This little letter D keychain is a bright, cheerful accessory you can finish in an evening. You work the letter flat in mustard-yellow single crochet. That gives it a dense, slightly nubby texture that holds its shape on a bag zipper or key ring.
Three small white daisies with yellow centers and three green leaves are sewn onto the front. A large daisy sits on the top-left corner, a smaller one rests on the curve and a second large daisy anchors the lower curve. A short tab at the top holds a gold split ring.
The pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished letter measures 2.75 in wide x 3.25 in tall (7.0 x 8.3 cm). With the tab it is 3.85 in (9.8 cm) tall.
The letter is one flat piece worked in rows from the bottom up. To make the center hole, you work the stem and the curve as two short columns, then bridge them with a chain. One round of single crochet borders the outside, a second border neatens the hole, and you work the tab straight off the top edge. You make the daisies and leaves separately and sew them on after blocking.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 2.75 in wide x 3.25 in tall (7.0 x 8.3 cm); 3.85 in (9.8 cm) tall with tab
- Skill level: Easy / Advanced Beginner
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: DK / light worsted (CYC 3) cotton
- Hook: 4.0 mm (US G-6)
- Number of pieces: 1 letter body, plus 3 daisy and 3 leaf appliqués
- Layout: single letter keychain, no joining of letter pieces
- Piece size before border: 2.5 in wide x 3 in tall (6.4 x 7.6 cm)
- Border depth: 0.125 in (0.3 cm) on each side
- Tab: 0.75 in wide x 0.6 in tall (1.9 x 1.5 cm)
Materials
Choose a smooth mercerized or combed cotton in DK or light worsted weight. Cotton gives crisp stitches and doesn’t stretch out on a keychain. Avoid fuzzy or very soft acrylics, which blur the daisies.
- Mustard yellow: 8 g (about 19 m) for the letter, border, tab and daisy centers
- White: 3 g (about 7 m) for the daisy petals
- Leaf green: 2 g (about 5 m) for the leaves
These amounts include extra for a gauge check and sewing tails.
Tools:
- 4.0 mm (US G-6) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- 1 gold split ring, about 1 in (2.5 cm) diameter
- Stitch markers (2)
- Blocking mat 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: (insert hook in next st, yarn over, pull up a loop) twice, yarn over, pull through all 3 loops
- sk: skip
- st(s): stitch(es)
- sp: space
- RS / WS: right side / wrong side
Special technique (petal): (ch 2, 2 dc, ch 2, sl st) all in the same stitch. The small daisy uses a smaller petal: (ch 1, 2 hdc, ch 1, sl st) in the same stitch.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 16 sc and 20 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm) in sc worked in rows. That is 4 sc and 5 rows per 1 in (2.5 cm).
The letter is small, so the body itself is your test piece. Work Rows 1–4, then measure before going further.
- After Row 1: 8 sc = 2 in (5.1 cm) wide.
- After Row 4: 2.5 in (6.4 cm) at the widest point, 0.8 in (2.0 cm) tall.
- After Row 11: 2.2 in (5.6 cm) tall. Each column is 0.75 in (1.9 cm) wide, and the hole is 1 in (2.5 cm) wide.
- After Row 15: 2.5 in wide x 3 in tall (6.4 x 7.6 cm).
- After the border: 2.75 in wide x 3.25 in tall (7.0 x 8.3 cm).
If Row 4 measures more than 2.6 in (6.6 cm), go down a hook size. If it measures less than 2.4 in (6.1 cm), go up a size. Row height matters too: 4 rows should be close to 0.8 in (2.0 cm). A new hook changes both width and height, so re-check both together.
Letter Body
You work the body in rows. The ch 1 at the start of each row doesn’t count as a stitch. The foundation chain starts at the straight stem edge, and Row 1 begins at the curved edge.
Odd rows (RS) go from the curved edge to the stem edge. Even rows (WS) go from the stem edge to the curved edge. All the shaping happens at the curved edge.
Bottom Bar
Row 1 (RS): With yellow, ch 9. Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (8 sc)
Row 2 (WS): Ch 1, turn. Sc in each of next 7 sts, 2 sc in last st. (9 sc)
Row 3: Ch 1, turn. 2 sc in first st, sc in each st across. (10 sc)
Row 4: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each st across. (10 sc)
Check your gauge here. Counting from the curved edge, place a marker in the 4th st and another in the 7th st. These 4 sts (4th through 7th) form the bottom of the hole.
