The dunes are named after a Chippewa legend of the sleeping bear. According to legend, an enormous forest fire on the western shore of Lake Michigan drove a mother bear and her cubs into the lake for shelter, determined to reach the opposite shore. After many miles of swimming, the two cubs lagged behind. When the mother bear reached the shore, she waited on the top of a high bluff. The exhausted cubs did not survive, but the mother bear stayed, waiting in hopes that her cubs would finally appear.

Impressed by the mother bear’s determination and faith, the Great Spirit created two islands (North and South Manitou Island) to commemorate the cubs, and the winds buried the sleeping bear under the sands of the dunes where she waits to this day.

These socks are just plain fun. The use of different types of decreases creates the swirling pattern and is easily remembered. They are knit from cuff to toe in no time!

Thanks for looking at my design.

Must knit now,

Phyll