Fats, Vitamins and Minerals

Introduction to Crochet and Computability
by Edward Nutmeg (February 27, 2007)

“Crochet and computability” present relationships that go beyond the “craft geometry” used to describe the modeling of planar surfaces in 3-D space. In this sense, I am interested in “crochet” as a distinct formal language and grammar system rather than crochet as an instrument for creating plane models for hyperbolic geometry, or manifolds of strange attractors or other such silly things.

So, what is “crochet”?

Crochet is the process of pulling loops through other loops with a single hook and a strand of thread. Crochet, like weaving, has an underlying mathematical structure (pattern) and can therefore be understood from the computational perspective. In the process of pattern development (for crochet or other), data classification is based on either statistical information extracted from the patterns or on the (syntactic) inter-relationships of pattern features. This process involves:

A Sensor: observer
A Computer: which translates observation into numeric or symbolic data (data defining points in a multidimensional space)
A Taxonomy: a scheme of classifying and describing data (which may be a priori or priori (self-referential/statistical)

Being the simple dog that I am, I am glad to leave the crocheting to my alpha caregiver (as opposed to ‘caretaker’) Fatima Lasay, and the philosophical chitchat to her partner (and honorary beta dog) Trevor Batten, although occasionally, I may be modeling my caregiver’s crocheted articles, and engaging her partner in some mental gymnastics. These will all be presented here in my “Crochet and Computability” (CnC) website.

And so, what about “computability”?

To answer this question, we have to first ask what a “computer” is. There are three known examples:

1. Deterministic Finite State Machine - a finite state machine with a finite set of state and state transitions capable of accepting regular languages
2. Non-deterministic Pushdown automaton - a finite state machine with an infinite stack medium to accept context-free languages
3. Turing Machine - finite state machine with a storage or memory medium that allows it to accept a language of an infinite number of states (recursively enumerable languages)

In defining a computer, formal languages and thus formal grammars and their hierarchies are important; language serves as a kind of test for models of computation. In computability, we can therefore refer to “language” as a proto-medium for problem-solving (the internalization and externalization of concepts). Computability, therefore, is the process of describing the complexity of the problem-question “will Maria serve chicken with rice tonight?”

In the enormous spare time, I have embarked on a regular lesson of programming in Prolog (logged in “Our Daily Prolog”) for dogs. I have chosen Prolog because – being a rather lazy dog that I am – Prolog seems to provide very good armchair exercises of describing, rather than actually solving, problems. Maria can do all the cooking, and I can enjoy ruminating on the wide variety of taste possibilities in her procedural cuisine. Whether or not we actually get to eat anything is of no larger significance than starving to death if we don’t. Surely, my own declarative cooking is often without any eatable results.

And with this brief introduction to CnC, Edward wishes all an enjoyable time. Woof-woof!

If you are interested in learning crochet, there are plenty of free tutorials on the Internet. However, my caregiver learned crochet, before the days of Internet, through a book called “The Complete Encyclopedia of Needlework” by Th. de Dillmont. The book covers Macrame, Crochet, Needlepoint, Embroidery, Crewel, Applique, Knitting, Tapestry Weaving, Lace, Tatting, Sewing, Linen Work, Mending. What my caregiver has is the Second Edition in soft cover and recently we saw a new edition of the book at the “Fully Booked” bookstore at The Block in SM City North EDSA. The book is hardbound and costs around 700 pesos. My caregiver learned using crochet to make useful things through an old issue of an American magazine called McCall’s (probably ‘imported’ by her auntie who stayed in the US for a couple of years in the late 50s to finish her Masters and PhD in Education).

Now, people don’t need to buy expensive books, subscribe to magazines or get a masters degree or PhD to learn how to crochet. A simple keyword search on the Internet should lead you to a wide range of free resources. Although my interest in crochet is limited to messing about with the yarn while my caregiver is working, I find the following resources very entertaining and informative for learning basic crochet.

If you want a downloadable PDF file that you can print, a good resource is:

A Lesson in Crochet by Emma Chalmers Monroe from Needlecraft Magazine, Vol. VII No. 9 May 1916.

