Fibre Art and Maths?!?!

The Joint Mathematics Meetings is on from January 5-9 2009 in Washington DC, USA. They are held for the purpose of advancing mathematical achievement, encouraging research, and to provide the communication necessary to progress in the field. These meetings serve to preserve, supplement, and utilize the results of the research of mathematicians the world over. Keeping abreast of the progress in mathematics results in the furtherance of the interest of mathematical scholarship and research.

What’s this got to do with Textiles?

This year there is a Special Session on Mathematics and Mathematics Education in Fibre Arts being organized by Sarah-Marie Belcastro (Co-Director, Hamshire College Summer Studies in mathematics and Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Smith College) and Carolyn Yackel. (Mathematics Instructor, Mercer University).

These two women recently compiled and edited the book: Making Mathematics with Needlework: Ten Papers and Ten Projects". This book successfully connects the worlds of mathematics and the fiber arts. Each chapter covers a different mathematical paper and corresponding needlework project and includes mathematical explanations, needlework instructions, educational material, and specific projects to demonstrate the principles discussed.

They have arranged a series of talks on a variety of textile and mathematical links, along with a juried exhibition of Mathematical Fibre Arts, where you can see the maths at work.

There are now numerous websites and blogs dedicated to the fusion of Science and Fibre arts, and as the Woolly Way expands its search of interesting textile happenings from around the world, we will be posting articles and links, If you cant wait, and are excited about these developments as we are, then email us and we will give you any information we have gathered to date.

More information on the Joint Mathematics Meetings can be hound here

http://www.ams.org/amsmtgs/2110_intro.html

More info on the Session can be found here

http://www.toroidalsnark.net/mkss2.html

Here is a breakdown of their schedule:

Carolyn Yackel (Mercer University): Temari Math and Geometry on the Sphere.

Mary Shepherd (Southwest Missouri State): Visualizing Groups and Subgroups in Counted Cross Stitch.

Diane Herrmann (University of Chicago): Diaper Pattern in Needlepoint.

Irena Swanson (Reed College): Semiregular tessellations

Mathematical Fiber Arts Exhibit (juried)

Ted Ashton (USG Applied Math Researcher): Don’t Blow a Gasket!

Daina Taimina (Cornell University): Exploring two-dimensional manifolds with crochet hook.

Joshua Holden (Rose-Hulman IT): Braids, Cables, and Cells: An intersection of Mathematics, Computer Science, and Fiber Arts.

sarah-marie belcastro (HCSSiM and Sarah Lawrence College): Braid words in generalized helix stripe patterns

Amy Szczepanski (University of Tennessee, Knoxville): Calculating Patterns for Knitted Surfaces.