This little letter H keychain is a quick, cheerful make: a flat coral initial with a cluster of tiny flowers climbing up one side. It hangs from a gold split ring, so you can use it as a bag charm, a key fob, or a personalized gift tag.
The colors are soft and springy. The letter is coral. The trim is two white flowers, one pale-yellow flower, two pale-yellow buds, golden-yellow flower centers, and four sage-green leaves. The body of the letter is plain and clean, and all the texture sits in the flowers and leaves.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished keychain measures 3.6 in wide x 4.4 in tall (9.1 cm x 11.2 cm), not counting the keyring.
The construction is simple. You crochet the two lower legs separately, join them with a chained crossbar, then split again for the two upper legs. A round of single crochet and a round of slip stitches make the border. The flowers, buds, and leaves are made separately and sewn on.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 3.6 in x 4.4 in (9.1 cm x 11.2 cm)
- Skill level: Advanced beginner
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: DK (light worsted, #3) cotton
- Hooks: 3.0 mm for the letter, 2.5 mm for the appliqués
- Number of pieces: 1 letter body plus 9 small sewn-on appliqués
- Layout: One letter H, with the appliqués stacked down the left leg
- Letter size before border: 3.2 in x 4.0 in (8.1 cm x 10.2 cm)
- Leg width: 1.2 in (3.0 cm); gap between the legs 0.8 in (2.0 cm)
- Border depth: about 0.2 in (0.5 cm) per side
Materials
Choose a smooth, mercerized or combed DK cotton. Cotton holds its shape, shows each stitch clearly, and survives daily handling on a bag. Avoid fuzzy or very stretchy yarns, because the letter should feel firm.
Yarn (DK cotton, approx. 2.3 m per gram):
- Coral (main color): 12 g / 28 m
- White: 3 g / 6 m
- Pale yellow: 3 g / 6 m
- Golden yellow: 1 g / 2 m
- Sage green: 2 g / 4 m
All quantities include a margin of roughly 20% for swatching and weaving in.
Tools:
- 3.0 mm (C/2-D/3) crochet hook
- 2.5 mm (B/1-C/2) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- Stitch markers (2)
- Gold split keyring, 1 in (2.5 cm), with a short chain and an 8 mm jump ring
- Two pairs of flat-nose pliers
- Blocking board and rust-proof pins
- Spray bottle of water
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- sc2tog – single crochet 2 together
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- MR – magic ring
- RS / WS – right side / wrong side
Special stitch – sc2tog across a corner: Insert the hook in the first place given, yarn over, and pull up a loop. Insert the hook in the second place given, yarn over, and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through all 3 loops.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 5 sc and 6 rows = 1 in (2.5 cm) with DK cotton and a 3.0 mm hook.
Your first lower leg is your test piece. Make it, then measure before going further.
Checkpoints:
- Leg 1 after Row 9: 1.2 in wide x 1.5 in tall (3.0 cm x 3.8 cm).
- After Row 15 (crossbar complete): 3.2 in wide x 2.5 in tall (8.1 cm x 6.4 cm).
- After Row 24: 3.2 in x 4.0 in (8.1 cm x 10.2 cm).
- After the border: 3.6 in x 4.4 in (9.1 cm x 11.2 cm).
If your leg is too big: go down to a 2.75 mm hook and remake it. If it’s too small: go up to a 3.25 mm or 3.5 mm hook. Width matters more than height here. You can’t add half a stitch, but changing the hook fixes the size cleanly.
Letter Body
Use coral and the 3.0 mm hook. The ch 1 at the start of each row does not count as a stitch.
Lower Leg 1
Row 1: Ch 7, sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, turn. (6 sc)
Rows 2–9: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (6 sc)
Fasten off, leaving a 4 in (10.2 cm) tail. Check Checkpoint 1.
Lower Leg 2
Rows 1–9: Work exactly as Leg 1. (6 sc) Do not fasten off.
Crossbar
Lay both legs flat with the same side facing up and their Row 9 edges level. Place Leg 1 so that Leg 2’s working yarn sits at the outer edge of Leg 2, away from Leg 1.
