Does anyone know of a book or resource that would be good for someone whose math skills are completely embarrassing yet wants to write out their own patterns?
I really want to create my own pattern for a tank top/camisole with waist shaping…I did find a site that tells you how to figure waist shaping, but, she started throwing out so many numbers and multiply this or divide that, subtract this, add that and I just couldn’t follow…Seriously, when I start seeing so many numbers and mathematical instructions, no matter how hard I try not to, I completely tune it out…I don’t have the patience to follow along.
I’ve tried searching for patterns online, but, I just cannot find exactly what I want…I sketched out a design that I really like but just thinking about having to do the math is too overwhelming…Math is not and never has been my strong point.
I can accept some simple math (like 2+2…haha) but anything seemingly complicated just makes my head spin.
What’s the best way for a math idiot to learn how to figure out their own design?
Oh I hear you… math is not my friend either. I’ve learned over the years to figure some things out… percentages for instance - but I do it my own way. :teehee:
I don’t know of any books…best advice: one step at the time!
Alot has to do with multiplication so that is the biggest step and force to overcome… Remember those aptitude tests we had in grade school? You know the ones that say:
How many minutes does it take Mary to get to Demonica’s house if she’s going 25mph on her bike and Demonica lives 43.5 miles away???
Geesh, hated those…
Another thing…I used to consider myself a COMPLETE math idiot but strangely enough, sewing and knitting have greatly improved my math skills and I even understand Pi!
Well you need to be able to do simple math or you’ll never get your size right with your guage.
Sweater Design in Plain English by Maggie Righetti is good and it explains the math.
If you can design a sweater you can do anything.
I’d say with that book you’d be able to take the design part and easily modify one of her “patterns” (which are more like “how to’s”) and come up with a top.
My sister also tunes out if I tell her something is algebra, yet she’s able to do it if she doesn’t think of it as math.
Most of the math is,
Your gauge = 4 stitches to the inch.
You need 24 inches. 4x24= 96 stitches
Now you need 32" or 8" more so you need to increase 4x8=32 (edited to add “32 stitches not inches” I guess it coming out the same as needed inches threw me off).
Increasing evenly over one row is more difficult. You have to think of the spaces instead of the stitches.
You could always try it on as you go. You can also draw it on graph paper and count (also described in the above book).
I’m completely math phobic as well. In fact, I was reading somewhere recently that there is in fact such a thing as a math phobia and people who are afraid of math really do have their brains shut down when they look at it…
More relevent to you: Debbie Stroller has a lot of good stuff at the beginning of “Stitch and Bitch Nation” where she talks about modifying patterns and she breaks down the math for calculating, among other things, waist shaping, so that you can figure out your guage and how many stiches you need to increase over how many rows. I found her explanation pretty unintimidating.
I got two books from the library awhile back and now plan on buying them. The Knitter’s Handy Book of Sweater Patterns & The Knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns (by Ann Budd)
I thought they really helped on breaking things down, at least for me. I’m another one bad at math but I think knitting has helped my math skills, I think they should teach knitting with math in school…I would have learned more
I agree or at least could have concentrated more on the needlearts in Home Ec…but remember, the classes were only 50 minutes long… we’d have been more captive audiences though!
very true, I would have listened better…when I got to H.S. they changed it so that our classes were 90 mins…:wall:(we had 4 first semester and then another 4 second semester)…I didn’t care for that very much at all…
:roflhard: :roflhard:
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Getting a slice of pi! :roflhard:
I kept getting a left over of 1.26 and thinking that meant ten slices but then realized that is how long the “arc” of crust would be on the partial slice after 9 slices were cut with 3 inch “arcs” (i.e. 3 inch wide slice of the pie.
Now I can use pi on the pies for our family to keep the children from fighting (well at least lessen the chances of if). Most of the time we cut the pizza, pie, or cake in eight slices because it is easy. You divide in half four times; now I can measure the diameter and then divide the circumference by six (two parents and four children) and we each get two pieces (a piece to eat and also peace to share!)
I can’t give advice on doing math because I’m one of those ‘classmates’ everyone hated in school for ruining the grading curve. :oops:
But billiards (pool) and playing a musical instrument both exercise your brain for math. In fact, if you play billiards, simply watching how the balls react you learn what would take complex geometry equations to figure out on paper.
I think Origami also helps with division…
:oo:
Sorry, I’ll stop now before the needles start to fly.[/color]
very true, I would have listened better…when I got to H.S. they changed it so that our classes were 90 mins…:wall:(we had 4 first semester and then another 4 second semester)…I didn’t care for that very much at all…