Summer is finally here. I know it’s technically been summer for a few weeks now, and it has certainly felt like summer for the last month, but I can’t quite escape the grade-school sense that summer starts with Canada Day. Add to that the adult reality that summer seems to be the season when every weekend is planned months in advance and, yeah, we’re officially there.
This year we kicked off the summer with a last-minute camping trip. L’s sister and her husband recently moved to Toronto, and since they don’t start work until today we decided to take advantage of their freedom to get out of town. It has been a few years since we were in Tobermory, but Georgian Bay was as gorgeous as ever, and I’m so glad we went. It was a quick trip, since I had to work on Sunday, but we took our one full day and made the most of it, spending the morning clambering over rocks at Halfway Log Dump/walking through the woods on the Bruce Trail, and the afternoon swimming in Cypress Lake. I even managed a few rows of knitting (plus a fair bit of knitting in the car to and from).
The water may look tropical, but let me assure you it was freezing. So cold it actually hurt. (Also, the colours in this photo aren’t edited at all.)
This bunny spent a lot of time hanging out in our campsite.
I was originally hoping to get these socks finished up in time to get some pretty pictures in the wild, but it was a bit too dark by the end of the drive up (I was getting very close to the toe decreases) and once we were there we didn’t do too much sitting around. I finished the second sock on the way home and then ended up ripping out the first toe and re-knitting it (for a better match/fit) anyway, so it was just as well I didn’t try to rush things.
Details
Pattern: Basic 64 stitch socks
Yarn: Turtlepurl Yarns Striped Turtle Toes in Gatineau Fall
Needles: 2.5mm
Notes: There’s not much to say about these really. I thought about doing a contrast heel, but in the end decided just to knit from the other end of the ball, which worked out perfectly colour-wise and also meant I didn’t disrupt the stripe sequence at all. Ravelled here.
The colours in this photo are a little weird (both too dark and washed out) but it shows off the striping quite nicely.
Pans & Needles 
I love them! For me, this is quite a daring colour combination, but it works surprisingly well. 🙂
The photos are so beautiful! I’ve never been to Canada, but Philipp was in Vancouver last year and said it was amazing … ONE day we’ll make the trip to see the beautiful landscape. 😀
I love the name “turtlepurl”, by the way … They’ve got an etsy store, right? Philipp (who is a great fan of tortoises) was delighted when I told him that I had seen an add on ravelry and stated that “Etsy turtlepurl” sounded like a very cute name for a very cute, little fantasy character – maybe an old gnome woman who owns a haberdashery store … 😉
I don’t know if there’s an etsy store, but my LYS sells the yarn online (eweknit.ca) so you could get some there. It’s quite fun 🙂
Wow, that water is beautiful! Some of the clearest water I’ve ever seen has also been the coldest, up in the mountains in the Pacific Northwest. It looks inviting, but is absolutely freezing even in the summer.
I love how the color of your socks coordinates with the scenery. What a lovely, wearable stripe!
I was so hoping to get them finished in time to get the photos near the water, but oh well. I love these stripes and am contemplating picking up a second skein to knit up for L.
Your photographs (and your socks) are absolutely stunning. More please! (Spoken as someone who is only just beginning to get seriously interested in photography.)
The colors on the socks are beautiful together! Great choice.
Fun colorway. Interesting name. The lake is pretty.
Beautiful camping spot! Love those socks so much. Have you seen the Mystik Spiral sock pattern? I’m contemplating it for my next heavily self striping pair. Thought you might be interested. 🙂
Oh my gosh, those socks look like so much fun! Want to do a little August knit along?
Fantastic socks, the colorway is very unique. I’m glad you got some camping in – a lovely location!
Happy summer!
Those socks look so lovely! And warm. I’m glad you took the time to make them perfect.
Me too! I’m so glad they were self-striping, because I might not have bothered otherwise, and the fit is much better now.