2026 VVCAL
Published on June 26, 2026

2026 VVCAL: Prickleback 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 13 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.

Prickleback 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.

Cebidichthys violaceus (Monkey-faced prickleback) | Humboldt Life | Lost Coast Outpost | Humboldt County News

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Meet the monkeyface prickleback (that is not a typo): – Life Lines by Dr. Dolittle

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Monkeyface prickleback | Monterey Bay Aquarium

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Fun Facts

Long and eel-like, monkeyface pricklebacks sport a bluntly rounded snout, large fleshy lips, and two black lines that radiate from behind their eyes. A dorsal fin runs along the pricklebacks’ backs. A lumpy ridge appears on adult monkeyface pricklebacks’ heads. Their color ranges from uniform light brown to dark green—some specimens have orange spots on their bodies and orange-colored fin tips.

Monkeyface pricklebacks’ body shapes allow them to live hidden in crevices and holes in rocky reefs, rocky tidal zones and kelp forests. These fish don’t move around much, seldom traveling more than 15 feet (4.6 m) from their home. They can breathe air and, in a moist area, can stay out of the water for at least 35 hours.

Shore anglers fish for monkeyface pricklebacks in rocky intertidal and shallow subtidal zones by “poke poling.” The fishermen attach a short piece of wire with a baited hook to a long bamboo pole. They place the bait in front of a hole between the rocks or “poke” the pole into crevices and holes.

Peak spawning time is from February to April; fertilization is internal. After mating, a female deposits 17,500 to 46,000 eggs in a mass on subtidal, rocky surfaces. Observers have seen monkeyface pricklebacks guarding the eggs, but they don’t know if males or females (or both) guard the egg masses.

Monkeyface pricklebacks were often fished by indigenous Americans. Currently, they support only a small commercial fishery and recreational fishing. They are fished recreationally by a method called poke poling, where the end of a long bamboo pole is fitted with a short piece of wire with a baited hook. This baited end is then poked into rocky crevices and holes during low tide.

Prickleback Motif Pattern

Reference

Scroll for chart and video instruction.

Stitch Guide (US Terms)

Note: Scroll down for UK Terms.

  • 2dccl 2dc cluster: (yoh, insert hook in st/sp, yoh, pull up lp, yoh, draw yarn through 2 lps) 2 times, yoh, draw yarn through 3 lps
  • 3trpc 3 treble popcorn: 3tr in st/sp indicated, remove lp from hook, insert hook front to back through first tr, grab lp, pull to front of work to close 3trpc
  • beg beginning
  • beg 2dccl (beg dc, dc) in st/sp indicated – when joining rnd, ss into full dc st
  • beg 3trpc beginning 3 treble popcorn: (beg tr, 2tr) in st/sp, remove lp from hook, insert hook front to back through beg tr, grab lp, pull lp to front of work to close beg 3trpc
  • beg dc (1sc, ch1) – counts as 1 dc
  • beg tr (1sc, ch2) – 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
  • 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 Beg 2dccl, [ch1, 2dccl] 17 times, ch1, ss in beg 2dccl. [18 2dccl, 18 sp]

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Rnd 3 Beg 3trpc in next ch-sp, [ch3, 3trpc in next ch-sp] 17 times, ch3, ss in beg 3trpc. [18 3trpc, 18 sp]

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Rnd 4 [1sc, 1tr, 1sc, ch1] in 18 ch-sps, ss in first sc. [18 tr, 36 sc, 18 sp]

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Rnd 5 Ss in 3 sts, beg dc in next ch-sp, [ch1, 2dc in same sp, sk2, 3sc, ch1, sk1, 3sc, 2dc in next ch-sp] 6 times omitting final dc on sixth rep, ss in beg dc. [24 dc, 36 sc, 12 sp]

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Rnd 6 [3sc in ch-1 sp, 11sc] 6 times, ss in first sc, cut yarn. [84 sc]

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Stitch Guide (UK Terms)

  • 2trcl 2tr cluster: (yoh, insert hook in st/sp, yoh, pull up lp, yoh, draw yarn through 2 lps) 2 times, yoh, draw yarn through 3 lps
  • 3dtrpc 3 double treble popcorn: 3dtr in st/sp indicated, remove lp from hook, insert hook front to back through first dtr, grab lp, pull to front of work to close 3dtrpc
  • beg beginning
  • beg 2trcl (beg tr, tr) in st/sp indicated – when joining rnd, ss into full tr st
  • beg 3dtrpc beginning 3 double treble popcorn: (beg dtr, 2dtr) in st/sp, remove lp from hook, insert hook front to back through beg dtr, grab lp, pull lp to front of work to close beg 3dtrpc
  • beg tr (1dc, ch1) – counts as 1 tr
  • beg dtr (1dc, ch2) – counts as 1 dtr
  • 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
  • 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 Beg 2trcl, [ch1, 2trcl] 17 times, ch1, ss in beg 2trcl. [18 2trcl, 18 sp]

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Rnd 3 Beg 3dtrpc in next ch-sp, [ch3, 3dtrpc in next ch-sp] 17 times, ch3, ss in beg 3dtrpc. [18 3dtrpc, 18 sp]

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Rnd 4 [1dc, 1dtr, 1dc, ch1] in 18 ch-sps, ss in first dc. [18 dtr, 36 dc, 18 sp]

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Rnd 5 Ss in 3 sts, beg tr in next ch-sp, [ch1, 2tr in same sp, sk2, 3dc, ch1, sk1, 3dc, 2tr in next ch-sp] 6 times omitting final tr on sixth rep, ss in beg tr. [24 tr, 36 dc, 12 sp]

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Rnd 6 [3dc in ch-1 sp, 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.

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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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