Purple crocheted letter V keychain with tiny flowers and green leaves attached to a gold ring on cream linen.

Violet Fan Lace Letter V Keychain Crochet Pattern

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This letter V keychain is made of soft pale-lilac fan lace with a medium-lavender corded edge. A small bouquet of violets and leaves climbs down the left arm. It is small enough to clip onto a dance bag or pencil case and detailed enough to give as a gift.

The palette is pale lilac for the body, medium lavender for the border and one flower, deep purple for two flowers, sunny yellow for the flower centers and sage green for the leaves. The look is delicate and vintage, close to a lace monogram.

The pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished letter measures 4.0 in wide x 4.3 in tall (10.2 x 10.9 cm), not counting the keyring.

The letter is made in one piece from the bottom up. You start with a single fan at the tip and widen the rows to form the point. The work then splits into two arms that shift outward by one stitch every second row. A flared final row creates the serif tops. A two-round border neatens the outline. Then you sew on the flowers and leaves and attach the ring.

Finished Size and Construction

  • Finished size: 4.0 in wide x 4.3 in tall (10.2 x 10.9 cm)
  • Skill level: Intermediate
  • Terminology: US
  • Yarn weight: Fingering / super fine (#1) cotton
  • Hook: 2.0 mm
  • Number of pieces: 1 letter + 3 flowers + 3 leaves (appliqués)
  • Layout: Single letter, no joining
  • Letter size before border: 3.7 in wide x 4.0 in tall (9.4 x 10.2 cm)
  • Arm width (horizontal): 1.1 in (2.8 cm); serif tops 1.5 in (3.8 cm)
  • Border depth: 0.15 in (0.4 cm) per side

Materials

Use a smooth mercerized cotton in fingering weight. Mercerized cotton shows the fan lace clearly and holds its shape on a keychain. Avoid fuzzy yarns, because they fill in the open gaps.

  • Color A, pale lilac (body): 6 g / 25 m
  • Color B, medium lavender (border, 1 flower): 4 g / 16 m
  • Color C, deep purple (2 flowers): 2 g / 8 m
  • Color D, yellow (centers): 1 g / 3 m
  • Color E, sage green (leaves): 2 g / 8 m

Tools:
– 2.0 mm crochet hook
– Tapestry needle and a sharp sewing needle
– 1 in (2.5 cm) gold split ring with a short chain and jump ring
– Two pairs of flat-nose pliers
– Rust-proof pins, a blocking mat and a spray bottle
– Small ruler or tape measure
– Optional: fabric stiffener

All quantities include a margin of about 25%.

Abbreviations (US Terms)

  • ch: chain
  • sl st: slip stitch
  • sc: single crochet
  • hdc: half double crochet
  • dc: double crochet
  • sc2tog: single crochet 2 together
  • sp: space
  • st(s): stitch(es)
  • RS / WS: right side / wrong side
  • rev sc: reverse single crochet (crab stitch)

Fan: 7 dc worked into the same stitch.

Rev sc: Working from left to right, insert the hook into the next stitch to the right, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through both loops on the hook. This makes the corded edge.

Gauge and Checkpoints

  • Gauge: 10 sc = 1 in (2.5 cm). One fan row plus one sc row = 0.4 in (1.0 cm) tall.

Your test piece is the letter itself. Work Rows 1–6, then stop and measure.

  • After Row 6: 2.1 in wide x 1.2 in tall (5.3 x 3.0 cm)
  • After Row 18: 3.6 in (9.1 cm) tall; each arm 1.1 in (2.8 cm) wide
  • After Row 20: 3.7 in wide x 4.0 in tall (9.4 x 10.2 cm)
  • After the border: 4.0 in wide x 4.3 in tall (10.2 x 10.9 cm)

If your point is wider than 2.2 in (5.6 cm), go down to a 1.75 mm hook. If it is narrower than 2.0 in (5.1 cm), go up to a 2.25 mm hook. Height usually follows width, so fix width first.

Three purple crocheted flowers with golden centers and green leaves on a lavender lace band.

Letter Body

Use Color A. In every row, the turning ch-3 counts as a dc and the ch-1 at the start of sc rows does not count.

Point Section

Row 1 (RS): Ch 3, then work 6 dc in the 3rd ch from the hook. The skipped 2 ch count as the first dc. Turn. (7 sts)

Row 2 (WS): Ch 1, 2 sc in each of the first 2 sts, sc in the next 3 sts, 2 sc in each of the last 2 sts. Turn. (11 sc)

Row 3 (RS): Ch 3 (counts as dc), ch 1, skip 4 sts, fan in the next st, ch 1, skip 4 sts, dc in the last st. Turn.
Count: 1 dc + 1 ch + 7 dc + 1 ch + 1 dc = 11 sts.

