Sunday, February 8, 2009

Mathematical Crocheting

Hello again!
It's been a while, but I finally have gathered together a few more pictures. So over the next few days, you can expect to see some more examples of things I've made.
Enjoy!


Here is a coat/dress that I made last year. The dress shape is the the same pattern as you have seen in the post of my cotehardie. I simply made this one out of a fawn colored wool and left the front open to the floor:

Garment Data:
- Type: Dress
- Date made: ?
- Pattern: Cotehardie (my own design, based on basic body block)
- Fabric: Fawn-colored wool blend
- Trim: Acrylic fall-colors variegated yarn, acrylic brown yarn, salvaged wedding dress buttons EDIT: New buttons! Now they are brown wooden beads
- Time to finish: ?
- Notes: The collar and cuffs are approximated hyperbolic planes




And here it is from the back:



Before I show you the detail shots, let me explain the mathematical concept behind the collar.
It is a hyperbolic plane, which means that it is somewhat like a rectangle that got really, really stretched out on one side and is so big that it can't lie flat (that's why it wrinkles up into those great waves!).
The cuffs on the sleeves are also hyperbolic. I then took the same variegated autumn colored yarn, as well as some coordinating brown yarn, to crochet all the other accents. The buttons I salvaged from a vintage wedding dress that no longer held together.
The detail pictures, as promised:

From the front, the button plaque:



The button plaque, again:



One of the sleeves, with cuff:



The bottom hem:



The collar, in all its glory (six inches at the beginning of the rectangle, probably several feet on the outside edge):



Up close and personal: I believe I did this completely in Double Stitches:



The top edge of the collar. You can see here that I affixed it by hand after crocheting it. The width you see the stitching at is the original width of the "rectangle":



Well, I hope you enjoyed looking at it as much as I enjoyed making and enjoy wearing it!!!

Most sincerely yours,

~ Sarah