Math has never been my forte - not by choice but because I am just wired funny. It takes me twice as long to get a math concept as the normal human being, so I never thought I would have figured something out on my own that Mathematicians are also just figuring out.
I'm not calling myself a genius; I'm just a knitter who kept noticing that you can do some amazing things with yarn (usually not on purpose,) that were mind boggoling. Last Christmas, my sister-in-law was making a hat talking about making a twisted loop that neither has a beginning or an end. (Perhaps she could be so kind as to put the correct spelling for this type of loop as a comment...) I mentioned that there seemed to be all sorts of mathematical concepts that could be taught via knitting, and Mom mentioned how Geometry could be taught using quilting.
Now, I came across this TED video:
Maybe a theme of a school could be 'learning through the domestic arts.' I would love to teach there - I would at least get through my Christmas List faster
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What a fabulous video! Thanks so much for posting it!
ReplyDeleteThat accidental twist last Christmas was a mobius strip, and I'm happy to say I've avoided replicating it. But I recently found another connection between knitting and math. After completing the "Op Art Baby Blanket" from Knitty.com, I saw an identical image on the cover of a textbook somebody had with them in a coffee shop. The image was even in the same colors as my blanket (deep purple and mint green), and the book was titled "Introduction to Probability."
Wow! I love the way things you never thought could be applicable to real life in school shows up in the most random places. Also, what a vindication of the domestic (or womanly) arts! I love how things can be made to be both beautiful and useful. (You can't curl up in a Van Gough without ruining it.)
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