Donna Druchunas's Blog

I was just telling someone this morning how it was a shame that I quit high school and went to Bible School instead of college because I really loved math and was very good at it, but I decided that math and science were secular endeavors that weren't worthy of my time. So much for the brains of a teenager figuring out what life is about, huh? (Hi mom, sorry, but it really was a stupid decision.)

At any rate, here's something I need:

Making Mathematics with Needlework: Ten Papers and Ten Projects edited by sarah-marie belcastro and Carolyn Yackel. It's also available on Amazon.

Not only does this book have some really cool projects in it, but it also has papers about mathematics! Frak, it's even published by a science and technology publisher. This is, sight unseen, the coolest knitting book ever published. OK, maybe it's only cool to nerds.

Here's the blurb from the book's website:

So, what is in the book? Every chapter (except for the introduction) has four sections. First, there's an overview intended for both crafters and mathematicians, so it should be understandable to mathematicians who don't know anything about crafting and also for crafters who don't know anything about mathematics. Then, there's a section of detailed mathematics which is intended for mathematicians. All of the authors have made an effort to include basic information so that mathematical enthusiasts who are not professional mathematicians can follow the bulk of the material. The third section of each chapter contains teaching ideas, and these range from elementary-school level to graduate level. Finally, every chapter has a project, with instructions written for and tested by crafters.

This is so cool (have I said that enough yet?) I will be ordering a copy before you read this. I found out about it in Craft, my favorite crafts magazine. It only has a couple of knitting projects per issue, so if you don't do other crafts as well, you might be better off just reading it at the library or your local Border's cafe.

A few other math/knitting/crochet related items of interest:

Knitting Nature: 39 Designs Inspired by Patterns in Nature by Norah Gaughan. There are some really creative projects in this book! You can see some pictures and read an interview with the author here. It's a fascinating discussion, not to be missed.

Unexpected Knitting by Debbie New has a chapter on cellular automata knitting. Oh my! Do a search on "cellular automata knitting" on Google and I promise you'll find some fascinating info.

Hyperbolic crochet is also hot! You can read about it in this article from Inteweave Crochet, or if you need more, there's a book on the topic. Unforutnately, I can't find my copy right now because my crafts books are buried under the contents of my kitchen, and I can't remember the title. Oh, found it online: A Field Guide to Hyperbolic Space:
An Exploration of the Intersection of Higher Geometry and Feminine Handicraft by Margaret Wertheim. Again, a Google search on the term will yield a lot of amazing results.

Warning, if you're in the least bit interested in math, this can be addicting!