CypressTextiles Unveils Bell Jelly Motif for 2026 Vibrant Vintage Crochet-A-Long

CypressTextiles released the Bell Jelly motif on April 3 as the latest weekly installment of the 2026 Vibrant Vintage Crochet-A-Long, bringing a marine-inspired hexie into what is shaping up to be one of the more resourced community CALs of the year. The post on cypresstextiles.net delivered the full pattern in both US and UK crochet terms, stitch charts, step-by-step photos, and a video tutorial, covering the range of formats that international makers have come to expect from a well-run CAL drop.

The VVCAL is a motif-based, palette-driven blanket project that publishes a new motif each week. Participants can choose from multiple joining methods and the finished design incorporates a wide lace border, giving makers meaningful control over how their blankets come together without abandoning the shared visual identity of the CAL. That modularity is part of the appeal: the hexagonal format allows for color-sequence experimentation, and the range of joining options means no two finished blankets need look identical.

What distinguishes this week's release is an ecological sidebar tucked into the post, presenting five facts about bell jellies with attribution to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It's a quiet but deliberate move that grounds the motif in natural history rather than treating the sea creature reference as purely decorative, and it broadens the post's appeal for makers drawn to themed or interpretive design collections.

"Hello, and a huge welcome to this week of the 2026 Vibrant Vintage Crochet-A-Long (VVCAL)! I'm so glad you're here!" CypressTextiles wrote at the top of the post, setting the tone that has defined the CAL's community-first approach since launch.

Makers looking to share progress can tag work with #VVCAL and #CypressTextiles, add projects to the dedicated VVCAL Ravelry collection, or post in the official VVCAL Facebook group. CypressTextiles has signaled that individual pattern PDFs and a bundled ebook of VVCAL motifs are planned for release on both Etsy and Ravelry, following the free weekly post model that builds community engagement before transitioning to paid consolidated resources. The dual-terminology approach, covering both UK and US conventions from the start, reduces friction for international participants and positions those eventual listings for a wider market.

The Bell Jelly motif arrives midstream in a CAL that has already established its rhythm; the real test of the format will be how the lace border and joining methods read once makers start assembling finished blankets later in the year.