If you want pictures and videos, a good resource is:

Free Crochet Stitch Videos and Instruction - Basic Crochet Stitches

At the moment, my caregiver is trying to finish a hairpin lace crochet stole (which looks more like a berthe or a kind of lace draped over the shoulders). After that I hope that she will crochet me a vest or a hat. Or maybe a scrunchie for my tail. However, I heard her proudly telling her partner that she will instead crochet me a couple pieces of turds. Hmmmm ….

What a disaster with the chicken dinner last night - I jabbed it with a fork and blood spurted out of it. Better to have consulted Maria’s “procedural cooking” first, as Edward would say. Which reminds me, Edward now has his own website up and running. The website is called “Edward’s Crochet and Computability.” Of course I let him borrow my domain and use a bit of server space.

I also get to showcase my crochet on his website, and he said he would let Maria present her procedural cooking there. And with all that, we get to learn (finally) some programming.

While taking breaks from the hairpin lace crochet, I’ve set up a website for Edward. It uses Nucleus CMS and it looks pretty good.

On the way to the supermarket this early evening, I decided to take another photo of the mall birds. I noticed that there were some empty spaces in the building walls on the very day my partner and I felt that the weather was getting warmer (about 2 weeks ago). It is considerably warmer now and perhaps well into the start of the dry/summer season. Maybe the birds are migratory …

Below is a photo of the mall’s wall. The dark area of the lower part of the building is just the shadow of the mall’s carpark / cyberzone building. There are also less birds at the lower part of the “condominium.”

Below is a closer look at the wall, where the birds perched in their spaces are more visible. Somehow, these birds give the cold ugly mall buildings a quaint beauty.

My partner and I have seen the birds flying towards the mall at dusk and it is an incredible beautiful sight. It reminded me of one of my recurring ominous dreams, that of looking up into a very clear sky and seeing small black birds flying in swirls, quickly enveloping the sky into darkness. It was a strange feeling actually seeing the birds, not as an omen in a dream but as a beautiful act of nature. Also, this morning, this dream has transformed from impending doom into a phenomenon to be further observed. This time, I was using a mobile phone camera to peer into the sky. The sky was blue grey and textured with cottony clouds, but on closer inspection, the sky was actually a vast lunar-like landscape, as if the face of the next planet was right upon our atmosphere.

Then suddenly I saw a wooden bridge across the sky, between the earth and the skyworld, not connecting but rather just across, perhaps along the celestial sphere. A soldier was crossing that bridge.

In the meantime, the hairpin lace crochet is going along quite well … and so is Edward’s new website.

Here’s Edward wearing the unfinished hairpin lace stole.

Maybe I’ll set up a website called “Edward’s Crochet and Computability Machine” - or “Edward’s Computational Needlework” or something like that.

I’ve just uploaded 4 of 6 electronic music I made in 2001 using short recordings of Alwin’s baby talk when he was around 10 months old. The tracks are accessible through:

Rhythm and Bass
Alwin at Mom and Pops
Crooner’s Lounge - this is my personal favorite
Rock the Planet

Enjoy!

Below is a photo of the hairpin lace work that I’m currently doing. The staple (fork) is quite heavy and thick, and perhaps makes the work more tiring. If I find a suitable material (such as wire coat hangers), I may be able to improvise my own staple…

Last night, I’ve started working on the edgings of one hairpin lace band, using the white with silver/metallic thread. One side is a small picot edge and the other I intend to make into a larger scallop edge that attaches to the next hairpin lace band. I might need about 5 bands to make a stole of sufficient width.

Although it has stopped earlier, I am again experiencing pain in the hands after several hours of work. I hope I don’t already have RSI or something like that!

I suppose I shouldn’t work for a while and try to do something else (like make a website for Edward! . ALSO, I’m trying to figure out what I’ve been doing wrong that causes the pain: maybe the sitting posture, the position of the hands, etc. I also probably need even more rest breaks when working.

Anyway, below is a photo showing the edging of the hairpin lace. The edging of chain stitches will need a second row of scallops that attaches to the loops of a second band of lace.

A great book I’m using is called Complete Encyclopedia of Needlework by Therese Dillmont (which I bought with my dad some 26 years ago). And for on-line instructions on hairpinlace, I found “Wrights” very very helpful.