2026 VVCAL
Published on April 24, 2026

2026 VVCAL: Bryozoan Motif

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Hello, and a huge welcome to this week of the 2026 Vibrant Vintage Crochet-A-Long (VVCAL)! I’m so glad you’re here! I love spending this time with the VVCAL community. We are going to have so much fun relaxingly working through these motifs each week.

Attention!

If you have not yet seen the Week 4 Instruction post, please head there first and see the instructions for the version that you are working. Below, you will find the Motif pattern, in US, and UK Terms, Chart, Video, and Step by step photos.

Social Media Hashtags: #VVCAL and #CypressTextiles

PDF Version

2026 VVCAL PDF COMING SOON! – My Online Shop // Etsy // Ravelry

  • 36 hexies to mix and match
  • 3 Joining methods
  • Wide Lace Border
  • US and UK Terms included

Of course I have also created a value bundle for you COMING SOON! – 2022, 2024, and 2026 VVCALs US and UK Terms (5 PDFs) – Available on Etsy and Ravelry.

Bryozoan Motif

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

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Enjoy a small reflection on one of this week’s featured sea creatures.

Bryozoan | Animals | Monterey Bay Aquarium

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Bryozoans — Science Learning Hub

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Bryozoans (Rocky Intertidal Species Southern California) · iNaturalist

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Five Fun Facts

Bryozoans are some of the most abundant fossils in the world. They are also widespread today, both in marine and freshwater environments, living at all latitudes and at depths ranging downward to at least 27,900 feet (8,500 meters).

Marine bryozoans show up in the fossil record in the early part of the Ordovician Period, about 485 million years ago. In Kansas, fossil bryozoans are common in the Pennsylvanian and Permian rocks of the eastern part of the state. There are approximately 4,000 species in the phylum Bryozoa, making it one of the major phyla. Colony forms vary among the different species, ranging from flat, encrusted sheets to folded, leaflike bushes.

Bryozoans are small animals (just large enough to be seen with the naked eye) that live exclusively in colonies. In fact, the Phylum Bryozoa is the only animal phylum in which all known species form colonies. The name comes from two Greek words, bryon (moss) and zoon (animal), and bryozoans are sometimes called moss animals because some colonies resemble mosses.

Bryozoans use tiny mobile pincers called avicularia to pluck off any settlers that land on them. If a piece of a bryozoan colony breaks off, the piece can continue to grow and form a new colony.

The tiny larval bryozoan is a clamlike swimmer in a bivalve shell. Opening its shell like an umbrella, it parachutes down onto a clean kelp blade. Alert for chemical cues, the bryozoan tests the surface, then cements itself to the blade with a sticky glue. The youngster settles in place and changes to its adult form, a captive within its own shelled rectangular fort. Once established on the kelp, the lone settler begins to multiply. Budding off clones in neat rows, a colony fans out to frost the blade with a crust of the tiny animals. Bryozoan colonies are important food sources for some sea slugs and fish.

Bryozoan Motif Pattern

Reference

Scroll for chart and video instruction.

Stitch Guide (US Terms)

Note: Scroll down for UK Terms.

  • beg beginning
  • beg dc (1sc, ch1) – counts as 1 dc
  • chN chain N number of times
  • dc double crochet
  • 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, [ch1, 1dc] 11 times, ch1, ss in beg dc. [12 dc, 12 sp]

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Rnd 2 [1sc in next ch-sp, ch3, puff st in next ch-sp, ch3] 6 times, ss in first sc. [6 puff, 6 sc, 12 sp]

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Rnd 3 Ss in first 2 chs, 1sc in same ch-sp, [ch3, 1sc in next ch-sp] 11 times, ch3, ss in first sc. [12 sc, 12 sp]

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Rnd 4 Ss in ch-sp, beg dc in same sp, [(1dc, ch1, 2dc) in same sp, ch1, 1dc in next sp] 12 times omitting final dc on twelfth rep, ss in beg dc. [48 dc, 24 sp]

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Rnd 5 Ss in next st, [1sc in next ch-sp, ch2] 24 times, ss in first sc. [24 sc, 24 sp]

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Rnd 6 [3sc in first st, 2sc in next 2 ch-sps, 1sc in next st, 2sc in next 2 ch-sps] 6 times, ss in first sc. [72 sc]

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Rnd 7 [3sc in next st, 11sc] 6 times, ss in first sc, cut yarn. [84 sc]

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Stitch Guide (UK Terms)

  • beg beginning
  • beg tr (1dc, ch1) – counts as 1 tr
  • chN chain N number of times
  • dc double crochet
  • 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, [ch1, 1tr] 11 times, ch1, ss in beg tr. [12 tr, 12 sp]

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Rnd 2 [1dc in next ch-sp, ch3, puff st in next ch-sp, ch3] 6 times, ss in first dc. [6 puff, 6 dc, 12 sp]

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Rnd 3 Ss in first 2 chs, 1dc in same ch-sp, [ch3, 1dc in next ch-sp] 11 times, ch3, ss in first dc. [12 dc, 12 sp]

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Rnd 4 Ss in ch-sp, beg tr in same sp, [(1tr, ch1, 2tr) in same sp, ch1, 1tr in next sp] 12 times omitting final tron twelfth rep, ss in beg tr. [48 tr, 24 sp]

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Rnd 5 Ss in next st, [1dc in next ch-sp, ch2] 24 times, ss in first dc. [24 dc, 24 sp]

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Rnd 6 [3dc in first st, 2dc in next 2 ch-sps, 1dc in next st, 2dc in next 2 ch-sps] 6 times, ss in first dc. [72 dc]

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Rnd 7 [3dc in next st, 11dc] 6 times, ss in first dc, cut yarn. [84 dc]

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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.

Of course there’s a cat hair on my chart photo.

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Video

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Note: Video is spoken in US 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

Pin the Motif!

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Thank you so much for stopping in for this week of the 2026 VVCAL!

You may also enjoy these completed CALs

Happy crafting,

Rachele C.

The Art of Crochet Blankets

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