Project Outline

Rosmy Project outline

Reading 9

 Adventures in Mathematical Knitting By Sarah-Marie Belcastro

The article "Adventures in Mathematical Knitting" describes the close relationship between mathematics and knitting. The author, mathematician Sarah-Marie Belcastro, shows how knitted objects can represent mathematical shapes and ideas. Knitting is made up of loops of yarn arranged into patterns. These loops form a grid, and one can apply geometry and topology to the grid. Using the loops of the grid, one can create complex mathematical objects such as a torus, a Möbius strip, or even a Klein bottle.

The article also describes that knitting is not only a physical skill but also a way to visualize and understand mathematics. Rather than looking at formulas on paper, people can hold and examine the physical shapes created with yarn.

From the article, it is clear that art and mathematics can be mixed together. Knitting becomes a skill that helps students and researchers understand concepts more easily.

Stop 1

I stopped reading when it was mentioned that knitting could be used to illustrate mathematical patterns and shapes. I was reminded of my childhood days in Kerala, where my grandmother and elders used to weave baskets and mats using coconut leaves, just like in these pictures.

The weaving of these leaves follows a pattern in which leaves are placed over and under one another to create a geometric design.

As a child, I also took part in school competitions to make coconut leaf mats and small boxes, just like the ones shown in these pictures. I did not know then that these patterns had something to do with mathematics.

I stopped at this point because I now know that this process of weaving includes patterns, symmetry, and structures, all of which are important aspects of mathematics. I now know, looking back, that what my grandmother and the elderly did was also related to mathematics, even though they did not call it "math."

Stop 2

I stopped when the article explained that the creation of physical objects can aid in the better understanding of mathematical concepts. The author showed this by explaining that when we create something physically, such as knitting the shapes in the article, it is easier to understand the shape's actual structure. Rather than merely imagining the concept or seeing it in a diagram, we can hold the object and touch it.

This reminded me that sometimes, when we are trying to learn something, we must do it and experience it to fully understand it. If we knit or weave, we follow a pattern and repeat certain steps in a specific order. This is mathematical thinking in action, even though we are not aware of it.

The reason for stopping here was that it made me realize that hands-on cultural activities may help students grasp mathematics more deeply. For instance, in Kerala, activities such as weaving coconut leaves or creating pookkalam designs during Onam festivals involve symmetry, repetition, and patterns in mathematics.

Question for discussion

Have you ever experienced mathematics through a craft, art, or cultural activity, even if you did not realize it was mathematics at that time?