By Amelia Slater<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When people ask my major and I tell them it\u2019s mechanical engineering, they usually cower in fear over the thought of upper-level math and science classes. The next question is typically, \u201cWhy would you do that to yourself?\u201d My atypical answer is crafting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The stigma of engineering is thermodynamics, industrial machinery and complex math. While these things are true for the major, the heart of engineering is problem-solving. For me, my problem-solving experience has come from the timeless domestic hobbies of crocheting, sewing and crafting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The engineering design process follows a route of identifying a problem, brainstorming, creating a solution and continual innovation. This is true when applying engineering to a car to make it safer and more efficient and to be assembled using machinery. This is also true when applying engineering to a quilt that must follow a specific pattern and is then assembled using spatial recognition and sewing machinery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sustainability in design is a new pillar of engineering. Yet, through my crafting, I have already explored sustainable design when I crocheted a plastic yarn bag by creating my own yarn through a surplus of grocery bags. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another new facet of engineering is the implication of human-centered design. No longer will products designed by one demographic for a diverse population be acceptable. Now designs must be intuitive and full of empathy for all users. Design focused on real humans is a focal point of crafting. When a skirt does not fit right, I measure my waist and hem it. When I need a place to store my yarn, I command-strip a cereal box to the wall with yarn as a make-do hanging shelf. When crocheting a bag, I consider the body ratio of my user to size the correct strap. Crafting has always been about human-centered design. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Engineering is also about understanding a process and materials so well that you can create intuition about problems and solutions. I have seen problem-solving intuition develop in those around me through crocheting. I know several crocheters who have tossed aside their pattern sheet to redesign a piece the way they want. This results in perfectly curated and unique pieces that only someone as tuned into the process as they are could make. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The art of creating is not only a cute skill. It also opens new dimensions in the world of science and math. Daina Taimina discovered this when she struggled to make a visualization of hyperbolic planes for her hyperbolic geometry students. The current models of the planes were fragile and inadequate to describe such a complicated concept. Taimina recognized the pattern of the planes was similar to crochet patterns. She went on to crochet a functional, touchable, hyperbolic plane model. Mathematicians had struggled to create a usable hyperbolic plane model, some even said it was impossible, and here a crafter was the first to be able to solve the problem. The eyes and mind of a crafter open possibilities of viewing problems in a fresh and beautiful way. I personally feel honored to be a part of this crafting legacy handed to me by my foremothers and to be gifted with the eyes of a seamstress and of a crafter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite all the joy I find in the intersection of engineering and crafting, the fact is that engineering is still engineering. It is hard classes that take a lot of work and persistence, but I rest easy knowing the crafting I do is continually building me to be a better designer and engineer as I accept nuance in what defines engineering and problem solving.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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