Curve Column
Row 5 (RS): Ch 1, turn. Sc in each of first 3 sts. Leave remaining sts unworked. (3 sc)
Rows 6–11: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each st across. (3 sc)
This column now has 7 rows. Row 11 ends at the hole side. Fasten off, leaving a 4 in (10.2 cm) tail.
Stem Column
Row 5 (RS): With RS facing, join yellow with a sl st in the 8th st of Row 4, counting from the curved edge. Ch 1, sc in same st and in each of next 2 sts. (3 sc)
Leave the 4 marked sts between the columns unworked.
Rows 6–11: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each st across. (3 sc)
Row 11 ends at the stem edge. Don’t fasten off. Both columns should now be 7 rows tall.
Top Bar
Row 12 (WS): Ch 1, turn. Sc in each of 3 stem sts, ch 4, then sc in each of 3 curve-column sts, starting with the st next to the hole. (6 sc + 4 ch = 10 sts)
Make sure the chain lies flat and isn’t twisted. The hole now measures 1 in wide x 1.4 in tall (2.5 x 3.6 cm).
Row 13 (RS): Ch 1, turn. Sc in each of next 3 sc, sc in each of next 4 ch, sc in each of last 3 sc. (10 sc)
Row 14: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each of next 8 sts, sc2tog. (9 sc)
Row 15: Ch 1, turn. Sc2tog, sc in each of next 7 sts. (8 sc)
The top shaping mirrors the bottom. The base rows count 8, 9, 10 and the top rows count 10, 9, 8, so both curved corners round off evenly. Don’t fasten off: the border starts here, at the top-stem corner.
Daisies (Make 3)
Make 2 large daisies and 1 small daisy.
Rnd 1: With yellow, make a magic ring. Ch 1, 5 sc in ring, pull ring tight, sl st to first sc. (5 sc) Fasten off.
Rnd 2 (large daisy): Join white with a sl st in any sc. *(Ch 2, 2 dc, ch 2, sl st) in same st, sl st in next sc; repeat from * 4 more times. The last sl st lands in the joining st. (5 petals) Fasten off, leaving an 8 in (20.3 cm) tail.
Rnd 2 (small daisy): Work as for the large daisy, but make each petal as (ch 1, 2 hdc, ch 1, sl st). (5 petals)
A large daisy is about 1 in (2.5 cm) across. A small daisy is about 0.75 in (1.9 cm) across.
Leaves (Make 3)
With green, ch 5. Sc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc in next ch, hdc in next ch, 3 sc in last ch. Turn the piece to work along the other side of the foundation chain: hdc in next ch, hdc in next ch, sc in next ch. Ch 2, sl st in first sc to form the pointed tip. (9 sts + ch-2 tip)
Fasten off, leaving an 8 in (20.3 cm) tail. Each leaf is about 0.75 in (1.9 cm) long.
Border
Border gauge: Work 1 sc in each st across the top and bottom, and 1 sc in the end of each row along the sides. Single crochet rows in cotton are close to square, so 1 sc per row end lies flat without gathering.
Outer Border
Rnd 1 (RS): Continue from Row 15 without turning. Ch 1 and turn the piece to work down the stem edge.
- Stem edge: Sc in the end of each of 15 rows. (15 sc)
- Bottom edge: 3 sc in first foundation ch, sc in each of next 6 ch, 2 sc in last foundation ch. (11 sc)
- Curved edge: Sc in the end of each of 15 rows. (15 sc)
- Top edge: 2 sc in first st of Row 15, sc in each of next 6 sts, 3 sc in last st of Row 15. (11 sc)
Join with a sl st to first sc. (52 sc total) Fasten off.
Why the math works: The top and bottom edges each start with 8 stitches, and each gets 1 sc per stitch. Each edge then gains 2 extra at its square stem corner (3 sc in one st) and 1 extra at its curve corner (2 sc in one st). That makes 8 + 3 = 11 per edge. Each side edge has 15 rows, so it gets 15 sc. The total is 15 + 11 + 15 + 11 = 52. The curve corners need only 1 extra stitch because Rows 2–3 and 14–15 already rounded them.
