My daughter just choose to do her big final school project on hyperbolic geometry, which I suspect was strongly influenced by her irrepressible urge to involve crochet in her exam work somehow.. So crochet inspires kids to do math. True!
Indeed. And congrats on your daughter's craftiness and how it intersects with math.
Our daughter is not so much into the pure math side but loves to do amigurumi, which is really applied 3D modelling. A craft show she wants to do later in the year doesn't allow the use of other people's models, so she is having to design her own. It's so very impressive, and she gets so much joy from seeing kids really, really want her work, as they do. It's math, modelling, color matching design, and understanding the kinds of threads all rolled up into one, so to speak :-)
Interesting! This reminds me of Knot Theory which is a branch of Topology within Mathematics. I don't personally crochet but it appears that indeed the knot theory is applicable for crochet as well. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Always amazed at how mathematics' various specialties relate to everyday activities in sometimes very subtle ways.
As a tangent -- In studying numerical analysis, I was tested with a question of a logistic model applied to rabbit populations (of all things). You know, the one that generates bifurcation diagrams and is closely associated with chaos theory. Anyway, it was just a reminder in the moment about how such seemingly familiar phenomena can be explained by these seemingly obscure mathematical models (such as numerical differentiation.)
Knot theory is mostly inapplicable to crochet. The nature of how a crochet is made, by curling a single unbroken chain around itself, means almost all crochet is equivalent to the unknot. You can see this in the way crochet unravels all the way if you pull on the end of the thread.
Does crochet involve the same type of chain stitch that is sometimes used to store long electrical extension cords in a tangle-free and easy-to-unravel fashion?
Gorgeous :)
My daughter just choose to do her big final school project on hyperbolic geometry, which I suspect was strongly influenced by her irrepressible urge to involve crochet in her exam work somehow.. So crochet inspires kids to do math. True!
Indeed. And congrats on your daughter's craftiness and how it intersects with math.
Our daughter is not so much into the pure math side but loves to do amigurumi, which is really applied 3D modelling. A craft show she wants to do later in the year doesn't allow the use of other people's models, so she is having to design her own. It's so very impressive, and she gets so much joy from seeing kids really, really want her work, as they do. It's math, modelling, color matching design, and understanding the kinds of threads all rolled up into one, so to speak :-)
Crochet happens in a serial context, the one loop on the hook.
Knitting happens in parallel, with X loops cast on the needle. And sometimes (cabling) you execute those threads out of order.
I think that it's fun to HACK (half-ass crochet/knit) when there is plenty of time.
Interesting! This reminds me of Knot Theory which is a branch of Topology within Mathematics. I don't personally crochet but it appears that indeed the knot theory is applicable for crochet as well. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Always amazed at how mathematics' various specialties relate to everyday activities in sometimes very subtle ways.
As a tangent -- In studying numerical analysis, I was tested with a question of a logistic model applied to rabbit populations (of all things). You know, the one that generates bifurcation diagrams and is closely associated with chaos theory. Anyway, it was just a reminder in the moment about how such seemingly familiar phenomena can be explained by these seemingly obscure mathematical models (such as numerical differentiation.)
Knot theory is mostly inapplicable to crochet. The nature of how a crochet is made, by curling a single unbroken chain around itself, means almost all crochet is equivalent to the unknot. You can see this in the way crochet unravels all the way if you pull on the end of the thread.
> You can see this in the way crochet unravels all the way if you pull on the end of the thread.
I decided not to try this out on the crochet cardigan my wife is making for me at the moment
If you are in NYC April 19, 2025, Meet the Artist: Topological Crochet Artist Shiying Dong might be interesting to you. https://momath.org/composite-gallery/meet-the-artist/
MoMath used to run an Online Topological Crochet class. I'm not sure if they will be bringing it back, though. https://momath.org/onlinecrochet/
Does crochet involve the same type of chain stitch that is sometimes used to store long electrical extension cords in a tangle-free and easy-to-unravel fashion?
yes, the chain stitch is often used at the start of a crochet project
Sigh, the "Koigu Ruffle" pattern is knitting, not crochet. Not important for the article, but I only crochet.
I read mathematics of crotchet, which is quite simple - one crotchet is two quavers...