2026 VVCAL
Published on April 24, 2026

2026 VVCAL: Snailfish 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.

Snailfish 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.

Meet the Bumpy Snailfish: An Adorable, Newly Discovered Deep Sea Species That Looks Like It Is Smiling

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The Blakctip Snailfish is a Fascinating Deepwater Oddity | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog

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Species New to Science: [Ichthyology • 2020] Careproctus shigemii • A New Species of Careproctus (Cottoidei: Liparidae) from the Sea of Okhotsk and A Redescription of the Blacktip Snailfish Careproctus zachirus

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Five Fun Facts

These Newly Discovered Snailfish Get Bumpy, Dark, and Sleek in the Deep Sea: Thanks to increasingly advanced imaging technologies, researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), in collaboration with SUNY Geneseo, have an unprecedented ability to glimpse rare and previously unknown marine species. In 2019, an encounter with an unfamiliar pink snailfish, which swam just above the sea floor, led to the documented discovery of a species not yet known to science: the bumpy snailfish. Detected in the deep ocean off the coast of California, this small, light pink-colored vertebrate is characteristic of a snailfish with a large head, jelly-like body, and a narrow, thin tail.

First photos of the incredible snailfish swimming more than 8,300 meters below the surface near Japan, the deepest observation of a fish ever recorded. Scientists photographed a snailfish swimming 8,336 meters below sea level near Japan, making it the deepest recorded fish ever caught on camera, the University of Western Australia said in a statement. Previously, the deepest recorded fish was spotted 8,178 meters down in the Mariana Trench, according to BBC News. “We have spent over 15 years researching these deep snailfish; there is so much more to them than simply the depth, but the maximum depth they can survive is truly astonishing,” Jamieson, chief scientist of the expedition, said in a statement. 

They’re also charismatic. Gerringer found it “beautiful and interesting” that a creature so delicate in appearance could live in such a harsh environment, she said, showcasing the “really exciting adaptations” of some of these snailfish. Pressures at the bottom of deep-sea trenches can reach more than 15,000 pounds per square inch. “These snailfishes are living in a habitat that’s colder than our refrigerators,” Gerringer said.

A live snailfish is a completely different animal from the usual bloated, slimy mess of what’s left of a snailfish when they are brought up from the depths. Speaking of which, the blacktip snailfish lives between 200 to 800 meters, or between 650 and 2,600 feet and how you decompress a fish from such profound depths is a complete mystery. Another mystery is the very peculiar resting posture of the blacktip snailfish, which essentially curls up into a ball, free floating with its head down and a pelvic fin pointed up. 

Snailfish habitats vary widely. They are found in oceans worldwide, ranging from shallow intertidal zones to depths of more than 8,300 m (27,200 ft) in the hadal zone. This is a wider depth range than any other family of fish. They are strictly found in cold waters, meaning that species of tropical and subtropical regions strictly are deepwater. They are common in most cold marine waters and are highly resilient, with some species, such as Liparis atlanticus and Liparus gibbus, having type-1 antifreeze proteins. It is the most species-rich family of fish in the Antarctic region, generally found in relatively deep waters (shallower Antarctic waters are dominated by Antarctic icefish).

Snailfish Motif Pattern

Reference

Scroll for chart and video instruction.

Stitch Guide (US Terms)

Note: Scroll down for UK Terms.

  • beg dc2tog beg dc, 1dc in next st – join in full dc to finish round
  • beg beginning
  • beg dc (1sc, ch1) – counts as 1 dc
  • chN chain N number of times
  • dc double crochet
  • dc2tog (yoh insert hook into next st/sp, yoh, pull up lp, yoh, draw yarn through 2 lps) 2 times, yoh, draw yarn through 3 lps on hook
  • 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, 6sc, ss in first sc. [6 sc]

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Rnd 2 [1sc, ch3] 6 times, ss in first sc. [18 sc]

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Rnd 3 Beg dc in first ch-sp, [3dc in same sp, ch3, 1dc in next sp] 6 times omitting final dc on sixth rep, ss in beg dc. [24 dc, 6 sp]

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Rnd 4 Beg dc2tog over first 2 sts, [dc2tog, ch3, 1sc in next ch-sp, ch3, dc2tog] 6 times omitting final dc2tog on sixth rep, ss in beg dc2tog. [12 dc2tog, 6 sc, 12 sp]

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Rnd 5 Beg dc2tog over first 2 sts, * [ch3, 1sc in next ch-sp] 2 times, ch3, dc2tog, rep from * 5 times omitting final dc2tog on fifth rep, ss in beg dc2tog. [6 dc2tog, 12 sc, 18 sp]

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Rnd 6 Beg dc in first ch-sp, [2dc in same sp, ch1, 1dc in next sp] 18 times omitting final dc on eighteenth rep, ss in beg dc. [54 dc, 18 sp]

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Rnd 7 [10sc, 3sc in next st, 1sc] 6 times, ss in first sc, cut yarn. [84 sc]

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Stitch Guide (UK Terms)

  • beg tr2tog beg tr, 1tr in next st – join in full tr to finish round
  • beg beginning
  • beg tr (1dc, ch1) – counts as 1 tr
  • chN chain N number of times
  • dc double crochet
  • tr2tog (yoh insert hook into next st/sp, yoh, pull up lp, yoh, draw yarn through 2 lps) 2 times, yoh, draw yarn through 3 lps on hook
  • 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, 6dc, ss in first dc. [6 dc]

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Rnd 2 [1dc, ch3] 6 times, ss in first dc. [18 dc]

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Rnd 3 Beg tr in first ch-sp, [3tr in same sp, ch3, 1tr in next sp] 6 times omitting final tr on sixth rep, ss in beg tr. [24 tr, 6 sp]

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Rnd 4 Beg tr2tog over first 2 sts, [tr2tog, ch3, 1dc in next ch-sp, ch3, tr2tog] 6 times omitting final tr2tog on sixth rep, ss in beg tr2tog. [12 tr2tog, 6 dc, 12 sp]

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Rnd 5 Beg tr2tog over first 2 sts, * [ch3, 1dc in next ch-sp] 2 times, ch3, tr2tog, rep from * 5 times omitting final tr2tog on fifth rep, ss in beg tr2tog. [6 tr2tog, 12 dc, 18 sp]

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Rnd 6 Beg tr in first ch-sp, [2tr in same sp, ch1, 1tr in next sp] 18 times omitting final tr on eighteenth rep, ss in beg tr. [54 tr, 18 sp]

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Rnd 7 [10dc, 3dc in next st, 1dc] 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.

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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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