Mending flax rope with natural materials and a wire net.

We start with the twisting of fibers as a technique. You will make your own rope that has been coiled with care and attention using familiar and stable movements. With decorated strands, we get to work winding a lance and mastering the basic knots of mending. We work towards a structured pattern that systematically, rhythmically, and stably creates a wire net that can be used in everyday applications such as a shopping basket.

By the end, you will have made a net that you can take home and use.

Knisper Coaching: Guidance that is infectious. Working with your hands in an authentic, accessible way, through experience, and in a natural context. Getting started with bushcraft workshops to create various projects and tools from the forest. The guidance methodology starts with simple and honest materials from nature; with care and attention to the specific needs of the group or target audience, we choose tailored challenges. By combining coaching with productive manual work, participants achieve their results themselves. Here, we provide high-level support and, literally, guidance that is infectious.

Jelle Symons (Coach/Instructor – Leuven) is an enthusiastic coach and youth worker with a deep passion for craftsmanship, nature, and the outdoors. Drawing on years of experience in youth work, he combines craftsmanship with training, inclusion, and a strong appreciation for volunteering. Jelle believes that crafts are more than just techniques: they are connecting moments where people, young and old, discover their talents and learn from one another.

His background in outdoor education and bushcraft gives his workshops a warm, practical, and accessible approach. He creates spaces where experimentation is allowed, mistakes are made, and where everyone is welcome, regardless of experience or background. With great enthusiasm, he brings traditional manual labor back to life—from natural materials to ancient techniques—always with an eye for sustainability and collaboration.

At the festival, Jelle invites participants to slow down, connect, and rediscover what it means to create something with their own hands.

This workshop is offered by Erfgoedcel Mechelen and in collaboration with De Aanstekerij.