KENOSHA, Wis. (SPECTRUM NEWS)- Sara Jensen’s math class at Carthage College is anything but typical.

“When I saw this class, I was astounded,” says Elly Everts. “I was like I have to take this class.”

Elly is talking about Mathematical Knitting, one of the classes Jensen teaches as part of Carthage College’s J-Term curriculum. Those are classes only taught in January, giving students an opportunity to take classes that normally are not offered during the rest of the. year.

Jensen is also a Carthage College alumna.

“This class was my creation,” Jensen says. “It started during my interview at Carthage, they said if you could teach one thing what would you teach and I said I’d teach mathematical knitting.”

She says the problem solving and critical thinking aspects of math equations can be applied to knitting and she wanted her students to make that connection.

“When I talk to students about math, they say things like equations and formula and writing on pencil and paper,” says Jensen. “They weren't seeing the creative thinking and the critical thinking and so, on a greater scale, that's what we do when we take a knitting idea we want and we see it from planning to fruition.”

Professor Jensen says the course focus on big picture ideas such as three-dimensional shapes that look flat. Students are also required to write a reflection of their knitting process after each piece.

“I don’t care that your scarf turned into a hat,” says Jensen. “But, let’s figure out the mistake you made so that the next time you want to knit a hat, you knit a hat.”

She says problem-solving like this can be taken anywhere outside the classroom. 

“A lot of the things that we learned were concepts and then Sara would translate them in a way that we could knit them, or express them in a different way other than a pen and paper and doing a worksheet,” says Claire Rodriguez.

The course is in its second year and reached the 24-student capacity.

Sara says the start of her knitting story is classic.

“My grandma taught me to knit and so I have very fond memories of that,” Jensen says.

She has that in common with some of her students, like Elly Everts.

“My grandma is really good at knitting and so I was finally able to go get my own knitting supplies and start doing that,” says Everts.

Jensen says the last thing math should be is boring.