Pancharevo On The Brink of Spring

It was such a beautiful day today, Alex had a day off and although we are flying tomorrow and have a lot to prepare, we decided to hake a few hours and hike around Pancharevo lake.

Spring is definitely in the air and the trail was spotted with plenty of yellow crocuses

The fresh green grass is starting to displace the old grass and leaves

Hike info:

Date: 6 March 2026

Destination: lake Pancharevo

Mountain: Lozen

Total length: 8 km

Elevation gain: 130 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): 2 and a half hours

Average difficulty: 2 / 10

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

 

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

I:  lingerie, Page hoodie, CC copycat hat, socks, leg warmers

Alex: knitted hat, RTW hoodie turned into zippered hoodie

The weather was very mild and pleasant, the sun was strong and despite the lingering chill in the air, my jacket and winter hat stayed in my backpack the entire duration of the hike.

We had our lunch with herbal tea and tortillas on our usual spot on the stairs, overlooking the lake, basking in the strong early spring sun.

After a hearty lunch, we continued our walk along the lake. Most of the winter birds seem to have gone, though we still saw the pair of swans, plenty of cormorants, herons and ducks.

I'm so glad Alex was with us, we enjoyed a very lively and engaging conversation. It's always such a pleasure to share your favourite places and experiences with your loved ones.

I'm really happy we snatched this beautiful day and spent a few hours in the open.

Yellow T-Shirt for Gaby's Boyfriend

The overlocker was threaded with yellow threads, the yellow cotton fabric, which I bought for the lining of Vali's yellow hoodie and the yellow ribbing were out - there was no doubt in my mind what my next sewing project should be - a new T-shirt for Vali. 

I used the tried-and-true Burda #132 (12/2020) T-shirt pattern, which is my go-to for any men's T-shirts I make. There's really nothing more to say about this T-shirt, the only "novelty" I did was to use ribbing for the neckpiece, sleeve cuffs and pocket.

Pattern: Burda #132 (12 / 2020)

Size: 46

Fabric: cotton knit, cotton ribbing

Time to make: 3 days

The finishing from the inside - I covered the back seam, as they do in high-end T-shirts, and I also added my personalized label, because - why not :) I hope he likes the daring colors :)

Manastirishte February 2026

What a glorious day was today, after months of grey skies, rain, snow and cold. Finally some real sunny day, real comfortable temperatures and almost no cold wind, even on the mountain ridge - pure bliss!

A day like that deserved a hike along a favourite trail in the open - so it was Manastirishte again.

The latest snow in the city is almost gone, on Plana it was still present in scattered patches, but most of it had melted and the ground was very wet and muddy.

Hike info:

Date: 27 February 2026

Destination: peak Manastirishte (1338 m)

Mountain: Plana

Total length: 9 km

Elevation gain: 160 m

Total duration (plus picnic): 3 hours 20 minutes

Average difficulty: 2 / 10 

 

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, knitted socks, Burda Cargo pants, Burda blouse, Burda hoodie

I: lingerie, knitted hat, knitted socks, Monte Rosa cardigan

The small lake - I'm almost certain, that this lake was just a puddle when we started hiking here ten years ago.

A lonely early crocus - in two-three weeks the fields under the peak will be covered in purple crocuses, spring is on the way!

Another puddle, which the spring melting has promoted into a lake

This time we opted to try a new approach to the peak - a took a roundabout trail, which lead us to a steep path, climbing to the ridge of the hill at a ridiculously abrupt angle. The slope must have been near 40 degrees, it was a short, but vigorous exercise.

The snow covered ridge of the mountain

There were almost no tourists today, for the entire duration of the hike we met only two other hikers.

My whole essence in a photo - the sun is shining, the gorgeous peaks of Rila are standing tall behind me and my soul is singing :)

We had our delicious lunch on the southern slopes of the peak, with a view to the village of Plana and the chain of snow covered peaks of Rila.

And back along the alternative trail, to close the circle. Very, very pleasant hike! I'm so happy the cold and dark winter is at its end and the sunny hiking days are awaiting us.

New Hoodie for Gaby's Boyfriend

I am being a "good girl" this year and continuing with my Make Nine pledge through the second month of the year! 

My newest make is a hoodie for Gaby’s boyfriend (Fabrics #2 and #3). The pattern is the tried-and-true Brad hoodie by Vikisews. I’ve already made this for him twice—once in green and once in blue sweatshirt knit.

I made a few modifications to the pattern; some are my usual tweaks, while others are new. We’ll see how they influence the final fit when Vali tries it on. As for the usual mods, I added a total of 4 cm to the width of the body. Although Vali is quite athletic and slim, he prefers his hoodies on the looser end of the spectrum. I also swapped in a different hood pattern from Burda, as the original Vikisews hood is a bit too large.

Pattern:  Hoodie Brad by Vikisews

Size: 178-184 cm; 40; modified

Fabric: sweatshirt knit, rib knit, cotton jersey

Time to make: five days

The Brad hoodie comes without a pocket, so I added a kangaroo pocket that I designed specifically for this pattern the first time I made it for Vali about three years ago.

I also adjusted the length again. The first version was a bit too short, and the second was a bit too long; I’m hoping this "middle ground" is the charm!

To finish the inside, I covered the neckline seam with twill tape to give the garment a sleeker, more professional look.

Winter was back in town this weekend. The weather was miserable, so we decided to skip our weekly hike. However, the temperatures for the coming week look promising — I’m hoping for a warm, sunny weekend and a satisfying hike soon!