For anyone who has ever struggled with math, Sara Jensen, an associate professor at Carthage College, offers students a unique way of explaining the subject: through knitting.

Instead of the traditional textbooks and calculators used to teach the subject, Jensen uses knitting needles and wool to help students understand many of the math concepts often lost on students.

Describing her course — The Mathematics of Knitting — in a blog post, Jensen asks her students what comes to mind when students think about mathematics.

“Calculation and equation came out on top. When the same question was posed to professional mathematicians, the top responses were critical thinking and problem-solving,” wrote Jensen.

“What professional mathematicians think of as mathematics is entirely different from what the general population thinks of as mathematics? When so many describe mathematics as synonymous with calculation, it’s no wonder we hear ‘I hate math’ so often,” Jensen explained.

To start, Jensen’s students are tasked with knitting throw cushions in patterns meant to demonstrate equivalence — a key component of mathematics. "Fundamental to math is the equation, and crucial to this is the equal sign,” Jensen explains.

Another lesson taught through Jensen’s craft is rubber sheet geometry where knitting an object that might originally look like a triangle but instead forms a circle when completed — driving home the point proposed by rubber sheet geometry that triangles and circles can be the same if they are created using flexible material.

For information on Jensen’s class, go to Carthage College.