Inner Hole Border
Rnd 1 (RS): With RS facing, join yellow in the first marked st at the bottom of the hole.
- Bottom of hole: Sc in each of 4 marked sts. (4 sc)
- Curve-column side: Sc in the end of each of 7 rows. (7 sc)
- Top of hole: Sc in each of 4 ch from Row 12, working into the free loops. (4 sc)
- Stem-column side: Sc in the end of each of 7 rows. (7 sc)
Join with a sl st to first sc. (22 sc) Fasten off. Remove markers.
Don’t add corner increases inside the hole. The inner corners point inward, so extra stitches would make the edge ruffle. This border shrinks the opening to about 0.75 x 1.15 in (1.9 x 2.9 cm).
Tab
Find the group of 3 sc at the top-stem corner. Use the corner sc that lies along the top edge.
Row 1 (RS): Join yellow in that sc. Ch 1, sc in same st and in each of next 2 sts along the top edge. (3 sc)
Row 2: Ch 1, turn. Sc in first st, ch 1, sk next st, sc in last st. (2 sc + 1 ch)
Row 3: Ch 1, turn. Sc in first st, sc in ch-1 sp, sc in last st. (3 sc)
Fasten off. The tab measures 0.75 in wide x 0.6 in tall (1.9 x 1.5 cm). The small hole made by the ch-1 holds the split ring.
Final Blocking
- Weave in all ends on the letter body, hiding them in stitches of the same color.
- Lay the letter RS up on a blocking mat with a grid.
- Pin the four outer corners first: 2.75 in (7.0 cm) apart side to side and 3.25 in (8.3 cm) apart top to bottom.
- Add pins at the middle of the stem edge and at the widest point of the curve. Keep the stem edge straight.
- Use your fingers to ease the hole into a neat D shape.
- Mist lightly with water until damp, not soaked.
- Let it dry completely, about 2–4 hours.
- Unpin. Sew a large daisy over the top-left corner, the small daisy on the middle of the curve, and the second large daisy on the lower curve.
- Sew a leaf to the right of the top daisy, a leaf below the small daisy, and a leaf to the left of the bottom daisy.
- Use small stitches through the base of each petal and the center of each leaf so the tips stay free. Weave in tails on the WS.
- Open the split ring and thread it through the hole in the tab.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- The letter measures 2.75 x 3.25 in (7.0 x 8.3 cm).
- The stem edge is straight and both curved corners match.
- The hole is centered, with 7 rows on each side.
- The outer border has 52 sc and the inner border has 22 sc.
- The Row 12 chain isn’t twisted.
- All 3 daisies have 5 even petals.
- The leaf tips point outward.
- The back of the letter is tidy, with no long loose strands.
- The split ring turns freely in the tab hole.
Troubleshooting
The letter is too wide. Your stitches are too loose for the gauge. Go down a hook size and start again.
The stem edge wavers. Make sure every row starts with a ch 1 that doesn’t count as a stitch, and that you work into the last stitch of each row.
The two columns are different heights. Count the rows on each column before Row 12. Both need exactly 7 rows (Rows 5–11).
The border ruffles. You may be working 2 sc into some row ends. Work exactly 1 sc per row.
The border pulls in at the corners. Check that you made 3 sc at each stem corner and 2 sc at each curve corner.
The hole looks lopsided. Block it again, and check that the Row 12 chain has exactly 4 ch.
The petals look floppy. Tighten the sl st at the end of each petal, or use the small-daisy petal for all three.
Care
Spot clean with mild soap and cool water, press gently in a towel and lay flat to dry. Don’t machine wash, because it can loosen the appliqués.
Final Notes
Each stage sets up the next one. The gauge gives 4 sc and 5 rows per 1 in (2.5 cm). Rows 1–4 make a base 2.5 in (6.4 cm) wide. The two 3-stitch columns create a hole 1 x 1.4 in (2.5 x 3.6 cm). Rows 12–15 close the top, giving a body of 2.5 x 3 in (6.4 x 7.6 cm). The 52-stitch border adds 0.125 in (0.3 cm) per side, so the finished letter is 2.75 x 3.25 in (7.0 x 8.3 cm). Check your size at each stage and the daisies will land in the right places.
Happy crocheting!