Traditional mathematics teaching is largely about solving exactly stated problems exactly, yet life often hands us partly defined problems needing only moderately accurate solutions. This engaging book is an antidote to the rigor mortis brought on by too much mathematical rigor, teaching us how to guess answers without needing a proof or an exact calculation.In Street-Fighting Mathematics, Sanjoy Mahajan builds, sharpens, and demonstrates tools for educated guessing and down-and-dirty, opportunistic problem solving across diverse fields of knowledge--from mathematics to management. Mahajan describes six tools: dimensional analysis, easy cases, lumping, picture proofs, successive approximation, and reasoning by analogy. Illustrating each tool with numerous examples, he carefully separates the tool--the general principle--from the particular application so that the reader can most easily grasp the tool itself to use on problems of particular interest. Street-Fighting Mathematics grew out of a short course taught by the author at MIT for students ranging from first-year undergraduates to graduate students ready for careers in physics, mathematics, management, electrical engineering, computer science, and biology. They benefited from an approach that avoided rigor and taught them how to use mathematics to solve real problems.Street-Fighting Mathematics will appear in print and online under a Creative Commons Noncommercial Share Alike license.

    The perfect go-to guide for every stripe of crochet artist, from the crafting commuter to the full-time hook-and-needler (and the perfect gift for anyone who could use an extra dose of over-the-top cuteness in their life), Hoshi’s Ami Ami Dogs is sure to knit smiles and tail-wagging into the fabric of any home it joins.

    Every project, from a misshapen hat to the most magnificent sweater, holds a story. Yarn Harlot tells all those stories with humor, insight, and sympathy for the obsessed.Over 50 million people in America knit. The average knitter spends between $500 and $1,700 a year on yarn, patterns, needles, and books. No longer just a fad or a hobby, knitting has advanced to a lifestyle.Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter moves beyond instructions and patterns into the purest elements of knitting: obsession, frustration, reflection, and fun. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's humorous and poignant essays find humor in knitting an enormous afghan that requires a whopping 30 balls of wool, having a husband with size 13 feet who loves to wear hand-knit socks, and earns her "yarn harlot" title with her love of any new yarn--she'll quickly drop an old project for the fresh saucy look of a new interesting yarn.Since the upsurge in knitting began in the early '90s, the number of women under 45 who knit has doubled. Knitting is no longer a hobby for just grandmothers--women and men of all ages are embracing this art. Describing its allure is best left to Stephanie who explains: "It is a well-known fact that knitting is a sparkling form of entertainment, as spiritual as yoga, as relaxing as a massage, and as funny as Erma Bombeck trapped in a PTA meeting."

    Featuring new and fashionable designs, this book of innovative projects is perfect for new and intermediate crocheters who want to take crochet to the next level with clever stitch motifs, new techniques to shaping, and creative embellishment ideas, such as unusual edgings, color work, and crocheting with beads, lace, ruffles, and tiers. Charts are included for every stitch pattern and motif and each pattern includes diagrams for all constructions, making this a complete resource for the hip crocheter.

    There are some amazing homemade gift ideas that can be made by real-life moms on a real-life budget!In this book you'll find step-by-step instructions for sixty gifts that you can make using easy to find items and you don't have to be an expert crafter to do it!

    Book by Walker, Barbara G.

    Lynne Barr beckons all levels of knitters back to their humble beginnings and shows them 27 modern designs, each created using a new technique or a new take on a traditional one.

    Using simple knitting techniques, she creates elegant sweater jackets in four dramatic silhouettes and three flexible sizes.

    Many of these students are extremely intelligent and hardworking, but even the best will, at some point, struggle with the demands of making the transition to advanced mathematics. Some have difficulty adjusting to independent study and to learning from lectures. Other struggles, however, are more fundamental: the mathematics shifts in focus from calculation to proof, so students are expected to interact with it in different ways. These changes need not be mysterious - mathematics education research has revealed many insights into the adjustments that are necessary - but they are not obvious and they do need explaining.This no-nonsense book translates these research-based insights into practical advice for a student audience. It covers every aspect of studying for a mathematics degree, from the most abstract intellectual challenges to the everyday business of interacting with lecturers and making good use of study time. Part 1 provides an in-depth discussion of advanced mathematical thinking, and explains how a student will need to adapt and extend their existing skills in order to develop a good understanding of undergraduate mathematics. Part 2 covers study skills as these relate to the demands of a mathematics degree. It suggests practical approaches to learning from lectures and to studying for examinations while also allowing time for a fulfilling all-round university experience.The first subject-specific guide for students, this friendly, practical text will be essential reading for anyone studying mathematics at university.

    A quick and creative way to use up leftovers, many of these projects knit up in less than three hours. Adapted from designs contributed by yarn shops and crafters from throughout North America, knitters of all types will delight in these fun and stylish creations.

    And everyone can be mindful. The Mindfulness in Knitting casts fresh light on this famously calming craft, and reveals how the simple repetition of plain and purl can in itself nurture wellbeing. Rachael Matthews explores the joys of making and looks at the benefits of taking up  one of the simplest and most useful of crafts.

    From the whimsical mind of Beastly Crochet author Brenda K. B. Anderson comes a funtastic collection of 18 fairy-tale inspired crochet projects. Shows and movies based on fairy tales are incredibly popular, and crafty crocheters now have a book of fabulous projects that pay homage to their favorite stories. Little Red's hood with integrated infinity scarf will stay put when she's being chased by the Big Bad Wolf. Sleeping Beauty now has just the right nightie to wear while waiting for Prince Charming to wake her up. Gretel can take her snacks to go with her cupcake purse. Plus the Evil Queen will know exactly who the hottest in the land is when she gazes into her Mirror, Mirror on the Go makeup case. Heroines, fairy princesses, witches, and big bad wolves are all accounted for in this fanciful collection of crochet accessories, toys, bags, kids' clothes, and more.

    Using step-by-step directions and irresistible photography, Bonnie shows you how to master this intricate technique to make: Sophisticated sweaters, ponchos and shawls Stylish hats, scarves, and gloves A hip messenger bag with a contrasting fabric liner and a snappy shrug that's perfect for a night out with friends Celtic Cable Crochet even includes a visual stitch dictionary that takes the guesswork out of each pattern. From start to finish, this all-in-one guide will get you hooked on crocheting contemporary, Celtic-inspired stitches.

    Sharing her groundbreaking technique for straight-knit socks, Alice Curtis provides step-by-step instructions for 20 original patterns that feature a variety of yarns and an array of motifs ranging from cables to argyle. The possibilities for creative variations are endless, and each pattern can easily be adapted to any size. Get inspired and use your straight needles to knit stylish masterpieces that will keep your feet cozy and warm.

    In Tudor, England, when Mary, Queen of Scots, was under house arrest, her needlework carried her messages to the outside world. From the political propaganda of the Bayeux Tapestry, World War I soldiers coping with PTSD, and the maps sewn by schoolgirls in the New World, to the AIDS quilt, Hmong story clothes, and pink pussyhats, women and men have used the language of sewing to make their voices heard, even in the most desperate of circumstances. Threads of Life is a chronicle of identity, protest, memory, power, and politics told through the stories of needlework. Clare Hunter, master of the craft, threads her own narrative as she takes us over centuries and across continents—from medieval France to contemporary Mexico and the United States, and from a POW camp in Singapore to a family attic in Scotland—to celebrate the age-old, universal, and underexplored beauty and power of sewing. Threads of Life is an evocative and moving book about the need we have to tell our story.