The Mathematics of Crochet

I remember thinking at school when will I ever in my “real life” use maths. Well much to my utter surprise I’ve come to the stark realisation that there is a link between mathematics and crochet. Yes its true… In fact, crochet patterns have an underlying mathematical structure — the pattern created by the regular presence or omission of stitches is the very essence of this art form. The similarities to Base2 math, with its series of 0s and 1s, are obvious. That is to say, a present stitch is like a “1”, and a missing stitch is like a “0”. Crochet has been used to illustrate shapes in hyperbolic space that are difficult to reproduce using other media or are difficult to understand when viewed two-dimensionally. It is believed that the partnership between math and craft dates back to the invention of geometry where the repetitive patterns seen in ancient baskets and weavings first hinted at a mathematical subtext to the world at large. Alan Turing, the theorist and computer scientist, ... Read full article.