This little letter L keychain pairs a woven basketweave texture with a tiny garden of flowers. The letter is worked in soft cream cotton. Raised and recessed post stitches form neat blocks that look like woven cane. A cluster of pink, white, and lilac blossoms with green leaves and rosebuds climbs the lower left corner.
The style is calm, cottage-inspired, and easy to give as a gift. It works as a bag charm, a key fob, or a drawer pull decoration. The colors are cream, rose pink, white, lilac, soft yellow, and sage green, finished with a gold key ring.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished keychain measures 2.5 in (6.4 cm) wide and 3 5/8 in (9.2 cm) tall, not including the hardware.
The letter is one flat piece, worked in rows from the bottom of the foot up to the top of the stem. A two-round border of single crochet and reverse single crochet gives it a rope-like edge. The flowers and leaves are made separately and sewn on as layered appliqué. The key ring goes on last, at the top center.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 2.5 in (6.4 cm) wide x 3 5/8 in (9.2 cm) tall
- Skill level: Intermediate (post stitches, reverse single crochet)
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Sport (#2), cotton or cotton blend
- Hook: 3.25 mm (US D-3)
- Number of pieces: 1 letter body, plus small appliqué flowers, buds, and leaves
- Layout: One letter L, with the stem on the left and the foot extending right
- Body size before border: 2 in (5.1 cm) wide x 3 1/8 in (7.9 cm) tall
- Stem width before border: 1 1/8 in (2.9 cm)
- Border depth: 1/4 in (0.6 cm) on every side
Materials
Choose a smooth mercerized or combed cotton in sport weight. Cotton shows the post-stitch texture crisply and keeps its shape on a keychain that gets handled every day. Avoid fuzzy yarns, because they blur the basketweave.
- Cream (body and border): 8 g, about 24 m (26 yd)
- Rose pink (large flower and buds): 2 g, about 6 m (7 yd)
- Sage green (leaves): 2 g, about 6 m (7 yd)
- White (small flower): 1 g, about 3 m (3 yd)
- Lilac (small flower): 1 g, about 3 m (3 yd)
- Soft yellow (white flower center): 1 g, about 3 m (3 yd)
These amounts include a generous margin for gauge testing and sewing tails.
Tools:
- 3.25 mm (US D-3) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Sharp sewing needle and matching thread (optional, for firmer appliqué)
- Gold split key ring, 25 mm, with a short chain and a 6 mm jump ring
- Two pairs of flat-nose pliers
- Blocking mat, rustproof pins, and a spray bottle
- Scissors and stitch markers
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch: chain
- sl st: slip stitch
- sc: single crochet
- hdc: half double crochet
- dc: double crochet
- FPdc: front post double crochet. Yarn over, insert the hook from front to back to front around the post of the stitch, and finish as a dc.
- BPdc: back post double crochet. Yarn over, insert the hook from back to front to back around the post of the stitch, and finish as a dc.
- rev sc: reverse single crochet (crab stitch). Working from left to right, insert the hook in the next stitch to the right, pull up a loop, yarn over, and pull through both loops.
- MR: magic ring
- st(s): stitch(es)
Special stitch: bud bobble. Yarn over, insert the hook in the stitch, pull up a loop, yarn over, and pull through 2 loops (2 loops on hook). Repeat 3 more times in the same stitch (5 loops on hook). Yarn over and pull through all 5 loops.
Turning chain: The ch 2 at the start of each body row does not count as a stitch.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge in the basketweave pattern is 28 sts and 14 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm). That works out to 7 sts and 3.5 rows per 1 in (2.5 cm).
Post stitches pull the fabric in, so measure the basketweave itself, not plain dc. The easiest gauge test is to make the letter body first and measure it before you add the border.
Checkpoints:
- After Row 1: The 14 dc measure 2 in (5.1 cm) across.
- After Row 5 (foot complete): The foot is 2 in (5.1 cm) wide x 1 3/8 in (3.5 cm) tall.
- After Row 11 (body complete): The body is 3 1/8 in (7.9 cm) tall, and the stem is 1 1/8 in (2.9 cm) wide.
- After the border: The keychain is 2.5 in (6.4 cm) wide x 3 5/8 in (9.2 cm) tall.
If your piece is too big: Go down to a 3.0 mm hook, or work the post stitches more snugly. If it is too small: Go up to a 3.5 mm (US E-4) hook. Change the hook, not the stitch counts, because the basketweave depends on groups of 3.
Letter Body
The body is worked flat. Each row has 1 plain dc edge stitch at each end, with the post-stitch blocks in between. Each block is 3 sts wide and 2 rows tall.
Pattern A makes the leftmost block raised on the right side (RS). Pattern B swaps the raised and recessed blocks. Because each row has an even number of blocks, the same written row works for both the WS row and the RS row of each pair.
