2022 VVCAL
Published on April 29, 2022

2022 VVCAL: Milky Way Galaxy Motif

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Hello, and a huge welcome to Week 9 of the 2022 Vibrant Vintage Crochet-A-Long (VVCAL)! I can’t believe we are almost halfway! Remember on Week 11, the full pattern PDF will be released – on May, Friday the 13th!

Attention!

If you have not yet seen the Week 9 Instruction post, please head there first and see the instructions for the version that you are working. Below, you will find the Milky Way Galaxy Motif pattern, in US, and UK Terms, Chart, Video, and Step by step photos.

Social Media Hashtags: #VVCAL and #CypressTextiles

Milky Way Galaxy Motif

Find the Ravelry Page for this motif here and add your project!

The Cosmos: Milky Way Galaxy

The Milky Way is our cosmic neighborhood. It is the galaxy that contains our Solar System. We live in the golden era of Milky Way research. Here are some interesting Milky Way Galaxy facts! (Side Note: I found this one particularly interesting!)

  • The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy around 13.6 billion years old with large pivoting arms stretching out across the cosmos. Its disk is about 100,000 light-years across and just 1000 light-years thick. Just as Earth orbits the sun, the solar system orbits the center of the Milky Way. Despite hurtling through space at speeds of around 515,000mph (828,000kmph) it still takes our solar system approximately 250 million years to complete a single revolution – that is how large the Milky Way is. The last time our planet was in this position, dinosaurs were just emerging and mammals were yet to evolve. 
  • The Milky Way’s name is ancient. Before the advent of electric lights, everybody on Earth had an unobstructed view of the night sky. The enormous milky band of stars crossing it was impossible to miss. Ancient peoples gave different names to the cloud-like structure of our galaxy, but our modern version derives from the Greeks, who had a myth about the infant Hercules being brought to the goddess Hera, who nursed him while she was asleep. When she awoke and pulled away, her breast milk spilled across the heavens. The source of the Greek name itself has been lost to the ages, Matthew Stanley, a professor of the history of science at New York University, states. “It’s one of those terms that’s so old that its origin is generally forgotten by now.” [More]
  • The Milky Way resides within the Local Group of over 30 galaxies including Andromeda, Triangulum and Leo I. The Milky Way is currently hurtling towards the Andromeda Galaxy at 250,000mph (400,000 km/h). Though there is no need to worry just yet, this crash of cosmic proportions is not due for another 4 billion years. (Outer Space is so vast.) Lying at the very heart of the Milky Way is a supermassive black hole called Sagittarius A*. About 4 million times the mass of the sun, this beast consumes anything that strays too close, gorging on an ample supply of stellar material enabling it to grow into a giant. Though we cannot directly view this glutton at the core of our galaxy, scientists can suggest its presence by investigating its effect on nearby matter. (On May 12, 2022, at 9am EDT, an announcement will be made likely regarding imaging of Sagittarius A*.) [More]
  • Since we are located about 26,000 light years from the Milky Way’s center we cannot take pictures of the entire disk at once. Any representation that you have ever seen of our galaxy is either a different spiral galaxy or what an artist thinks it might look like. If the Milky Way were reduced in diameter to a width of 100 meters, the solar system would be no more than 1 millimeter in width. In order for the Milky Way to achieve its current great size and shape it has consumed other galaxies throughout its history. Our galaxy is currently consuming the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy by adding the smaller galaxy’s stars to its own spiral. [More]
  • It is said that only 10% of our Milky Way galaxy is visible, while the other 90% is dark matter. The visible portion is comprised of stars, gasses, and interstellar dust. Hydrogen gas makes up 90% of the interstellar gas and the other 10% is helium. Knowing the exact number of objects in the Milky Way poses some challenges because of distance. Most of the stars in the galaxy are concentrated near the center and decrease further out. If there is at least one planet for each star, then our galaxy likely has 100–400 billion planets. Some of them orbit a yellow star like the Sun. It is believed that there are also billions of rogue planets in this galaxy (planets that do not orbit a star). [More]
Image of the night sky above Paranal, Chile on 21 July 2007, taken by ESO astronomer Yuri Beletsky. (Laser points to galaxy center.)

Milky Way Galaxy Motif Pattern

Scroll down past written instruction for chart and video.

Reference

Stitch Guide (US Terms)

Note: Scroll down for UK Terms.

