Kokalyane 2026

Winter this year has been a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve swung between brutal, snowy cold and milder days when the city slush finally begins to melt. Last weekend was all cold and wet and we stayed hunkered down by the radiator, enjoying the warmth of the central heating and our other hobbies. 

This week there's some warming up, it's peak was yesterday and a new significant drop in temperatures is expected in the coming days. So today was somewhere in-between - mostly cloudy and not very warm, but with almost no wind and still positive temperatures.

For our weekly hike we chose a place near to home - Kokalyane, a perfect choice for our modest city car. Since the trailhead sits right off the main road between Sofia and Samokov, we didn't have to worry about navigating treacherous, snowy mountain passes.

The climb from the Devil's bridge to Kokalyane monastery is steep, but apart from a few meters of ice coating the bridge itself, it was fairly dry and easy to navigate. 

Hike info:

Date: 16 January 2026 

Destination: Kokalyane Monastery and up the ridge  (1060 m) round trail

Mountain: Plana

Total length: 7.5 km

Elevation gain: 430 m

Total duration (plus picnic): 3 h

Average difficulty: 3 / 10 

Choosing to skip the monastery church this time, we pressed upward, following the broad trail toward the mountain ridge.

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, orange hat, Burda longsleeve, Burda Cargo pants, socks, scarf

I: lingerie, Plantain brick blouse, Burda "Page" hoodie, socks, hat, gloves, snood

As the elevation increased, the dry leaves and earth on the trail gave way to a messy cocktail of mud, snow and ice, which turned the climbing into a real workout and made us definitely earn our lunch :)

Up on the ridge, the world was covered in a blanket of melting snow. We headed straight for a spot we discovered last year: a brick wall at the edge of a meadow.

The ground was wet, but the mossy wall was dry and comfortable enough and we had a very nice time with our tortillas and warm herbal tea, enjoying the shy sun, which occasionally peeked through the clouds.

For the descent we decided to take a steep track down to the monastery, decreasing abruptly the elevation and with it - the presence of melting snow and ice. It was an adventurous gamble, because of the many fallen trees on the partially overgrown track, but an excellent choice, as it turned out in the end!

Back to the monastery from the side hill.

A glimpse towards Lozen and the excavations on Urvich on the hill across the river Iskar. 

All in all, a deeply satisfying winter trek. Kokalyane remains one of my favorite escapes for these 'indifferent' winter days when you just need to breathe some mountain air.

Easy Homemade Refrigerator Pickled Vegetables

Ever since we tried the recipe for these mixed pickled vegetables, we've been making them in factory amounts. They’ve become a winter staple on our table—a perfect, crunchy replacement for fresh salad. Packed with vitamins and fiber, they are incredibly easy to make and keep well in the fridge, or on the balcony, if your fridge is full and the winter is as chilly as it’s been lately in Sofia!

For our latest batch of mixed pickles we chose red cabbage, however we usually use white cabbage and you can use either, according to your preferences.

The veggies here are about 5 kg:

• 2 kg red cabbage
• 1.6 kg cauliflower
• 0.6 kg carrots
• 0.5 kg celery stalks
• 0.3 kg red peppers 

Wash and cut all the vegetables into small pieces. The finer you slice the cabbage, the more delicate the texture, though it’s certainly not an exact science! Our secret tip: We like to microwave the carrots and cauliflower for a few minutes first. We’ve found we prefer them slightly softer rather than raw. Since we make this at least twice a month, we've refined it to our liking. It might take you a few experiments, until you find your own "perfect" crunch.

After the veggies are sliced and mixed, we cook the brine. For this 5 kg mixture of veggies we put:

•  2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 250 g apple cider vinegar (one cup)
• 150 g sunflower oil (2/3 cup)
• a few grains of black pepper and allspice

We bring the brine to boil, pour the hot brine over the veggies and mix thoroughly. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for a couple of hours to begin curing; then, move it to the cold to slow down the fermentation.

We use a food-grade plastic container for the initial mixing, but we prefer transferring the pickles to glass jars for long-term storage. While they are ready to eat in just a few hours, the texture softens and the flavor only gets better with time. These should keep for months in the fridge—though in our house, a 5 kg batch barely lasts two weeks. Apparently, 5 kg of veggies isn't that much for a family of adults :)

Beautiful Pancharevo

Saturday was the first of a spell of warm days, that we've been enjoying after the arctic cold around New Year's eve. The sun was shining warmly and despite the strong gusts of wind from time to time, the weather was divine for the beginning of January.

We were not in the mood for wet snowy trails, so we chose the low altitude trail around Pancharevo lake and were rewarded for our choice with dry trails and beautiful views.