Foot (Rows 1–5)
With cream, ch 16.
Row 1 (RS): Dc in the 3rd ch from the hook and in each ch across. Turn. (14 dc)
Row 2 (WS, Pattern A): Ch 2, dc in first st, [BPdc in next 3 sts, FPdc in next 3 sts] 2 times, dc in last st. Turn. (14 sts)
Row 3 (RS, Pattern A): Ch 2, dc in first st, [BPdc in next 3 sts, FPdc in next 3 sts] 2 times, dc in last st. Turn. (14 sts)
Check: each group should continue the group below it. Raised stitches sit over raised stitches and recessed over recessed, forming 4 blocks.
Row 4 (WS, Pattern B): Ch 2, dc in first st, [FPdc in next 3 sts, BPdc in next 3 sts] 2 times, dc in last st. Turn. (14 sts)
Row 5 (RS, Pattern B): Ch 2, dc in first st, [FPdc in next 3 sts, BPdc in next 3 sts] 2 times, dc in last st. Turn. (14 sts)
The foot now has 2 rows of blocks in a checkerboard. Checkpoint: 2 in (5.1 cm) x 1 3/8 in (3.5 cm).
Stem (Rows 6–11)
Row 5 ends at the left edge, as seen from the RS. The stem is worked over the first 8 sts only, so it rises from the left side of the foot.
Row 6 (WS, Pattern A): Ch 2, dc in first st, BPdc in next 3 sts, FPdc in next 3 sts, dc in next st. Leave the remaining 6 sts unworked. Turn. (8 sts)
The 8th stitch was a pattern stitch in Row 5. It now becomes the plain edge stitch of the stem.
Row 7 (RS, Pattern A): Ch 2, dc in first st, BPdc in next 3 sts, FPdc in next 3 sts, dc in last st. Turn. (8 sts)
Row 8 (WS, Pattern B): Ch 2, dc in first st, FPdc in next 3 sts, BPdc in next 3 sts, dc in last st. Turn. (8 sts)
Row 9 (RS, Pattern B): Repeat Row 8. (8 sts)
Rows 10–11 (Pattern A): Repeat Row 7 twice. (8 sts)
Fasten off and weave in the tail. The stem has 3 rows of 2 blocks and rises 1 3/4 in (4.4 cm) above the foot. The bare part of Row 5 to the right of the stem is 6 sts wide, or 7/8 in (2.2 cm).
Border
Border gauge: 7 sc per 1 in (2.5 cm) along every edge.
The math works because the body gauge is 7 sts per 1 in (2.5 cm) across and 3.5 rows per 1 in (2.5 cm) up. One sc per stitch on the top and bottom edges gives 7 sc per 1 in. Two sc per dc row end on the sides gives 3.5 x 2 = 7 sc per 1 in. Every edge gets the same density, so the border lies flat without ruffling or cupping.
Each of the 5 outer corners gets 3 sc in one corner stitch, and the middle sc of the 3 is the corner point. The inner corner, where the stem meets the foot, gets no extra stitches, which keeps it sharp.
Round 1: With the RS facing, join cream with a standing sc in the first st of Row 11 (top right of the stem). Work 2 more sc in the same st to finish the corner. Then work around as follows:
| Edge | Worked into | Sc |
|---|---|---|
| Top-right stem corner | first st of Row 11 | 3 |
| Top of stem | next 6 sts | 6 |
| Top-left corner | last st of Row 11 | 3 |
| Left side | row ends of Rows 11–1, 2 sc each | 22 |
| Bottom-left corner | base of last st of Row 1 | 3 |
| Bottom | bases of next 12 sts | 12 |
| Bottom-right corner | base of first st of Row 1 | 3 |
| Right side of foot | row ends of Rows 1–5, 2 sc each | 10 |
| Top-right foot corner | first st of Row 5 | 3 |
| Top of foot | next 5 unworked sts of Row 5 | 5 |
| Right side of stem | row ends of Rows 6–11, 2 sc each | 12 |
Sl st to the first sc to join. (82 sc)
Total check: 3 + 6 + 3 + 22 + 3 + 12 + 3 + 10 + 3 + 5 + 12 = 82.
Round 2: Ch 1, rev sc in each sc around. Sl st to the first st to join. (82 rev sc)
The reverse single crochet makes the twisted, rope-like edge. Fasten off and weave in the ends.
Checkpoint: 2.5 in (6.4 cm) wide x 3 5/8 in (9.2 cm) tall. With the border, the stem is 1 5/8 in (4.1 cm) wide.
Flowers, Buds, and Leaves
Leave 6 in (15.2 cm) tails on all appliqué pieces for sewing.
