I have recently posted a series of articles which feature tatting with other lace media. In the files of the Online Tatting Class and here on BellaOnline.com there are many examples of tatting mixed with other needlework types. Tatting has been happily combined with teneriffe lace. Teneriffe is a needle lace method in which a web of threads is worked out across a foundation which may be a piece of heavy cloth, a pin cushion or a specially designed form like a wheel or square.

To further study teneriffe lace, please see these books (http://www.bellaonline.com/subjects/3137.asp) here on BellaOnline.com. "Teneriffe basics star" demonstrates how the teneriffe wheels are formed on a loom. These delicate designs make excellent centers to be surrounded with tatting. I also suggest the book "The Technique of Teneriffe Lace" by Alexandra Stillwell, which you can download for free from the online archive of weaving related documents courtesy of the author. Despite itīs complex appearance, teneriffe lace is an extremely simple lace to learn.

Bonnie Swank has prepared a round teneriffe wheel by laying foundation threads in the classic manner as shown in this vintage photo.

Once the foundation threads were in place, Bonnie continued on to do needle weaving in several patterns around the wheel. When finished, she had created 54 possible "picots" or loops on the edge to which tatting might be joined. By choosing every third picot, she tatted and joined 18 rings to the center piece. These rings alternated with chains with two picots on them. In the last chain Bonnie probably did a short split chain to climb out into the outer row.

This finishing row joined small rings to each of the picots of the chain of the previous round. And it created "points" by tatting outward to a small ring and back to the line of tatting. Every other outward point was longer than the alternating one which added a lot of texture to the design.







All rings are R 5 - 5.

The first round chains are all CH 5 - 5 - 5 .

The second round chains are all CH 5 except for the longer 10 ds chains which lead outward for the longer points.