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Going to school in a circus

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We recently reviewed Ovo, currently touring Australia.

Have you ever wondered how the kids who travel with their artist mum and dad get their studies done? After all, just being part of a big circus entourage doesn’t mean you get to miss out on your schooling :).

OVO has a school on site (and so do most Cirque Du Soleil touring companies).

A LITTLE ABOUT THE SCHOOL ON SITE AT OVO

  • There are currently 3 students at the OVO School (ages are 6, 7 and 15), two are Russian, one is French.
  • The OVO school follows the Quebec school system – it follows the school program, not the school year.
  • Only children of artists within OVO can attend the school.
  • During Brisbane, the children at the school will finish the school year- they will then have 2-3 weeks off and then will start the new school year in Sydney.
  • Children must start school when they are 6 years of age.
  • School runs Tuesday-Saturdays (Sun-Mondays off) and runs from 9:30am-3:30pm/4pm. lunch is usually at around 12:15pm-1pm (45 minutes). They also have morning and afternoon recess/break.

Classes are in French or English.

Wow! Which kid wouldn’t want to be part of a school within a circus?

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Summer Headband Knitting Patterns

Some knitters have trouble coming up with projects they can both knit and wear when it’s warm outside. Especially if you’re not ready for garments (thought tank tops and summer tops are great first garment projects!) it might seem like there’s nothing to do when it’s hot outside.

One way to remedy this situation is by knitting headbands. Headbands are great any time of year to keep hair out of your face and make you look a little more pulled together without any effort. Wider headbands double as ear warmers when it gets colder, but skinnier ones are great throughout the year.

A couple of great examples are from designer Elly Donner, who has a set of headband knitting patterns on Ravelry you can buy individually or as an ebook. Homebody, shown here, is worked in garter stitch (the ties are crocheted but you could also use I-cord), while Slipstream uses slipped stitches and garter ridges, and Sounds of Spring has little cables. The patterns use DK weight yarn and are a great way to use a little leftover yarn from another project.

I also recently came across the lovely Plush Braided Headband by Yevgeniya Li. A free pattern on Ravelry, this wider design is covered in lush cables for a sleek and fancy look. It uses worsted weight yarn and you can customize the length for a perfect fit.

Celeste Knitwear’s Spikelet is a simple twisted headband with columns of eyelet lace to keep it from being too heavy. It’s worked flat and sewn together to make the twist, and uses DK weight yarn. It has three sizes available.

This skinny lace headband from Lusi Knits is another cute choice. It calls for fine weight cotton yarn, but you could use heavier yarn if you have it on hand to make a wider headband (or use any fine yarn you have available). It uses ties to customize the fit.

And if you want to go super basic but still really cute, try the easy ring headband from Lulu Pattern. The sample is knit pretty wide, but you could make a narrower version if you want, and the little ring turns it from a plain loop into a bow with very little extra work. It calls for worsted weight yarn but you could also use whatever weight you like for this one to change up the look and size.