Large Pink Flower (make 1)
Round 1: With cream, MR, 10 sc in the ring. Pull the ring closed and sl st to the first sc. Fasten off. (10 sc)
Round 2: Join rose pink in any st. (Hdc, 2 dc, hdc) in next st, sl st in next st; repeat from * 4 more times. (5 petals; 25 sts)*
The finished flower is about 1 in (2.5 cm) across. Optional: add 3 or 4 tiny cream French knots to the center for a dotted look.
Small White Flower (make 1)
Round 1: With soft yellow, MR, 5 sc in the ring. Pull the ring closed and sl st to the first sc. Fasten off. (5 sc)
Round 2: Join white with a sl st in any st. (Ch 2, 2 dc, ch 2, sl st) in same st, sl st in next st; repeat from * 4 more times. The last sl st lands in the joining st. (5 petals)*
The finished flower is about 3/4 in (1.9 cm) across.
Small Lilac Flower (make 1)
Work as for the white flower, using cream for Round 1 and lilac for Round 2. (5 petals) It is 3/4 in (1.9 cm) across.
Rosebuds (make 3)
With rose pink, ch 3. Work a bud bobble in the 3rd ch from the hook, then ch 1 to close. Fasten off and tie the tails together to round out the bud. Each bud is about 1/4 in (0.6 cm).
Leaves (make 6)
With sage green, ch 6. Starting in the 2nd ch from the hook, work sc, hdc, dc, hdc across the next 4 chs, then 3 sc in the last ch. Working along the other side of the chain, work hdc, dc, hdc, sc across the next 4 chs. Sl st to the first sc and fasten off. (11 sts plus sl st)
Each leaf is about 3/4 in (1.9 cm) long, with a pointed tip.
Arranging and Sewing the Appliqué
Lay the body RS up with the stem on the left. Place all the pieces before you sew anything. Layer from back to front: leaves first, then flowers, then buds.
- Large pink flower: Center it on the left edge, just above where the stem meets the foot, with about one third of it over the border.
- Two buds: Stack them above the pink flower along the left edge of the stem, with a leaf tucked beside each one.
- White flower: Place it at the bottom-left corner, slightly overlapping the lower edge of the pink flower.
- Lilac flower: Place it to the right of the white flower along the bottom of the foot, touching the white petals.
- Third bud: Place it to the right of the lilac flower.
- Remaining leaves: Tuck them under the pink, white, and lilac flowers so the tips peek out.
Sew through the back loops of the body only, so nothing shows on the back. Stitch around each flower center and petal base, then tack down the leaf tips.
Attaching the Key Ring
Open the jump ring with two pliers by twisting the ends sideways, never pulling them apart. Slide it through the center 2 sts of Round 2 at the top of the stem. Hook on the chain, then close the ring fully.
Final Blocking
- Spray the keychain lightly until it is damp but not soaked.
- Pin it RS up on the blocking mat to 2.5 in (6.4 cm) x 3 5/8 in (9.2 cm).
- Pin each of the 5 outer corners and the inner corner to keep the L crisp.
- Use your fingertips to straighten the block lines so they run square.
- Gently lift the petals so they sit slightly raised over the body.
- Let it dry completely, about 6 to 8 hours.
- Remove the pins. Attach the key ring now if you haven’t already.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- The body measures 2 in (5.1 cm) x 3 1/8 in (7.9 cm) before the border.
- The foot has 2 rows of 4 blocks, and the stem has 3 rows of 2 blocks.
- The blocks alternate in a clean checkerboard.
- Round 1 has exactly 82 sc, and Round 2 has 82 rev sc.
- The inner corner is sharp, with no gap.
- The finished size is 2.5 in (6.4 cm) x 3 5/8 in (9.2 cm).
- No appliqué stitches show on the back.
- The jump ring is fully closed and secure.
Troubleshooting
Blocks don’t line up: You probably swapped FPdc and BPdc within a pair of rows. Rows 2 and 3 should use the same written text, and so should Rows 4 and 5.
Edges look wavy: The edge dc may be loose. Work the first and last dc of each row a little tighter.
Border ruffles: Your sc is looser than the body. Use a hook 0.25 mm smaller for Round 1 only.
Border pulls in along the sides: Make sure every row end has 2 sc, including Rows 5 and 6 near the inner corner.
Gap at the inner corner: Close it with a small whip stitch on the WS, using the cream tail.
Flowers look flat: Pinch and shape the petals while they are still damp from blocking.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap and lay flat to dry. Take off the metal key ring before washing so it can’t mark the cotton.
Final Notes
The measurements build on each other. A gauge of 7 sts and 3.5 rows per 1 in (2.5 cm) gives a body of 2 in (5.1 cm) x 3 1/8 in (7.9 cm). Adding the 1/4 in (0.6 cm) border on every side brings the finished keychain to 2.5 in (6.4 cm) x 3 5/8 in (9.2 cm).
If each checkpoint matches, your letter will be crisp, square, and ready for its little garden. Change the flower colors to suit the person you’re making it for.
Happy crocheting!