2022 VVCAL
Published on May 20, 2022

2022 VVCAL: Sunflower Galaxy Motif

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Hello, and a huge welcome to Week 12 of the 2022 Vibrant Vintage Crochet-A-Long (VVCAL)! The PDF is released! Enjoy!

PDF Version

Announcement! The 2022 VVCAL full PDF is now available to purchase from Etsy and Ravelry.

  • 42-Page PDF of the entire 2022 VVCAL
  • 36 full mix-and-match hexagons plus 2 half hexagons
  • 2 joining options plus border
  • All motifs have charted and written instructions
  • 2.5 pages of tips and tricks
  • Full layouts, motif progress tracker checklist, and yarn information for Scheepjes Catona Colour Pack, SW/RW Colour Pack (1 or 2 packs), and Metropolis Pack
  • Guidance and blank layout for Colour Crafter and Chunky Monkey stash yarn

Attention!

If you have not yet seen the Week 12 Instruction post, please head there first and see the instructions for the version that you are working. Below, you will find the Sunflower Galaxy Motif pattern, in US, and UK Terms, Chart, Video, and Step by step photos.

Social Media Hashtags: #VVCAL and #CypressTextiles

Sunflower Galaxy Motif

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

The Cosmos: Sunflower Galaxy

M63, or the Sunflower Galaxy, is a beautiful spiral galaxy located about 37 million light-years away from Earth. Here are some interesting Sunflower Galaxy facts!

  • Galactic arms, sunflowers and whirlpools are only a few examples of nature’s apparent preference for spirals. Discovered by Pierre Mechain in 1779, the galaxy later made it as the 63rd entry into fellow French astronomer Charles Messier’s famous catalogue, published in 1781. The two astronomers spotted the Sunflower Galaxy’s glow in the small, northern constellation Canes Venatici (the Hunting Dogs). We now know this galaxy belongs to the M51 Group — a group of galaxies, named after its brightest member, Messier 51, another spiral-shaped galaxy dubbed the Whirlpool Galaxy. [More]
  • In the mid-19th century, Anglo-Irish astronomer Lord Rosse identified spiral structures within the galaxy, making this one of the first galaxies in which spiral structure was identified. The shape indicates a spiral form with no central bar feature (present in about half of spirals) and moderate to loosely wound arms. It appears to have an indeterminate number of spiral arms bound closely together, making it a flocculent galaxy (patchy and discontinuous arms). However, when observed in the near infrared, a symmetric, two-arm structure is seen. [More]
  • This galaxy is quite easy to find in the night sky, even though it lies in a relatively faint constellation. It is located about two thirds of the way from Alkaid, the bright star that marks the end of the Big Dipper‘s handle, to Cor Caroli, the brightest star in Canes Venatici. The best time to observe the Sunflower Galaxy from northern latitudes is in March, April and May. The galaxy is known for its bright yellow central disc. As well as a number of short spiral arm segments dotted with starburst regions and dust lanes. This is what gives it its name of the Sunflower Galaxy. [More]
  • A Type I supernova was detected in M63 on May 25, 1971. Designated SN 1971I, it reached a magnitude of 11.8 and was discovered in one of the galaxy’s spiral arms. In 1979, a faint feature resembling a giant arc-loop was detected in the galaxy’s halo, but it was unclear whether or not the feature was physically associated with the galaxy. In 2011, astronomers discovered this to be a tidal stellar stream in the halo and that it was likely the result of a merger with a much smaller dwarf satellite galaxy. The colour of the stars indicates that it was probably a galaxy belonging to the Local Group. [More]
The Sunflower Galaxy – image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.

Sunflower Galaxy Motif Pattern

Scroll down past written instruction for chart and video.

Reference

Stitch Guide (US Terms)

Note: Scroll down for UK Terms.

  • 2dccl 2 dc cluster: [yoh, insert hook in st/sp, yoh, pull up lp, yoh, draw yarn through 2 lps on hook] 2 times, yoh, draw yarn through all 3 lps
  • beg beginning
  • beg dc (1sc, ch1) – counts as 1 dc
  • beg 2dccl (beg dc, 1dc) in st/sp – counts as 1 2dccl
  • chN chain N number of times
  • dc double crochet
  • lp loop
  • MR make ring: slip knot, ch3, ss in third ch from hook
  • 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, 11dc, ss in beg dc. [12 dc] 

Rnd 2 Beg 2dccl in next st, [ch2, 2dccl] 11 times, ch2, ss in beg 2dccl. [12 2dccl, 12 sp]

Rnd 3 Beg 2dccl in next ch-sp, [ch2, 2dccl in same ch-sp, ch2, 2dccl in next ch-sp] 12 times omt final 2dccl, ss in beg 2dccl. [24 2dccl, 24 sp]

Rnd 4 Beg dc in first ch-sp, [ch1, 1dc in same ch-sp, 1dc in next ch-sp] 24 times omt final dc, ss in beg dc. [48 dc, 24 sp] 

Rnd 5 * 1sc in next ch-sp, ch3, [1sc in next ch-sp, ch2] 3 times, rep from * 5 times, ss in first sc. [24 sc, 24 sp] 

Rnd 6 [5sc in next ch-sp, 3sc in next 3 ch-sps] 6 times, ss in first sc, cut yarn and weave ends. [84 sc]

Stitch Guide (UK Terms)

  • 2trcl 2 tr cluster: [yoh, insert hook in st/sp, yoh, pull up lp, yoh, draw yarn through 2 lps on hook] 2 times, yoh, draw yarn through all 3 lps
  • beg beginning
  • beg tr (1dc, ch1) – counts as 1 tr
  • beg 2trcl (beg tr, 1tr) in st/sp – counts as 1 2trcl
  • chN chain N number of times
  • dc double crochet
  • lp loop
  • MR make ring: slip knot, ch3, ss in third ch from hook
  • 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, 11tr, ss in beg tr. [12 tr] 

Rnd 2 Beg 2trcl in next st, [ch2, 2trcl] 11 times, ch2, ss in beg 2trcl. [12 2trcl, 12 sp]

Rnd 3 Beg 2trcl in next ch-sp, [ch2, 2trcl in same ch-sp, ch2, 2trcl in next ch-sp] 12 times omt final 2trcl, ss in beg 2trcl. [24 2trcl, 24 sp]

Rnd 4 Beg tr in first ch-sp, [ch1, 1tr in same ch-sp, 1tr in next ch-sp] 24 times omt final tr, ss in beg tr. [48 tr, 24 sp] 

Rnd 5 * 1dc in next ch-sp, ch3, [1dc in next ch-sp, ch2] 3 times, rep from * 5 times, ss in first dc. [24 dc, 24 sp] 

Rnd 6 [5dc in next ch-sp, 3dc in next 3 ch-sps] 6 times, ss in first sc, 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 Sunflower Galaxy Motif!

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

Happy Crafting,

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