2026 VVCAL
Published on June 12, 2026

2026 VVCAL: Octopus 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 11 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.

Octopus 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.

Octopuses: Cool Creatures of the Sea | Think Blue Marble

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Blue-Ringed Octopus Facts - Great Barrier Reef Foundation

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Giant Pacific Octopus - Tennessee Aquarium

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Fun Facts

Octopuses have blue blood. Not from royal genes, but from copper. Unlike a lot of other marine invertebrates, octopuses have a high metabolic rate, and therefore a high demand for oxygen. Copper-based hemocyanin is more efficient for transporting oxygen at low temperatures and low oxygen concentrations than is the iron-based hemoglobin that makes our blood red.

They also have three hearts: two just to pump blood through the gills and one more to circulate it to the organs. The circulating heart stops beating while an octopus swims, which explains why these cephalopods prefer crawling: swimming exhausts them.

On the other hand, all octopuses (plus all cuttlefishes and some squids) are venomous, although only the blue-ringed octopus of Australia is dangerous to humans. Injected as an octopus drills into its prey with its beak, the venom fatally paralyzes an animal that could otherwise injure the squishy invertebrate in a struggle. It also begins the digestive process. Researchers have discovered that octopus venom contains proteins similar to those produced by pufferfish and porcupinefish as well as by some venomous snakes.

Their eight arms can perform separate tasks simultaneously thanks to a large nerve cluster, like a minibrain, at the base of each controlling its movement. The curling and unfurling arms, dotted with more than 2,000 individually moving suction cups, contain two-thirds of the animal’s neurons. The suckers are equipped with chemical sensors that not only feel, but taste and smell as well. So while an octopus concentrates on hunting, its arms are moving it forward, testing the water and ocean floor, probing coral crevices and maybe even prying open a clam already caught.

Octopuses are standouts among cephalopods, and among all invertebrates, for their large brains. They can navigate mazes, solve problems, remember, predict, use tools and take apart just about anything from a crab to a lock — all but that last one sophisticated hunting behaviors. Shedd’s aquarists provide our resident giant Pacific octopus with stimulating activities (and enable it to participate in its own wellness care) through regular training sessions that apply the same positive-reinforcement techniques used with the marine mammals. They also offer the octopus enrichment, including a variety of toys and favorite treats, the latter sometimes given as “prey puzzles” in screw-top jars.

Octopus 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
  • picot ch3, sc in third ch from hook
  • sc single crochet
  • sp space (ch-sp = chain space)
  • ss slip stitch
  • st stitch
  • tr treble crochet
  • yoh yarn over hook

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

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

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Rnd 2 [1sc, 1tr] in next st 18 times, ss in first sc – note: tr sts make tinny bobbles on RS of work. [18 tr, 18 sc]

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Rnd 3 [1sc in next sc st, ch3] 18 times, ss in first sc. [18 sc, 18 sp]

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Rnd 4 Ss in 1 ch, 1sc in same ch-sp, [ch3, 1sc in next sp, ch3, (2dc, picot, 2dc) in next sp, ch3, 1sc in next sp] 6 times omitting final sc on sixth rep, ss in first sc. [6 picot, 24 dc, 12 sc, 18 sp]

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Rnd 5 Ss in 1 ch, 1sc in same ch-sp, [ch3, 1sc in next sp, ch5, 1sc in next sp, ch3, 1sc in next sp] 6 times omitting final sc on sixth rep, ss in first sc. [18 sc, 18 sp]

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Rnd 6 Ss in 1 ch, beg dc in same ch-sp, [1dc in same sp, (3dc, ch1, 3dc) in ch-5 sp, 2dc in next sp, ch1, 1dc in next sp] 6 times omitting final dc on sixth rep, ss in beg dc. [60 dc, 12 sp]

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Rnd 7 [4sc, 3sc in next ch-sp, 7sc] 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
  • dtr double treble crochet
  • MR make ring: slip knot, ch3, ss in third ch from hook
  • picot ch3, dc 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, 17tr, ss in beg tr. [18 tr]

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Rnd 2 [1dc, 1dtr] in next st 18 times, ss in first dc – note: dtr sts make tinny bobbles on RS of work. [18 dtr, 18 dc]

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Rnd 3 [1dc in next dc st, ch3] 18 times, ss in first dc. [18 dc, 18 sp]

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Rnd 4 Ss in 1 ch, 1dc in same ch-sp, [ch3, 1dc in next sp, ch3, (2tr, picot, 2tr) in next sp, ch3, 1dc in next sp] 6 times omitting final dc on sixth rep, ss in first dc. [6 picot, 24 tr, 12 dc, 18 sp]

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Rnd 5 Ss in 1 ch, 1dc in same ch-sp, [ch3, 1dc in next sp, ch5, 1dc in next sp, ch3, 1dc in next sp] 6 times omitting final dc on sixth rep, ss in first dc. [18 dc, 18 sp]

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Rnd 6 Ss in 1 ch, beg tr in same ch-sp, [1tr in same sp, (3tr, ch1, 3tr) in ch-5 sp, 2tr in next sp, ch1, 1tr in next sp] 6 times omitting final tr on sixth rep, ss in beg tr. [60 tr, 12 sp]

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Rnd 7 [4dc, 3dc in next ch-sp, 7dc] 6 times, ss in first dc, cut yarn. [84 dsc]

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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

Coming shortly!

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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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