I am a classically trained musician (guitar, trumpet, flute, other misc.)
so I read music very well. I'm still very much new to lacemaking, but to
make a relatively simple analogy - the pattern could easily be considered a
score, and the various stitches required to make the various parts of the
I will raise my hand about music-making and needlework. I play Bach on a
string instrument, and to my mind, the patterns that make sense when
sight-reading musical counterpoint make the same intuitive rhythms in my
mind (internal ear? mind's eye?) as the growing symmetries and dissonances
of lace
G'day Nancy,
It would be interesting to do a survey of the bobbin-lacemaking members of
IOLI about area of education, highest degree obtained and when, career
field, types of bobbin lace specialized in, maybe things like primarily
self-taught or not, others?, and compare the stats from that to
I'm not 100 percent convinced of a math/engineering link with bobbin lace.
First of all, I noticed years ago a lot of other sciences in
lacemaking--biology (my field), chemistry, psychology, etc. Also science
fiction fanatics who never went into science (or math, computers, etc.). I
think
Hi Elena,
It would be interesting to do a survey of the bobbin-lacemaking members of
IOLI about area of education, highest degree obtained and when, career
field, types of bobbin lace specialized in, maybe things like primarily
self-taught or not, others?, and compare the stats from that to stats
Hello all,
The seemingly natural attraction of those in the STEM field to lacemaking
has fascinated me for some time. I remember attending Ithaca Lace Day a
couple of years ago and after repeatedly hearing that so-and-so was a
mathematician or scientist, and I was intrigued by the connection. My
A few observations:
First there were indeed computer engineers who were lacemakers in the
1980s. I started programming in the mid-1960s (well before PCs or Macs or
the Internet), and I was mesmerized by making bobbin lace from the first
time I saw it done in the mid-1980s. For the first several
It seems to me that lacemaking provides many things to many people. Small
children can learn simple Torchon patterns quite easily. Adults with no
particular math skills may make lace their whole lives without ever finding a
need to go dig out their trig tables (yes, I know that dates me, but
Marjory Carter, who I mentioned as my Bucks point tutor, had been a maths
teacher in a grammar school, until she retired. She learned her lace from a
lady with whom she lodged when she was training as a teacher. I started to take
courses with her in 1980, so I guess she would have retired in
I have heard this mentioned before too that many lacemakers are in these
fields. I, myself, have a Mathmatics degree and worked as a software engineer
for 20+ years. However, I really don’t think my math skills have anything to do
with my ability to make lace. I sorely lack in artistic skills
Friends
Both Devon and Alex Stillwell have pointed out to me that some of the
finest lacemakers are mathematicians and computer engineers. It makes
intuitive sense.
I have a math learning disability so I wouldn't be able to follow more than
superficially, but allowing for that, does anyone have
11 matches
Mail list logo
