First entry of the year, 2026
Happy New Year, friends!
It occurred to me that January 1 is actually a perfectly decent day for a first blog post of the year. Although, knowing how irregular I am here, perhaps the real goal should be making sure this doesn’t end up being the only one.
I’ve never been great at year-end recaps or setting shiny new goals. Still, I do have a few things I want to say about the year that just ended. Not big achievements. More like small, personal victories that mattered to me.
Knitting
Somewhat unexpectedly, even to myself, I released five full knitting patterns. Proper ones, with detailed video tutorials, charts, and step-by-step explanations. I’m not being modest when I say this surprised me. I still don’t entirely understand how I ended up not just as someone who knits, but as someone who writes patterns. That thought still gives me goosebumps.
Four of those patterns were paid, one was free. The free one So Comfy Socks was made exactly the same way as the paid ones, with the same level of care, the same detailed videos and explanations. And yes, unsurprisingly, it became the most popular and most downloaded of them all. I won’t make any plans, but I do wish myself a chance to release something new this year as well.
Books
I still read a lot. I didn’t quite reach the ambitious goal of 100 books for the year, but there’s no competition with myself here anyway.
What I really enjoy is how books, and films too, sometimes find their way to me long after the initial hype has passed. Things that were everywhere at some point, but somehow never crossed my path because they didn’t quite fit my usual interests or genres. And then, suddenly, I find myself reading something like the iconic Dune, discovering it as a complete newcomer, and enjoying that rare pleasure of reading without any expectations.
J.K. Rowling’s The Running Grave left a strong impression on me as well. Yes, I’m aware of the Rowling discourse and I leave her the right to hold opinions I strongly disagree with. That doesn’t turn her books into something to avoid at all costs. The topic of cults is always unsettling, and I think the author managed to guide the reader through that territory in a convincing way, showing how almost anyone can end up caught in something like this.
All in all, I wish myself a year rich in good books. And I hope non-fiction finds its way back into my reading list too. There was far too little of it last year.
Everyday
I did have one very concrete goal at the beginning of last year. Decluttering. And I think we did quite well. A lot went to charity, at least as much to recycling. Then, somewhere in the middle of the year, I discovered Vinted. Yes, as usual, very late to the party. And we ended up selling a decent amount of things there as well. Let’s politely ignore the fact that we also bought quite a bit through Vinted.
In 2025, a little girl was born into my nephew’s family. I call her Mini A 🫶 Somehow, that quietly turned me from just an aunt into a great-aunt, which still feels slightly unreal.
There were also smaller victories related to health. And overall, despite quite a few challenges along the way, most problems turned out to be solvable. More than anything, the year showed me that I have more inner resources than I tend to think. Not in a productivity or achievement-driven sense, but simply in the ability to cope. I hope that in 2026, that inner reserve will continue to be there when needed.
May your year unfold in the best possible way, and may everything you wished for on New Year’s Eve find its way to you!
And, of course, peace for all of us 🤍
2 Comments
Claudia Bringas Gutierrez
Hi Natalia! What a pleasure to have found you through Instagram! 🥰 I would really love to learn all the steps involved in knitting socks.
It looks so easy, but at the same time, I find it fascinating because I see that there are so many different stitches and finishing techniques to make a sock look neat and beautiful, without any holes or gaps.
I know that the world of sock knitting is a whole learning journey, and I would love to specialize in it so that I can help people here in Peru and teach them step by step. I feel that there are people who teach sock knitting, but sometimes they don’t explain everything, and there are still little details that you wish you knew.
Learning English is also quite difficult for me, but luckily, nowadays there are translation apps that help me a lot. 😅
I would absolutely love for you to visit Peru someday! WOW, you would love it here. First of all, the food is AMAZING — uffff! 🤤 Then there are the people, because we are very warm and welcoming to those who come from abroad. And of course, there are so many beautiful places to visit… Peru is such a beautiful country! ❤️🇵🇪
Natalija
Hi Claudia! Thank you so much for such a lovely message 🥰
I’m really happy you found me here, and I love your idea of learning sock knitting properly and then sharing it with other knitters in Peru. I really hope you make it happen — it’s such a wonderful idea.
As for socks, you really just have to start 😄 There are lots of little details, yes, but most of them stop feeling mysterious after the first pair or two. I do agree that these days it’s very easy to get lost among the incredible number of patterns, tutorials, videos and all kinds of advice. But little by little you find your way through it and eventually you find what works for you.
And please don’t worry about your English. I use all the modern tools myself to make my English look at least a little respectable 😂 It isn’t my native language either.
Oh, Peru! To me it feels incredibly far away, almost like another world. I live in Finland now, although I was born and spent most of my life in my native Latvia, and Peru is more than 11,000 km away from here. But I’ve heard so many wonderful things about your country — and about the people too. Honestly, even dreaming about a trip like that is already a pleasure. And who knows… maybe one day!
Thank you again for writing to me. It was such a lovely message to receive ❤️