Row 10 (joining row): Ch 1, turn, sc in each of the 6 sts of Leg 2, ch 4, then sc in each of the 6 sts of Row 9 on Leg 1, turn. (12 sc + 4 ch)
The ch-4 bridges the 0.8 in (2.0 cm) gap and forms the bottom edge of the crossbar.
Row 11: Ch 1, sc in each of the next 6 sc, sc in each of the 4 ch, sc in each of the last 6 sc, turn. (16 sc)
Rows 12–15: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (16 sc)
Check Checkpoint 2. The crossbar is 6 rows (Rows 10–15), about 1 in (2.5 cm) tall.
Upper Legs
Row 16 (first upper leg): Ch 1, sc in the first 6 sts only, turn. (6 sc) Leave the other 10 sts unworked.
Rows 17–24: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (6 sc)
Fasten off.
Row 16 (second upper leg): Turn the piece so the same side faces you as when you started the first upper leg’s Row 16. Skip the next 4 unworked sts of Row 15 after the first leg. Join coral in the next st, ch 1, then sc in that same st and in the remaining 5 sts. (6 sc)
Rows 17–24: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across. (6 sc)
Do not fasten off; go straight on to the border. Check Checkpoint 3. Both upper legs are 9 rows, the same as the lower legs, so the crossbar sits at the exact vertical center.
Appliqués
Use the 2.5 mm hook. Leave 8 in (20.3 cm) tails for sewing.
White Flowers (make 2)
Rnd 1 (golden yellow): MR, ch 1, 5 sc in ring, sl st to first sc. Pull the ring closed. (5 sc) Fasten off golden yellow.
Rnd 2 (white): Join white in any sc. *(Sl st, ch 2, 3 dc, ch 2, sl st) in the same sc, then move to the next sc; repeat from * around. (5 petals, 3 dc each)
Join to the first sl st and fasten off. Each flower is about 1 in (2.5 cm) across.
Pale-Yellow Flower (make 1)
Rnd 1 (white): Work as for the white flowers, using white. (5 sc)
Rnd 2 (pale yellow): Work as for the white flowers, using pale yellow. (5 petals, 3 dc each)
Buds (make 2)
Rnd 1 (pale yellow): MR, ch 1, 6 sc in ring, sl st to first sc. (6 sc)
Rnd 2: Ch 1, [sc2tog] 3 times. (3 sts)
Tuck the starting tail inside, pull the last loop through, and fasten off. Each bud is a firm bobble about 0.4 in (1.0 cm) across.
Leaves (make 4)
Sage green: Ch 7. Starting in 2nd ch from hook, work sl st, sc, hdc, dc, hdc in the next 5 ch. In the last ch, work (sc, ch 2, sc) for the tip. Then, working along the other side of the chain, work hdc, dc, hdc, sc, sl st in the next 5 ch. (12 sts + ch-2 tip)
Each leaf is about 1 in (2.5 cm) long, with a pointed tip.
Border
Keep going with coral and the 3.0 mm hook from the last st of Row 24 on the second upper leg.
Border gauge: Work 1 sc per stitch along the top and bottom edges (5 per inch) and 1 sc per row-end along the sides (6 per inch). Sc rows are slightly shorter than sc stitches are wide, so this ratio lies flat.
The letter’s outline has 12 corners. Eight are outer (convex) corners at the ends of the legs. Four are inner (concave) corners where the crossbar meets the legs.
Edge counts (each top and bottom edge includes its 2 corner stitches):
- Bottom of each leg: 6 sts (x2) = 12
- Top of each leg: 6 sts (x2) = 12
- Outer side of each leg, Rows 1–24: 24 row-ends (x2) = 48
- Inner sides of lower legs, Rows 1–9: 9 row-ends (x2) = 18
- Inner sides of upper legs, Rows 16–24: 9 row-ends (x2) = 18
- Underside of crossbar (ch-4): 4 sts
- Top of crossbar (the 4 skipped sts of Row 15): 4 sts
- Base total: 12 + 12 + 48 + 18 + 18 + 4 + 4 = 116
Rnd 1: Ch 1, then work 1 sc in every stitch and every row-end around, with these adjustments:
- At each of the 8 outer corners, work 3 sc in the corner stitch (+2 extra each = +16).