Row 4 (WS): Ch 1, 3 sc in the first dc, 2 sc in the ch-1 sp, sc in each of the 7 fan dc, 2 sc in the ch-1 sp, 3 sc in the top of the ch-3. Turn.
Count: 3 + 2 + 7 + 2 + 3 = 17 sc.

Row 5 (RS): Ch 3, ch 1, skip 3 sts, fan in the next st (st 5), ch 1, skip 3 sts, dc in st 9 (the center), ch 1, skip 3 sts, fan in st 13, ch 1, skip 3 sts, dc in the last st (st 17). Turn.
Count: 1 + 1 + 7 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 7 + 1 + 1 = 21 sts.

Row 6 (WS): Ch 1, sc in each dc and in each ch-1 sp across. Turn. (21 sc)

The point is now 2.1 in wide x 1.2 in tall (5.3 x 3.0 cm).

Arm 1 (right arm, seen from the RS)

The center stitch of Row 6 (st 11) is shared by both arms. Each arm works its inner-edge stitch into it.

Row 7 (RS): Ch 3, ch 1, skip 4 sts, fan in st 6, ch 1, skip 4 sts, dc in st 11. Leave sts 12–21 unworked. Turn. (11 sts)

Row 8 (WS, starts at the inner edge): Ch 1, sc2tog over the first dc and the ch-1 sp, sc in each of the 7 fan dc, sc in the ch-1 sp, 2 sc in the top of the ch-3. Turn.
Count: 1 + 7 + 1 + 2 = 11 sc.
This row shifts the arm one stitch outward.

Row 9 (RS): Ch 3, ch 1, skip 4 sts, fan in the next st, ch 1, skip 4 sts, dc in the last st. Turn. (11 sts)

Rows 10–18: Repeat Rows 8 and 9 four more times, then work Row 8 once more. You have now worked six shift rows (Rows 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18). (11 sc)

Row 19 (RS): Repeat Row 9. (11 sts)

Row 20 (WS, serif row): Ch 1, 2 sc in the first dc, 2 sc in the ch-1 sp, sc in each of the 7 fan dc, 2 sc in the ch-1 sp, 2 sc in the top of the ch-3.
Count: 2 + 2 + 7 + 2 + 2 = 15 sc.
Fasten off.

Arm 2 (left arm)

Row 7 (RS): With the RS facing, join A with a sl st in shared st 11 of Row 6. Ch 3 (counts as dc), ch 1, skip sts 12–15, fan in st 16, ch 1, skip sts 17–20, dc in st 21. Turn. (11 sts)

Row 8 (WS, starts at the outer edge): Ch 1, 2 sc in the first dc, sc in the ch-1 sp, sc in each of the 7 fan dc, sc2tog over the ch-1 sp and the top of the ch-3. Turn.
Count: 2 + 1 + 7 + 1 = 11 sc.

Rows 9–20: Work as for Arm 1, using the Arm 2 version of the shift row. Row 20 is the same 15-sc serif row. Fasten off and weave in the ends.

Check: After six shifts per arm, the top span is 37 sts and the gap between the serifs is 7 sts. The letter measures 3.7 in wide x 4.0 in tall (9.4 x 10.2 cm).

Flowers and Leaves

Flower (make 2 in C and 1 in B)

Round 1: Make a magic ring, ch 1, work 10 sc in the ring, then sl st to the first sc. Pull the ring closed. (10 sc)

Round 2: In the next st work (sl st, ch 2, 3 dc, ch 2, sl st), then sl st in the next st. Repeat from * 4 more times. (5 petals)

Fasten off, leaving a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail. With D, work a French knot (2 wraps) in the center. Each flower measures about 0.9 in (2.3 cm) across.

Leaf (make 3 in E)

  1. Ch 7.
  2. Working into the chain, starting in the 2nd ch from the hook: sc, hdc, dc, dc, hdc.
  3. In the last ch, work (sc, ch 2, sc) to form the leaf tip.
  4. Working along the other side of the chain: hdc, dc, dc, hdc, sc. Sl st to the first sc.

You have 12 sts plus the ch-2 tip. Fasten off and leave a tail. Each leaf is about 0.8 in (2.0 cm) long.

Border

Border gauge: 10 sc per 1 in (2.5 cm), the same as the body. Along the side edges, work 3 sc into each dc row-end and 1 sc into each sc row-end. That gives 4 sc per 0.4 in (1.0 cm) two-row repeat, which equals 10 sc per inch.

