Read ThIs - MaKe ThaT
THE NIGHT CIRCUS
BY ErIN MORGANSTErN
Hector Bowen, a man of dubious ethics who makes his living as Prospero, an enchanter of considerable skill, and a mysterious man who calls himself Alexander have a long history of pitting special pupils against each other in magical duels. It has been years since the last duel - one which Hector lost - when a small girl arrives at the theatre where he is performing. A note pinned to her coat announces the girl to be his daughter and the note -- the suicide letter of the girl's mother. Almost immediately, Celia shows promise in her father's trade and a plan is hatched for another duel. Alexander chooses a young boy, who later names himself Marco, from an orphanage and as each of the children grows they are trained separately in the particular skills necesary to the challenge. A challenge for which the rules are never explained and the children are told only that the victory would be an obvious one. The venue for the challenge is Le Cirque de Reves-a circus like no other as it is only open from twilight to dawn, gives no warning of its arrival or its departure, and eschews the normal abundance of color for a simple scheme of black and white. The children, now young adults, are compelled to manipulate the makeup of the universe to show off their skills in specialized attractions and performances by an eclectic group of cast members. No one foresaw the affect the duel would have on the circus's other performers or its patrons and even less so...what would happen when Celia and Marco, bound as adversaries since childhood, find a love that is unimaginable anywhere else on earth. Forget what you think you know about circuses and enter into one in which the impossible is commonplace, but...be careful - lest you too become lost to the magic of The Night Circus.
The PatTerN: ReVeUr
To take in the sights of a circus only open at night, one might need something to keep the damp and chill off one's shoulders. Reveur is easily adjustable to neck and shoulder size by the amount of rows and one would only need to add chains for a longer piece. It can also be worn with the collar up or down depending on your comfort needs. Let's light that bonfire, shall we? Materials: Approx 250 yards of worsted weight yarn in bright red. This example was done in Vanna's Choice Scarlet. Small amounts of black and white worsted weight yarn. A yarn needle. Stitch Glossary: Ch - chain Sc - single crochet Scflo - single crochet front loop only Hdc - half double crochet Hdcflo- half double crochet front loop only Dc - double crochet Dcflo - double crochet front loop only Picot - picot Chain 40. Row 1: sc in second chain from hook and each of the next 14 chains, hdc in the next 10 chains, dc in the remaining 14 chains. Turn. Row2: Ch 2, dcflo in the next 14 stitches, hdcflo 10 stitches, scflo in the remaining 15 sc's. Turn. Repeat Rows 2 and 3 until the sc portion (the top) fits around the neck and falls gently around the shoulders of the recipient with no stretch, making sure to end the piece on a Row 2. Do not chain 3, do not fasten off. Join the chain end and the row you just completed by making a seam of ss, ending up at with a tube at the wider end of the piece. Bottom Edging: Cut the red yarn and join the black yarn. Row 1: Ch 1, switch to the 6.0 size hook and make an even row of sc around the bottom edge of the piece. Do not join - simply continue to the next row. Row 2: \*Sc in the first sc, ch3, slip stitch in the first chain of the 3 chains just made (picot) sc in next stitch\*, repeat from \* to \* all the way around edge. Row 3: Change to White. Change to the 8.0 hook. Ch 1, \*sc in each sc made (between the picot stitches), ch 1, sc\*. Essentially you are skipping the picots from the previous row with a chain. You can work the chain in front of or behind the picot at this point - it won't matter. You can take a moment to pop the black picots in front of the white chain later. witch to 6.5 hook, Picot in each sc, sc in each chain all the way around. Fasten of Collar Edging: Repeat the directions for the Bottom Edging Section. Fasten off and weave in your ends. Enjoy!
