Planinitza 2021

Our first hike with the new car - to a favourite place some 50 km from home - the village of Planinitza in the Cherna Gora mountain. We walked the 14 km trail to peak Tumba and back, slowly enjoying the warm and sunny day and the beautiful scenery around. We hiked the same trail almost to the date two years ago and the fact that spring is a month late this year was clearly visible.

I was a bit worried if we would be OK to make the hike, as on our way to Planinitza we passed through Pernik and took advantage of the open to all vaccination center and got vaccinated with Moderna. However, the medical staff assured us that an easy hike in the open air would be only beneficial to the immune system and there was no place for worries, so we proceeded as planned. And it is a fact - we felt no adverse reactions from the vaccine and now, some 24 hours plus after the vaccination our only complaints are pains in the jabbed arm.

: the village of Planinitza down the valley and its green fields of crops

Pheasant's eye

 :Grape hyacinth

:Wild primula

:The sea of mountain peaks of Kraishte

:On peak Tumba

:Vitosha in the distance

Hike info:

Destination: peak Tumba (1129 m)

Mountain: Cherna Gora

Total length: 14 km

Elevation gain: 230 m

Total duration (plus picnic): 4 hours

Average difficulty: 3 / 10

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

I:  lingerie, Houndstooth Burda hoodie

Gaby: lingerie, boatneck striped tee

Vrana 2021

I've been absent from the blog for awhile lately. There isn't really much to blog - we've been very, very busy with some "minor" beatification repair works on the apartment, which we are carrying out ourselves. And as usual, these small things like painting ceiling and walls, assembling furniture, cleaning and tidying up storage places, sawing tablecloths and curtains and other such similar trifles take all of our energy and spare time and I haven't sewn clothes or knitted for whole two weeks. 

On another note, it seams spring has been cancelled this year and the weather is nasty, rainy and cold almost all of the time. Last Sunday was a rare exception - though still fairly cold for April, it was pleasant and sunny and we went to park Vrana - one of our favourite places in the city, and spent three very pleasant hours there, walking, talking and enjoying the beautiful grounds. The decorative trees, like the magnolias, sakuras and rhododendrons are still waiting for warmer days and almost nothing was in bloom, so we plan to come back a month later.

A few pictures from our visit to Vrana this year:

Houndstooth Burda Hoodie

I finished a fairly complicated project - fully lined hoodie, using Burda #113 from 09 / 2020.

The outer fabric is a double knit in black and grey large houndstooth design, gifted to me by my sewing friend. Initially I intended to line only the hood, I even made a lining out of an old red T-shirt. However, but as the outer fabric turned to be not very thick and stable, I subsequently decided to line the entire hoodie, so I bought a piece of red knit lining and cut and sewed the lining, using the pattern for the outer hoodie.

I cut and sewed size 36, my usual size, with minor modifications:

• The hoodie is fully lined
• I shortened the sleeves by 5 cm
• I added ribbing to the openings of the pockets
• I lowered the front collar of the hood by 2 cm
• I added two pieces of the main fabric to the hem ribbing, as it is usually done in store-bought hoodies, thus avoiding the pulling of the ribbing at the area of the zipper.
  

About the pattern: I think it is well drafted, roomy for a hoodie without being too oversized. The hood is deep and big enough to cover the head without pulling. The pockets are deep and comfortable. All in all, I am very pleased with the final result, thanks to the lining the hoodie is very warm and ideal for my walks in the park in our spring weather.

Grey is definitely not my color and in all honesty, I would never have bought this fabric, but I think the red lining adds some interest and keeps the grey a bit away from my face.

The big deep kangaroo pockets are definitely one of my favourite features of this hoodie.

Pattern: Hoodie #113 from Burda 09 / 2020

Size: 36

Fabric: polyester double knit

Time to make: 10 days