Round 1

Join B at the tip. Work the edges in this order, all in sc:

  • Tip: 3 sc in the base of Row 1
  • Point side (Rows 1–6): 12 sc (3 dc row-ends x 3 + 3 sc row-ends x 1)
  • Outer edge of the arm (Rows 7–19): 27 sc (7 dc row-ends x 3 + 6 sc row-ends x 1)
  • Serif top: 3 sc in the first st, 1 sc in each of the next 13 sts, 3 sc in the last st (19 sc, corners included)
  • Inner edge of the arm (Rows 19–7): 27 sc
  • Crotch: 1 sc in the shared st 11
  • Inner edge of the second arm: 27 sc
  • Second serif top: 19 sc
  • Outer edge of the second arm: 27 sc
  • Second point side: 12 sc

Sl st to the first sc.
Total: 3 + 12 + 27 + 19 + 27 + 1 + 27 + 19 + 27 + 12 = 174 sc.

Round 2

Ch 1, rev sc in each sc around, then sl st to the first st. (174 rev sc) Fasten off.

Why the math works: Each serif top has 15 sts. Working 1 sc per stitch, with the 2 corner stitches each getting 3 sc, gives 13 + 3 + 3 = 19. Corners are counted only once. The edges get the same 10 sts per inch as the body, so the border lies flat without ruffling or cupping. The two border rounds add 0.15 in (0.4 cm) per side, which brings the letter from 3.7 x 4.0 in (9.4 x 10.2 cm) to 4.0 x 4.3 in (10.2 x 10.9 cm).

Assembly

  1. Lay the letter RS up.
  2. Tuck one leaf so it peeks above and to the left of the top-left corner of the top flower. Tuck one between the top and middle flowers, and one below and to the left of the bottom flower.
  3. Place the flowers down the left arm, overlapping its outer edge by 1/8 in (0.3 cm): C at the top, B in the middle, C at the bottom.
  4. Sew the leaves first, then the flowers, using small stitches through the center and petal bases only.
  5. Using pliers, open the jump ring and pass it through 2 border stitches at the top inner corner of the left serif. Attach the chain and split ring, then close the jump ring.

Final Blocking

  1. Before assembly, mist the letter until it is damp, not soaking.
  2. Pin it to a 4.0 x 4.3 in (10.2 x 10.9 cm) outline.
  3. Pin the tip, the crotch and all four serif corners first.
  4. Open each fan gently with a pin tip.
  5. Straighten the outer edges of the arms with pins every 0.5 in (1.3 cm).
  6. Dry completely, then apply stiffener if you want a firmer keychain and dry again.
  7. Do the assembly steps, then press the flowers lightly with damp fingers.

Final Quality-Control Checklist

  • [ ] Letter measures 4.0 x 4.3 in (10.2 x 10.9 cm)
  • [ ] Both arms have six shift rows and an equal slant
  • [ ] Every fan has 7 dc, with open ch-1 gaps on both sides
  • [ ] Serif tops have 15 sts and are symmetrical
  • [ ] Border Round 1 has 174 sc and Round 2 has 174 rev sc
  • [ ] Crotch is sharp, not puckered
  • [ ] Flowers and leaves are secure, with no stitches showing on the front
  • [ ] Ring hardware is tightly closed
  • [ ] All ends are woven in

Troubleshooting

  • Arms lean unevenly: You missed or doubled a shift row. Count the sc2tog rows on each arm; there should be six.
  • Fans look crowded: Check that you skipped exactly 4 sts before and after each fan in the arms.
  • Border ruffles: Use 2 sc instead of 3 in some dc row-ends.
  • Border cups: Add 1 sc at the Row 3 and Row 5 row-ends.
  • Crotch gapes: Replace the single crotch sc with an sc3tog worked over the last row-end, the shared stitch and the next row-end. This gives 172 sts in both border rounds.
  • Flowers flop forward: Add a second tacking stitch under each petal.

Care

Hand wash in cool water and lay flat to dry, reshaping the serifs and point. Remove the metal hardware before washing if possible.

Crocheted purple V-shaped keychain with delicate flowers on gold chain, hanging from a rose-pink drawstring bag in elegant home setting.

Final Notes

The measurement chain runs like this:

  1. Gauge: 10 sc per 1 in (2.5 cm)
  2. Point: 2.1 x 1.2 in (5.3 x 3.0 cm)
  3. Arms: 1.1 in (2.8 cm) wide
  4. Body before border: 3.7 x 4.0 in (9.4 x 10.2 cm)
  5. Border: 174 sts per round
  6. Finished letter: 4.0 x 4.3 in (10.2 x 10.9 cm)

If each checkpoint matches, the next one follows.

Happy crocheting!

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