jeri, but I have
Thanks to the replies I got from the list on what sort of pens others use
for marking their prickings out with. I managed to buy a couple of Pigment
Waterproof pens today at the local stationers. The make is Staedtler and
the finest they had was 0.2 but they are fine enough I think for my
One thing I find when I scan and copy a pattern from a book or something so
that I can then prick it out onto pricking card, is that if the pattern is
larger than A4, which is all my printer will do, I have to make two copies,
half the pattern on each sheet and join them. I notice that when
Hello Jean,
Thankyou very much but I managed to get a copy of the booklet for he
bouquet, I made a swap with another arachne lister who had an unusued and
unwanted copy. Thankyou for
remembering my request though, perhaps another lister will be interested in
the copy that Doreen Gill has.
Jenny Brandis wrote:
I have been trying to follow the leaves thread as this is one area in
lace I am having difficulties with. I can (sort of) get a leaf shape
if I leave the bobbins on the pillow and hold the worker. The leaf
looks like some caterpillar has nibbled at the edges as I have not
HI All,
When I was last subscribed to the arachne list someone, I think it was Bev
in Sooke Canada, posted instructions for making a little cone shaped pocket
which was useful for pinning to a lace pillow to hold scissors and crochet
hooks pin lifter etc.I did make a few as little gifts for
Thankyou Alice and Manie for the instructions of how to make the pockets,
and thanks to Bev for the original instructions. I spent the afternoon with
the sewing machine and managed to figure out in the end how I had made the
earlier ones.
I had made a pillow carrying bag, another bag in
HI Jacquie
I hope others will excuse my message to Jacquie through the list but I can't
contact her privately my server is being bounced by hers. My message does
concern lace so it is on topic.
I received your message and sent a reply directly to you which bounced back
at me. I would be
HI All,
Last year my Scottish friend here, that I had taught to make English style
Bobbin lace, died and I inherited the lace books she had collected to add to
my own shelf full of lace books. One of these books Modeles Inedits de
Dentelles au Fuseau Cluny de Brioude by Mick Fouriscott and
Please could Brenda let me have the URL for the webpage that she has put the
pattern of this Hexagonal Torchon Mat, I seem to have missed it in an early
digest of the list.
thankyou
Jenny DeAngelis
Spain.
Janice Blair wrote:-
Hi Brenda,
Thank you for putting the new hexagonal torchon mat
there is another table cloth on e.bay that purports to have Maltese lace
about it but the lace looks to me to be needle lace. I could be wrong as I
am no expert on lace recognition, but I definitely don't think it is Maltese
at all.What do others think of it.
The table cloth is a huge one
Bev wrote,
I was checking the Ikea catalog and found this laptop table
http://tinyurl.com/rfvl5
It has potential for a lace table, I thought ;)
Thanks Bev for pointing this table out I have to go to Ikea in Barcelona to
get something else I want and will have a look for the table. Another
I have looked at the Ikea catalogue for the table called Dave that Bev
pointed out and see that not only is it height adjustable but the angle of
the top can als be adjusted so it sounds just right for a lace pillow. It
costs in Spain 29.95euros.
So long as the surface is non slip, but then
I would enjoy participating in the Christmas Card Exchange suggested by Bev.
I don't think I would be any good at organising it, too butterfly brained
for that I belive, but could easily fit in the making of a Christmas card or
to. I thoroughly enjoyed the Bookmark Exchange that we had years
HI Jacquie
I live in the Gerona Province, do you know the name of the place that your
friend will be staying at? Does she have e.mail if so give her my e.mail
address and get her to contact me otherwise I will give you my phone number
off list so that she can ring me once she is here
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