2026 VVCAL

2026 VVCAL: Pink Bamboo Motif

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 16 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.

Pink Bamboo Motif

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


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

Pink bamboo coral | Monterey Bay Aquarium

Bamboo coral with crinoids | U.S. Geological Survey

MBARI - The tiny polyps of the pink bamboo coral (Keratoisis sp.) have  eight tentacles ready to grab plankton and other particles of food drifting  in the currents. Once they've caught a

Fun Facts

Pink bamboo corals are deep-sea ocean animals. They thrive in pitch-black water, thousands of feet down. They get their name from their skeleton. It has hard white parts and dark joints. It looks just like a bamboo plant.

Like trees, pink bamboo corals form rings inside their skeletons as they grow. Scientists study these rings to learn about the ocean’s past temperatures. The skeleton of a bamboo coral grows in layers. These layers tell us the age of that coral. A pink bamboo coral may live more than 200 years. When disturbed by predators, some species can emit a bright flash of blue or green bioluminescence.

Their skeleton alternates between hard white sections (made of calcium carbonate) and flexible black joints (made of protein). This helps them bend in deep-sea currents without breaking. Instead of relying on sunlight like shallow reef corals, they catch tiny bits of drifting food using eight feathery tentacles.

Because they live so long, their skeletons act as living time capsules for scientists studying climate change. Researchers look to bamboo corals for ways to synthesize collagen and improve bone-grafting materials. Their skeletons are sometimes dyed and used to imitate precious red or pink coral in jewelry.


Pink Bamboo Motif Pattern

Reference

Scroll for chart and video instruction.

Stitch Guide (US Terms)

Note: Scroll down for UK Terms.

  • 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 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 pc beginning popcorn: (beg dc, 3dc) in st/sp, release lp from hook, insert hook front to back through beg dc, grab lp, pull through to front of work to close popcorn
  • 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
  • pc popcorn 4dc in st/sp, release lp from hook, insert hook front to back through first dc, grab lp, pull through to front of work to close popcorn
  • 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 pc, [ch2, pc] 5 times, ch2, ss in beg pc. [6 pc, 6 sp]

Rnd 2 Beg 3trpc in first ch-sp, [ch3, 3trpc in same sp, ch3, 3trpc in next sp] 6 times omitting final 3trpc on sixth rep. [12 3trpc, 12 sp]

Rnd 3 Beg dc in first ch-sp, [4dc in same sp, ch1, 1dc in next sp] 12 times omitting final dc on twelfth rep, ss in beg dc. [60 dc, 12 sp]

Rnd 4 Beg dc in next st, * [ch1, sk1, 1dc] 5 times, ch1, 1dc in same sp, ch1, sk1, 1dc, rep from * 5 times omitting final dc on fifth rep, ss in beg dc. [42 dc, 42 sp]

Rnd 5 [9 sc, sk 1 dc, 3sc in cnr sp, sk 1 dc, 2sc,] 6 times, ss in first sc, cut yarn. [84 sc]

Stitch Guide (UK Terms)

  • 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 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 pc beginning popcorn: (beg tr, 3tr) in st/sp, release lp from hook, insert hook front to back through beg tr, grab lp, pull through to front of work to close popcorn
  • 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
  • pc popcorn 4tr in st/sp, release lp from hook, insert hook front to back through first tr, grab lp, pull through to front of work to close popcorn
  • 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 pc, [ch2, pc] 5 times, ch2, ss in beg pc. [6 pc, 6 sp]

Rnd 2 Beg 3dtrpc in first ch-sp, [ch3, 3dtrpc in same sp, ch3, 3dtrpc in next sp] 6 times omitting final 3dtrpc on sixth rep. [12 3dtrpc, 12 sp]

Rnd 3 Beg tr in first ch-sp, [4tr in same sp, ch1, 1tr in next sp] 12 times omitting final tr on twelfth rep, ss in beg tr. [60 tr, 12 sp]

Rnd 4 Beg tr in next st, * [ch1, sk1, 1tr] 5 times, ch1, 1tr in same sp, ch1, sk1, 1tr, rep from * 5 times omitting final tr on fifth rep, ss in beg tr. [42 tr, 42 sp]

Rnd 5 [9 dc, sk 1 tr, 3dc in cnr sp, sk 1 tr, 2dc,] 6 times, ss in first dc, cut yarn. [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

Coming shortly!

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!

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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