Making Mathematics with Needlework: Ten Papers and Ten
Projects
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Welcome! Our book is published by AK Peters. AK Peters (now part of CRC
Press) has their
own page for the book, and it's listed on amazon.com,
overstock.com,
barnesandnoble.com,
Schoolhouse Press,
and Magers&Quinn
(Mpls). (Not in the US? It's available at bookdepository
UK, transatlanticpublishers,
Amazon
Canada, Amazon
UK, Amazon
Japan, Kinokuniya
(Japan), and in India
(FriendsOfBooks), India
(Flipkart), Denmark,
Hong
Kong, Ireland,
Germany,
and Australia.)
Here is the WorldCat/OCLC
entry.
(P.S. We have a second book in the works.)
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.
Below is a list of chapter titles, authors, types of mathematics, and projects.
There is an index with both mathematics and craft terms, and the usual
acknowledgements, credits, table of contents, and such.
Introduction by sarah-marie
belcastro and Carolyn
Yackel
surveys of mathematics and mathematics education research in fiber arts,
thoughts on future work, and a comprehensive bibliography
Quilted Möbius Band by Amy F. Szczepanski (here too)
topology, graph theory / project: two quilted Möbius bands
Picking Up Stitches and Diophantine Equations by Lana Holden
number theory / project: knitted hat (ravelry
pattern page)
The Sierpinski Variations: Self-Similar Crochet by D. Jacob Wildstrom
fractals / project: crocheted shawl (ravelry pattern
page)
Only two knit stitches can create a torus by sarah-marie belcastro
combinatorics, topology / project: knitted torus (ravelry pattern page)
Symmetry Patterns in Cross Stitch by Mary D.
Shepherd
geometry, group theory / project: cross-stitched pillow
Socks with Algebraic Structure by Carolyn Yackel
group theory, number theory / project: knitted socks (ravelry pattern
page)
Fortunatus's Purse by Susan Goldstine
topology, graph theory / project: sewn Fortunatus's purse
(K)Not Cables, Braids by sarah-marie belcastro, Amy F. Szczepanski (here too), and Carolyn Yackel
group theory, topology / project: knitted cabled pillow (ravelry
pattern page)
The graph theory of blackwork embroidery by Joshua Holden
graph theory / project: blackwork embroidery motif
Stop Those Pants! by sarah-marie belcastro and Carolyn Yackel
geometry / project: knitted baby pants (customizable version of the pattern
freely available at the Wolfram
Demonstrations Project) (ravelry pattern
page)
Media Mentions of Making Mathematics with Needlework
Review
by Lucille Boone for the San Jose Public Library, January 2012
Review by jahr for the European Mathematical Society, October 2011
Book Review, by Terry and Frances Mills, Gazette of the Australian
Mathematical Society, 36(2) (2009), pp. 137–138.
Review in Cool
Stuff!, by Kate Atherley, Spring 2009 Knitty
Book Review, by Katja Hülbusch, Mathematische
Semesterberichte, Vol. 56, No. 1, March 2009, pp. 141–142.
Book Review, by Keith Johnson, CMS Notes, 40 (7) Nov. 2008,
p. 6.
Peer
Review: On the Shelf, The University of Chicago Magazine, 100
(6), Jul/Aug '08.
Book Review, by Gwen Fisher, Journal of Mathematics and the
Arts, vol. 2, No. 2, June 2008, pp. 101--103.
Book
Review: Picking Up Stitches, by Anna Lena Phillips, American
Scientist, Vol. 96, May/June 2008 p. 259.
Move
Over String Theory, It’s Yarn’s Turn, by Stuart Fox,
scienceline, May 28, 2008.
Mathematical Reviews 2008j, by John H. Ewing and Janice Ewing, MR2368415
(.pdf, from AKPeters).
Review
in Fiber Crafts, by Jan Zlendich, Library Journal, April 15, 2008.
Book Review, Science News, 3/15/2008, Vol. 173 Issue 11, p.
175.
Book Review, SciTech Book News, Vol. 32, No. 1, March 2008,
p. 179.
Book Review, Lime&Violet podcast Episode 54, March 2008.
Book Review, Alison Cross, London Mathematical Society
Newsletter, No. 367, February 2008.
PBS
Teachers: Math: Recommended Books
Book Review: Math in a
Material World, Michelle Sipics, SIAM News, December 2007.
Ready, Set, Knit! WEBS podcast Show 55 (.mp3 from
feedburner) with Kathy Elkins, November 2007.
Knit
Science podcast Episode 6, April 28, 2007 (dicussion of Lana Holden's work
starts around minute 24).