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

 

Husband: men's boxers, Burda cargo pants, Burda Blouse, socks

I:  lingerie, Tweed Chaika sweater, CC copycat hat, Zerda gloves, socks

Hike info:

Date: 3 January 2026

Destination: lake Pancharevo

Mountain: Lozen

Total length: 8.5 km

Elevation gain: 130 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): 3 hours

Average difficulty: 2 / 10

We had our short lunch by the lake, our usual tortillas were  replaced this time by the last pieces of the New Year's banitza with good luck wishes, that I make every New Year.

After our lunch break we decided to continue our hike along the Iskar river and by the shore of the lake. It was absolutely fascinating to observe how many birds have found their home in winter by the waters of the lake.

This is the first time I see swans in the lake.

It was a leisurely, but definitely super enjoyable hike, a great start of our active year.

Joggers for Gaby

My first make for the new year is ready and it is a pair of joggers for Gaby. This is my first Make Nine for the year, and I hope the list of fabrics from the stash, successfully made into garments, will grow steadily.

The pattern for the joggers is an old Burda acquisition, that I've already made twice, once for myself and once for Gaby. As my daughter is a bit slimmer and taller than me, the joggers are a little tighter around the hip area and longer, than if I was making them for myself. However, Gaby is in Vienna and me posing is the second best way to demonstrate my new make.

Pattern: # 135 Burda 11 / 2012

Size: 34

Fabric: french terry

Time to make: 2 days

 

My mods to the pattern - as per usual - I added 3 cm to the upper part of the pattern pieces (including 0.8 cm seam allowance), as the joggers are cut too low. I also added 6 cm (including 0.8 cm seam allowance) to the length of the legs - the original envisions long cuffs, I prefer normal 6.5 cm cuffs.

The joggers have deep and comfortable inseam pockets.

The cuffs are out of rib knit and I made the waistband out of the main fabric and added a 3.2 cm wide elastic inside. All in all I am very happy with how these turned out and now I want a pair of similar joggers for myself, I will only have to find another piece of quality french terry.

My Make Nine in 2026

Over the years, I’ve made a habit of trying to organize my sewing life with a bit of planning. There is a common fallacy in the sewing world—one I’m certainly not immune to—of impulsively sewing "interesting" garments that don’t actually fit my lifestyle or wardrobe. The result? A closet full of clothes, but "nothing to wear."

On the other hand, buying fabric is a hobby in itself, often completely separate from the act of sewing! It’s the purchase of a dream or an image of oneself that rarely comes to fruition.

In an attempt to curb my fabric shopping and impulsive sewing, I’ve been trying to match my fabric stash with my pattern collection. My goal is to fill my wardrobe with items I truly need, plus a few "curiosity" projects—after all, this is a hobby and it should be about joy and pleasure.

This is just a small scoop of the fabrics I've collected over the years, which I would very much like to turn into garments this year. 

1 is a piece of black stretch denim, which could be another pair of  calf-length jeans for myself. I loved the ones I made last year and would definitely appreciate a second one with even better fit.

2 and 3 are sweater fleece and ribbing for a hoodie for Gaby's boyfriend. I'll probably make him another Brad hoody by Viki Sews, as I know how it fits him.

4 is a small, but gorgeous piece of viscose gabardine, that could become a pair of shorts for Gaby, she likes to wear such summer pants.

5 and 6 are chiffons, that I mean to try to turn into a bias sundress. I've made the Bailen top many times, I'm curious to try the dress with these fabrics, though the cutting and sewing of the chiffons will be a nightmare. And on that note - no more chiffons, I'm done with buying these!

7 and 8 are transfers from my previous year plans, I really, really would like to sew them this summer into a dress and jacket, respectively.

9 is a new acquisition and i'm curious if that wouldn't make another gorgeous Metra blazer.

10 is some georgette, that I intend to try to make into straight pants for myself. It would be more like a test garment, I have another precious fabric, that I would like to cut into, once I've perfected the fit.

11 and 12 are big pieces of plush and fleece, which should produce some sportswear for myself - a fleece zipped sweater and some wide pants, probably.

13 and 14 are knit fabrics, intended for leggings for Gaby and myself.

Unlike last year, I’m setting more realistic goals this time. 

What happened last year? I started strong, buying almost no new fabric and immediately sewing the few pieces I did acquire. But then summer arrived, and I was caught in a "chiffon madness." I bought meters of chiffon and georgette, fraying my nerves trying to turn them into flowy dresses. 

I ended the year with 32 meters of new fabric, only half of which was sewn. I hope to do better this year, but if not—it’s just a hobby, not world politics!