- At each of the 4 inner corners, work an sc2tog across the last row-end of the leg edge and the first stitch of the crossbar edge (−1 each = −4).
Sl st to the first sc. Count: 116 sc worked 1 per stitch or row-end + 16 corner extras − 4 inner decreases = 128 sc.
Rnd 2: Ch 1, sl st loosely through the back loop only of each sc around. (128 sl st) Join and fasten off.
This round rolls the edge forward a little, which makes the smooth raised rim.
Why the math works: Rnd 1 adds a layer of stitches about 0.2 in (0.5 cm) deep on every edge. The 3-sc corners let the outer corners turn 90 degrees without cupping. The sc2tog at each inner corner removes extra fabric that would otherwise pucker where the edge turns inward. Rnd 2 adds height but almost no width.
- Width: 3.2 in + 0.2 in + 0.2 in = 3.6 in (9.1 cm)
- Height: 4.0 in + 0.2 in + 0.2 in = 4.4 in (11.2 cm)
Final Blocking
- Weave in all coral tails on the WS before blocking, but leave the appliqué tails long.
- Lightly mist the letter until damp, not soaked.
- Pin it RS up on the blocking board to 3.6 in x 4.4 in (9.1 cm x 11.2 cm). Use the grid lines to keep the legs parallel.
- Pin each outer corner, plus the midpoint of each outer side.
- Pin the appliqués flat separately, opening out each petal and pointing each leaf tip.
- Let everything dry completely, at least 4 hours.
- Unpin and measure once more.
Assembly
- Lay the letter RS up. Place the leaves first: one at the upper left beside where the buds will go, and three more spaced down the left leg. Let them stick out about 0.25 in (0.6 cm) past the outer edge.
- Place a white flower about 1 in (2.5 cm) below the top of the left leg, the pale-yellow flower below it, and the second white flower near the bottom. The flowers overlap the leaves and stick out about 0.25 in (0.6 cm) past the edge.
- Place the two buds at the top left, above the first white flower.
- Sew each piece on with its own tail, using small stitches through the center and the base of each petal. Don’t pull so tight that the letter puckers.
- Use the pliers to open the jump ring. Pass it through the border at the top of the left leg, attach the chain, and close the ring fully.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Letter measures 3.6 in x 4.4 in (9.1 cm x 11.2 cm)
- Both legs are 1.2 in (3.0 cm) wide before the border and perfectly parallel
- Crossbar sits at the vertical center
- Border Rnd 1 counts 128 sc
- Outer corners are square and inner corners lie flat
- 3 flowers, 2 buds, and 4 leaves are sewn on securely and lie flat
- Jump ring is fully closed, with no gap to snag the yarn
- All tails are woven in and trimmed
Troubleshooting
The letter cups or ruffles at the edges: Your border tension doesn’t match the body. Redo Rnd 1 with a smaller hook or a tighter hand.
Inner corners bulge: You missed an sc2tog. Recount; there should be exactly 4 decreases.
Legs are different widths: Look for a skipped or doubled last stitch. Every leg row must count 6 sc.
Crossbar gap is too tight or too loose: Your ch-4 tension is off. Work the chains at the same tension as your sc.
Flowers look floppy: Use the smaller hook or work the petals tighter so the dc stand up firmly.
Keyring pulls the edge out of shape: Move the jump ring so it goes through both loops of the border plus the stitch below.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap and lay flat to dry. Reshape the petals and leaves while damp.
Final Notes
Each measurement builds on the one before. 5 sc and 6 rows make 1 in (2.5 cm). Six-stitch legs are 1.2 in (3.0 cm) wide, and 16 stitches across make 3.2 in (8.1 cm). Twenty-four rows make 4.0 in (10.2 cm). The 128-stitch border adds 0.2 in (0.5 cm) per side, for a finished size of 3.6 in x 4.4 in (9.1 cm x 11.2 cm). Check each stage and the letter will come out square and flat every time. For other initials, keep the same gauge and leg width and change only the shape. Happy crocheting!