  • 3dccl 3dc cluster: (yoh, insert hook in st/sp, yoh, pull up lp, yoh, draw yarn through 2 lps) 3 times, yoh, draw yarn through 4 lps
  • beg beginning
  • beg 3dccl (beg dc, 2dccl) in same st/sp – counts as 1 3dccl
  • beg dc (1sc, ch1) – counts as 1 dc
  • chN chain N number of times
  • dc double crochet
  • lp loop
  • MR make ring: slip knot, ch3, ss in third ch from hook
  • puff st (yoh, insert hook in st/sp, yoh, pull up lp) 3 times, yoh, draw yarn through all lps
  • sc single crochet
  • sp space (ch-sp = chain space)
  • ss slip stitch
  • st stitch
  • yoh yarn over hook

Written Instructions & Step-by-step Photos (US Terms)

Rnd 1 MR, beg dc, 17dc, ss in beg dc. [18 dc]

Rnd 2 Elongate lp to height of a puff st, [puff st, ch1] 18 times, ss in top of first puff st. [18 puff st, 18 sp]

Rnd 3 Beg 3dccl in first ch-sp, [ch2, 3dccl in next ch-sp] 17 times, ch2, ss in beg 3dccl. [18 3dccl, 18 sp]

Rnd 4 Ss in 1 ch, beg dc in first ch-sp, * ch1, 2dc in same ch-sp, [ch1, 2dc in next ch-sp] 3 times, rep from * 5 times omitting final dc, ss in beg dc. [48 dc, 24 sp]

Rnd 5 Ss in 1 ch, beg dc in first ch-sp, [ch1, 2dc in same ch-sp, 2dc in next ch-sp, 3dc in next ch-sp, 2dc in next 2 ch-sps] 6 times omitting final dc, ss in beg dc. [66 dc, 6 sp]

Rnd 6 [3sc in ch-sp, 11sc] 6 times, ss in first sc, cut yarn and weave ends. [84 sc]

Stitch Guide (UK Terms)

  • 3trcl 3tr cluster: (yoh, insert hook in st/sp, yoh, pull up lp, yoh, draw yarn through 2 lps) 3 times, yoh, draw yarn through 4 lps
  • beg beginning
  • beg 3trcl (beg tr, 2trcl) in same st/sp – counts as 1 3trcl
  • beg tr (1dc, ch1) – counts as 1 tr
  • chN chain N number of times
  • dc double crochet
  • lp loop
  • MR make ring: slip knot, ch3, ss in third ch from hook
  • puff st (yoh, insert hook in st/sp, yoh, pull up lp) 3 times, yoh, draw yarn through all lps
  • sp space (ch-sp = chain space)
  • ss slip stitch
  • st stitch
  • tr treble crochet
  • yoh yarn over hook

Written Instructions & Step-by-step Photos (UK Terms)

Rnd 1 MR, beg tr, 17tr, ss in beg tr. [18 tr]

Rnd 2 Elongate lp to height of a puff st, [puff st, ch1] 18 times, ss in top of first puff st. [18 puff st, 18 sp]

Rnd 3 Beg 3trcl in first ch-sp, [ch2, 3trcl in next ch-sp] 17 times, ch2, ss in beg 3trcl. [18 3trcl, 18 sp]

Rnd 4 Ss in 1 ch, beg tr in first ch-sp, * ch1, 2tr in same ch-sp, [ch1, 2tr in next ch-sp] 3 times, rep from * 5 times omitting final tr, ss in beg tr. [48 tr, 24 sp]

Rnd 5 Ss in 1 ch, beg tr in first ch-sp, [ch1, 2tr in same ch-sp, 2tr in next ch-sp, 3tr in next ch-sp, 2tr in next 2 ch-sps] 6 times omitting final tr, ss in beg tr. [66 tr, 6 sp]

Rnd 6 [3dc in ch-sp, 11dc] 6 times, ss in first dc, cut yarn and weave ends. [84 dc]

Chart

Note: Chart is meant as a visual guide to the written instruction and might not be able to stand alone due to special stitches.

Video

Note: Video is spoken in US Terms. Watch on mute to avoid confusion for UK Terms,

Subscribe on YouTube for more videos like this one!

Links to Weekly Instruction Posts

Quick Links to Each Week: 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/20

Links to Published Hexagon Patterns

Pin the Milky Way Galaxy Motif!

Thank you so much for stopping in for this week of the 2022 VVCAL!

Happy Crafting,

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