Mathematics Crochet

[Annie Garcia Lang]

How to integrate Mathematics in Crochet? Anyone?

[Granny Square]

Not sure what angle you are thinking of, but the only thing that math is useful for, has to do with gauge.  Everything is a variable.  You can make a gauge swatch and extrapolate (example) a blanket pattern's stitch and row counts, and pull it out and measure the yardage used to extrapolate the yardage needed for the whole blanket--based on the way YOU make stitches, and that very brand and style of yarn.  

There is no 'absolute' definition of the ratio of a stitch height and width; some people make short fat stitches (like me), some make skinny lofty stitches, and others are in-between.  

Yarn 'sizes' have a range of wraps per inch, so the US#4 medium yarn mentioned above for example is defined as 9-12 WPI, which is why I said above the above made-up blanket stitch count assumptions will only work with (example) a 9 WPI yarn if that's what you used, and your stitch tension.

As a not-designer, I use math for gauge if I don't hit the designers' gauge, to try to figure out how I can hit the gauge or finagle a way to make it work.  Example if I'm making a multi-sized pullover sweater and my body measurement falls into the 'medium' size per the pattern--if my swatch is too small (for example), and if I like the 'look' and drape of the fabric at the 'wrong' gauge--before doing a second  swatch with a bigger hook I look at the pattern at a critical area (bust for a sweater usually) in the large size and multiply the stitches used across that area by the width of one of MY stitches, to see if I can live with that fit.  For stitch height, you can usually add or subtract rows; there may be situations where that could be tricky if there is a complex multi-row pattern repeat.

 

Edited March 2, 2022 by Granny Square

[Bailey4]

I use it in ami's when I'm trying to figure out patterns that give an end count stitch that don't match the directions. 

stitch count (36) but based on previous stitches and current directions can you get to 36 if not what would I need to do evenly to make that increase for instance.

[Jsilvers]

If you are a student of mathematics, you might be interested in Daina Taimina's "Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes".  Chapter 1 of this 2009 book is titled "What is the  Hyperbolic Plane?"

A newer edition is available at

https://www.routledge.com/Crocheting-Adventures-with-Hyperbolic-Planes-Tactile-Mathematics-Art-and/Taimina/p/book/9780367375072

 

[bgs]

http://www.woollythoughts.com/

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/86016/6-math-concepts-explained-knitting-and-crochet

https://hellohartblog.wordpress.com/2015/05/25/the-mathematics-of-crochet/

 

Edited March 2, 2022 by bgs

[Granny Square]

I interpreted 'integrate mathematics' as 'use (plain old arithmetic) while crocheting', not 'express mathematics IN the medium of crochet'.  So yeah, hyperbolic planes, fractals and moebius as mentioned above, also the Fibonacci sequence.